Instead of high-level emulation, the decompiled C source is compiled directly to Xtensa machine code for the ESP32-S3. We replaced the PlayStation SDK/GPU/GTE with custom software routines, running on a DIY handheld built around a Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense.
To speed up development without constantly flashing hardware, we run the compiled firmware image directly inside a browser-based hardware simulator CLI (velxio-cli) to verify serial outputs and execution in seconds.
Having 100% matching C code makes native ports to embedded platforms completely feasible without relying on heavy JIT/interpreter glue.