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A little known fact about the PlayStation Portable is that each one on the market operates its games with an underclocked processor. Although the unit ships with a MIPS R4000-based CPU designed for a clockspeed of 333MHz, almost every single PSP game runs at 222MHz.
Sony revealed during GDC 2005 that its development kits limited the clockspeed allowed to developers, though official reasons were not revealed. Some believe that running at a lower clockspeed would drain the battery at a noticeably slower rate than if the processor were allowed to run at full speed.
Sony may be slowly unlocking more power to its developers as the PSP gets further into its lifecycle. High Impact Games’ Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters is said to run at 266MHz, representing the handheld’s most demanding game yet.
Now confirmed by SCEA, the latest v3.5 firmware update for PSP – which also adds the ability Remote Play with the PlayStation 3 – finally allows developers to use the full 333MHz the PSP CPU is capable of. The PSP’s newly unshackled abilities do not affect already released games, however, as the speed increase will only be realized and utilized in games that specifically call for the CPU’s top speed.
While licensed software hasn’t pushed Sony’s handheld to 333MHz, modified firmware has. Software released by PSP modders allow for homebrewers to set clockspeeds to 333MHz, resulting in smoother framerates, but at the expense of battery life.
Sony has not yet announced any games that will take advantage of the full CPU speed.
dailytech.com
