PlayStation Portable system software
Closed source | |
Initial release | December 12, 2004 | (as 1.00)
---|---|
Latest release | 6.61 / January 15, 2015 |
Available in | Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dutch, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish[1] |
Update method | Direct Download Download via PS3 Download via PC Universal Media Disc |
Platforms | PlayStation Portable |
Default user interface | XrossMediaBar |
Preceded by | PocketStation |
Succeeded by | PlayStation Vita (system software) |
Official website | |
Support status | |
Unsupported |
The PlayStation Portable system software is the official firmware for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). It uses the XrossMediaBar (XMB) as its user interface, similar to the PlayStation 3 console.
Updates
Updates add new functionality as well as security patches to prevent unsigned code from being executed on the system. Updates can be obtained in four ways:
Direct download to the PSP over Wi-Fi. This can be performed by choosing [Settings], [System Update] from the XMB.
Download to a PC, then transfer to the PSP via a USB cable or Memory Stick.
Included on the UMD of some games. These games may not run with earlier firmware than the version on their UMD. See also List of PlayStation Portable system software compatibilities.
Download from a PS3 to a PSP system via USB cable (Japanese and American version only)
While system software updates can be used with consoles from any region, Sony recommends only downloading system software updates released for the region corresponding to the system's place of purchase. System software updates have added various features including a web browser, Adobe Flash Player 6 support, additional codecs for images, audio, and video, PlayStation 3 connectivity, as well as patches against several security exploits, vulnerabilities, and execution of homebrew programs.[2] The battery must be at least 50% charged or else the system will prevent the update from installing. If the power supply is lost while writing to the system software, the console will no longer be able to operate unless the system is booted in service mode or sent to Sony for repair if still under warranty.
The current version of the software, 6.61, was made available on January 15, 2015. It is a minor update released more than three years after the release of the previous version 6.60 in 2011.
Technology
Graphical shell
The PlayStation Portable uses the
The basic features offered by XMB implementations varies based on device and software version. On the PSP console, the XMB had top level icons for Photos, Music, Videos, Games, Networking (which allows the use of the
Web browser
This article needs to be updated.(November 2020) |
The PlayStation Portable comes with a
The version 2.50 upgrade added Unicode (UTF-8) character encoding and Auto-Select as options in the browser's encoding menu, and also introduced the saving of input history for online forms.
Version 2.70 of the PSP's system software introduced basic Flash capabilities to the browser.[6] However, the player runs Flash version 6, five iterations behind the current desktop version 11,[7] making some websites difficult to view.[6]
There are three different rendering modes: "Normal", "Just-Fit", and "Smart-Fit". "Normal" will display the page with no changes, "Just-Fit" will attempt to shrink some elements to make the whole page fit on the screen and preserve layout and "Smart-Fit" will display content in the order it appears in the HTML, and with no size adjustments; instead it will drop an element down below the preceding element if it starts to go off the screen.
The browser also has basic
Parents can limit content by enabling Browser Start Up Control which blocks all access to the web browser and creating a 4-digit PIN under [Settings] in [Security]. Additionally, the browser can be configured to run under a proxy server and can be protected by the security PIN to enable the use of web filtering or monitoring software through a network. Recently,[when?] TrendMicro for PSP was added as a feature that can be enabled via a subscription to filter or monitor content on the PSP.
The PSP browser is slower compared to modern browsers and often runs out of memory due to limitations put in place by Sony. Alternatively, homebrew alternatives to the browser have been released that utilize all 32/64 MB of the PSP's RAM, which allows the browser to load pages faster and have more memory for larger pages.[9] Opera Mini can also be used on PSP through PSPKVM, a homebrew application which is a Sun Java Virtual Machine. It was claimed to provide much faster loading times than the default browser and provides better web page compatibility.[10]
Other features
Like many other video game consoles, the PlayStation Portable is capable of photo, audio, and video playback in a variety of formats. However, unlike Sony's home consoles such as the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4, it is not possible to play Blu-ray or DVD movies on the PlayStation Portable directly since it lacks a standard Blu-ray or DVD drive. While it does have a UMD drive and there exist UMD movies, the UMD format never saw implementation on any device other than the PlayStation Portable and as a result, the market is very limited compared to those for other optical media formats. There have been no more movies released on UMD since 2011, with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 being one of the final releases on the format.[11]
The PlayStation Portable also supports a feature known as
Furthermore, PSP-2000, PSP-3000, and PSP-N1000 can use the
Go!Messenger, a free
Custom firmware
Homebrew development was very popular during the time of the PlayStation Portable. Besides the official firmware (OFW) made by Sony, custom firmware (also written as Custom Firmware, or simply CFW) is also commonly seen in the PlayStation Portable handheld consoles.
Custom firmware allows the running of unsigned code such as homebrew applications, UMD .ISO files, emulators for other consoles and PS1 games when the disc images are converted into an EBOOT file.[17] This is in stark contrast to the official system software, where only code that has been signed by Sony can run.
Notable custom firmware versions include the M33 Custom Firmware by Dark_AleX as well as those made by others such as the Custom Firmware 5.50GEN series, Minimum Edition (ME/LME) CFW and the PRO CFW.
All legally and illegally obtained content can be played on custom firmware, assuming that it is at the latest version (currently 6.61). During the early days of the PSP hacking scene, it was discovered that firmware 1.00 allowed unsigned code to run. While this firmware only existed on PSP-1000 models from Japan, many users imported these models to run and develop homebrew. An exploit was later discovered in firmware 1.50 that also allowed unsigned code to run. This opened up North American PSP-1000 systems for homebrew. Firmware 1.5 acted as the standard firmware for homebrew until the creation of eLoaders (which use various exploits to launch a homebrew "menu"), savegame exploits in games such as Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Lumines: Puzzle Fusion and eventually DarkAlex's custom firmware releases, which all allowed PSPs shipped after the 1.51 update's release to run homebrew.
Sony had put significant effort into blocking custom firmware and other third party devices/content from the PSP, but their effort was in vain. In July 2007 Dark_AleX officially stopped his work on the PSP, citing perceived problems with Sony as one of the reasons for his departure,[18] but other custom firmware versions continue to be developed or updated. In 2015, a homebrew tool known as Infinity was developed which allows users to permanently install CFW such as LME or PRO on all PSP models. This tool requires firmware 6.60 or 6.61.[19]
See also
Other gaming platforms from Sony:
Other gaming platforms from the next generation:
- Nintendo 3DS system software
- Wii U system software
- Xbox One system software
- Nintendo Switch system software
Other gaming platforms from this generation:
- Nintendo DSi system software
- Wii system software
- Xbox 360 system software
References
- ^ "System Language - PlayStation®Portable User's Guide". manuals.playstation.net.
- ^ McEntegart, Marc (3 October 2005). "Sony releases anti-piracy PSP update". The inquirer.
- ^ "XrossMediaBar". afterdawn.com.
- Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
- ^ "PSP – Network – Internet Browser – Displaying the menu". Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
- ^ "Adobe Flash Player". Adobe Systems. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ^ "PSP – Network – Internet Browser – Tabs". Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ^ "Netfront Internet Browser Beta 4 – HighMemoryMod By pp86 – ChickHEN/PSP-3000 Support". Forums.qj.net. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
- ^ "Opera Mini on PSP". Forums.qj.net. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
- ^ "Harry Potter final UMD outing". Amazon UK. 16 December 2011.
- ^ "PSP – Remote Play". Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ "PSP – Remote Play – About Remote Play". Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ "Bring friends closer together with Go!Messenger" (Press release). Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 2007-08-22. Archived from the original on 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
- ^ "Sony shutting down PSP's Go!Messenger". Eurogamer.net. 2009-02-23.
- ^ PSP Firmware Update (v6.10) http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/09/psp-firmware-update-v6-10/
- ^ Swann, Graham (2 February 2007). "Investigating the PSP's PSone emulator". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
- ^ Patel, Nilay. "PSP modder extraordinare Dark_AleX calls it quits". engadget. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
- ^ "6.61 Infinity". 24 September 2015.