Sony PlayStation Portable Hardware

Note: This document may be incomplete until all information is added. At that time, this notice will be removed.

Introduction

This document is an unofficial compilation of information on the Sony PlayStation Portable gaming system. It is not, in any way, endorsed by Sony or any of its subsidiaries.

The majority of this document was compiled by Groepaz of the Hitmen group (now defunct). It existed mostly as a long 5-ish MB PDF prior to this document. The original document's design goal was "this was made to give you what you need in the most compressed and visually pleasing form possible. Stuff that matters." This article will keep with that goal without adding a bunch of extra fluff.

What's In This Document

Nearly everything explicitly and specifically related to the PSP hardware and software internals and its programming. Everything inside the box is subject to be documentation, whether it's relevant for actual programming or not. It is meant as a reference for anyone who wants to know in all possible detail what makes the PSP tick.

Please note that this is technical documentation presented for pure educational purposes and higher learning. No warranty or support should be implied or will be given.

What's Not In This Document

1. Emulating the PSP on a different system, apart from raw technical documentation about PSP hardware.
2. Instructions on using any tools that let you upload and execute code on the PSP, or any other development-related tools except anything related to setting up and using gcc for cross-compilation to the PSP.
3. Software-related information, such as games or third-party software.
4. Detailed and/or complete source code, except when used for illustration or clarification purposes.
5. Any information related to playing/booting/copying copied/imaged/backed up games

Conventions

Bits are counted starting from 0, with the most significant bit (MSB) of a single byte being 7. The PSP is a big-endian system, meaning bits go from most-significant to least in a left-to-right fashion. When dealing with 16- or 32-bit values, all figures are also big endian.

Note that while everything is handled in big endian format, the Allegrex CPU itself is a little endian processor, which means bit order is reversed inside the CPU.

If known (from patents or other freely available sources), we use the same terminology as Sony does. In particular, we try to use the same names and abbreviations for hardware registers, signals, and the like as a weak attempt of providing consistency with other existing documentation.

Absolute memory addresses are shown as-used in real-world PSP programs. For that matter, we dont use physical adresses to avoid confusion for the majority of our readers.

Code snippets are in either real or pseudo-C language. Any logical or arithmetic expressions outside code snippets are loosely similar to C notation and use the same bitwise and arithmetic operators. Not that in outside code, this document does not make a distinction between logical and bitwise operations. When in doubt, the operation should be considered a bitwise operation.

PSP Main Unit

This is a detailed list of the features of the PSP:

Core System

• Main CPU (System clock frequency 1-333MHz), MIPS32R2 'Allegrex' core (little endian)
• Media Engine CPU (System clock frequency 1~333MHz), MIPS32R2 core (little endian)
• Main Memory 32MB DDR SDRAM
• Flash Memory 32MB
• Embedded DRAM 4MB
• 4.3-inch 16:9 TFT LCD screen, 480 x 272 pixel, 16.77 million colors, backlight, Maximum luminance 180/130/80 cd/m² on battery, 200/180/80 cd/m² via AC adaptor

Input

• Analog stick
• D-pad (up/down/left/right)
• Controller buttons (triangle, circle, cross, square, left shoulder, right shoulder, Select, Start)
• Home button
• Power/hold switch
• Volume up/down buttons
• Sound button
• Wireless LAN switch on/off
• Open latch for UMD bay

Storage and Media

• Proprietary "Universal Media Disc" (UMD) - 60mm optical secured ROM disc inside cartridge with 1.8 GB capacity
• Memory Stick PRO Duo

Communication and Networking

• Wireless LAN (802.11b) - A maximum of 16 PSP systems can be connected through the ad-hoc wireless mode with a typical indoor range of approx. 30m at 11Mbps and approx. 91m at 1Mbps, and a typical outdoor range of approx. 120m at 11Mbps and approx. 460m at 1Mbps.
• IrDA, IR Remote (SIRCS)
• USB 2.0 (5-pin Mini B)

Power

• Lithium-ion battery (1800 mAh)
• +5VDC via wall adapter

Models/Revisions

Standard/Slim PSP Models

Since the standard PSP has a different model revision for each region, a straight listing of hardware revisions takes up a lot of space. PSP model numbers have the following features:

PSP-X0YY

In the model number format above, X refers to the hardware revision. For example, PSP-1000 indicates the PSP is a first-generation model release prior to the Slim revision.

In the following list, substitute the values into X:

• 1 - Original PSP release (fat)
• 2 - First hardware revision (PSP Slim & Lite)
• 3 - Second hardware revision (PSP Brite)

In the following list, substitute the values into YY:

• 00 - Japan
• 01 - US
• 02 - EU
• 03 - UK
• 04 - Europe, Middle East, Africa
• 05 - Korea
• 06 - Hong Kong/Singapore
• 07 - Taiwan
• 08 - Russia
• 09 - China
• 10 - Mexico

Hardware Revisions

PSP-2XXX

The first hardware revision of the PSP reduced size from 0.91 to 0.73 inches (23 to 18.6 mm) and mass from 9.87 to 6.66 ounces (280 to 189 g).

The serial port was modified to accommodate a new video-out feature, making it incompatible with older PSP remote controls. On the PSP-2XXX, games only output to external monitors and televisions in progressive scan mode. Non-game video outputs work in either progressive or interlaced mode. USB charging was introduced and the d-pad was raised in response to complaints of poor performance, and the responsiveness of the buttons was improved.

Other changes include improved WLAN modules and micro-controller, and a thinner, brighter LCD screen. To improve the poor loading times of UMD games on the original PSP, the internal memory (RAM and Flash ROM) was doubled from 32 MB to 64 MB, part of which now acting as a cache, also improving the web browser's performance.

The size of the battery was reduced, and its capacity lowered to 1200 mAh from 1800 mAh. The smaller battery is also present in the PSP-3XXX.

PSP-3XXX

The PSP-3XXX, also known as the "PSP Brite", has an improved LCD screen with an increased color range, five times the contrast ratio, a halved pixel response time, new sub-pixel structure, and anti-reflective technology to reduce outdoor glare. The disc tray, logos, and buttons were all redesigned, and a microphone was added. Games could now be output in either component or composite video using the video-out cable.

On its release, a problem with interlacing when objects were in motion on the PSP-3000 screen was noticed. Sony announced this problem would not be fixed.

Other PSP Models

In addition to the mainline PSP models, some specialty models were produced.

PSP Go (N1000)

The PSP Go (model PSP-N1000) was released on October 1, 2009, in North American and European territories, and on November 1 in Japan. Its design is significantly different from other PSP models. The unit is 43% lighter and 56% smaller than the original PSP-1000, and 16% lighter and 35% smaller than the PSP-3000. Its rechargeable battery is not intended to be removed by the user. It has a 3.8-inch (97 mm) 480 × 272 pixel LCD screen, which slides up to reveal the main controls.

The N1000 features 802.11b Wi-Fi like its predecessors, although the USB port was replaced with a proprietary connector. A compatible cable that connects to other devices' USB ports is included with the unit. The new multi-use connector allows video and sound output with the same connector using an optional composite or component AV cable. As with previous models, Sony also offers a cradle (PSP-N340) for charging, video out, and USB data transfer on the PSP Go. This model adds support for Bluetooth connectivity, which enables the playing of games using a Sixaxis or DualShock 3 controller. The use of the cradle with the controller allow players to use the PSP Go as a portable device and as a console, although output is not upscaled. PlayStation 1 games can be played in full screen using the AV/component cable or the cradle.

The PSP Go lacks a UMD drive, and instead has 16 GB of internal flash memory, which can be extended by up to 32 GB with the use of a Memory Stick Micro (M2). Games must be downloaded from the PlayStation Store. The removal of the UMD drive effectively region-locks the unit because it must be linked to a single, region-locked PlayStation Network account. While the PSP Go can download games to itself, users can also download and transfer games to the device from a PlayStation 3 console, or the Windows-based software Media Go.

All downloadable PSP and PlayStation games available for older PSP models are compatible with the PSP Go.

PSP Street (E1000)

The PSP-E1000, which was announced at Gamescom 2011, is a budget-focused model that was released across the PAL region on October 26, 2011. The E1000 lacks Wi-Fi capability and has a matte, charcoal-black finish similar to that of the slim PlayStation 3. It has a mono speaker instead of the previous models' stereo speakers and lacks a microphone. An ice-white version was released in PAL territories on July 20, 2012 with the same hardware specifications.