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SCE: PSPgo's 480MHz clock speed references USB, not CPU
Looks like all that excitement over PSPgo's faster (but likely to be underused) 480MHz processor is all for naught. Our friends at Engadget Japan have gotten in contact with Sony Computer Entertainment and been informed that the Maximum clock frequency mentioned here is for the USB device, not the CPU. All those dreams of hacked firmware to unlock more power? Better hold that thought for now.
PSPgo packs a 480MHz processor, probably not crossing 333MHz mark
Officially, Sony's PSPgo is only clocking in at 333MHz like the rest of its brothers and sisters, but as the gang at Sony Insider found out in the FCC filing, the internal processor actually maxes out at 480MHz. What that means for gamers is probably nothing in the near future, since the firmware'll underclock it to standard speeds and we've seen absolutely no sign Sony's interested in releasing software exclusively for the UMD-less iteration at this point. Of course, the opportunity to capitalize on the upped hardware is gonna be there, and we still remember a noticeable difference in the technical quality of games released after Sony bumped its original PSP's clockspeed from 266MHz to its max 333MHz, but for now, it's just something to keep in the back of your mind. [Via Sony Insider]
PSP's new 333MHz clock speed limited while online
While it's fantastic that Sony has finally lifted the cap on the PSP's clock speed, letting developers finally use all 333MHz of the processor, it turns out there is a fairly substantial limitation to this. According to Beyond3D, they've confirmed that games will only run at 333MHz when the wireless feature is not being used. When wireless is engaged, the clock speed drops back down to 222MHz. As they point out, this means that only single player games will use the 333MHz clock speed or else companies have to develop separate engines for the single player portion of the game and multiplayer portion. The restriction is assumed to be related to conserving battery life, but is obnoxious nonetheless. At least Beyond3D feels that the restriction will eventually be lifted (like all their previous clock speed restrictions), but until then developers are going to have to try to figure out how to deal with this limitation.*Update*Sony has confirmed.[Via N4G]
Koller talks PSP to MTV: reveals US GPS plans, downloadable PSP games, and the fate of Dark_Alex
Sorry, Colin! The headline simply can't reveal how many small details were revealed in Stephen Totilo's incredibly extensive interview John Koller for MTV News. In the interview Koller revealed that all upcoming PSP games developed by Sony will take advantage of the system's full 333MHz speed, with no negative impact to battery life. Other accessories for the US include the upcoming GPS peripheral, which is currently being "tweaked" with an expected release in the next 10-12 months. The PSP camera "may get a spec change" before coming to America -- but the TV tuner will never make its way to the US.Bringing downloadable games to PSP is one of the next things to tackle for Sony. echochrome was originally meant to be a downloadable PSN game for PSP, but it became much larger than anticipated. "It was initially going to be a download-service-only game," Koller said. "We changed it to a UMD because it's a very rich game. That's where their mind is. They're developing that kind of game." Thankfully, other downloadable PSP games are in the works. When can we expect them? In the next six to eight months.In regard to the homebrew scene, Koller says that there were no talks between Sony and Dark_Alex, saying that "I think he's taking a hiatus." For even more, please visit MTV News for more.
Star Wars Battlefront may use 333MHz
If there's one upcoming game on PSP that needs every ounce of power the system can produce, it's Star Wars Battlefront. The upcoming online multiplayer game is ambitious, even by console standards. But, so far we've been underwhelmed by its lackluster graphics and sluggish framerate. The slow performance of the game could be a hindrance to actual gameplay, which is worrisome.In a E3 interview with Gamespot, it appears that a Lucasarts representative confirmed use of PSP's full 333MHz capabilities. (Watch video at the 7 minute mark.) "Well, we're teaming up with Sony, so absolutely it's going to take advantage of that."But ... did he appear not to fully understand what he was talking about? Watch for yourself, and you'll see his somewhat shaky response. We hope Star Wars Battlefront will take advantage of everything the PSP can do -- it certainly needs it.[Thanks, Don!]
Confirmed: God of War to use 333MHz processing
After a brief rant about E3, Cory Barlog has updated the Playstation.blog with one crucial new confirmation: the game will use the newly-unlocked 333MHz speed of the PSP. "Many people are asking if God of War: Chains of Olympus is going to take advantage of this. The short answer is yes we are! Ready at Dawn has been doing some pretty amazing stuff with the PSP since the early days of the platform. Every time I see a new build I am more amazed with what we're able to pull off with the PSP."It's incredible to think that Ready at Dawn was able to pull off such incredible graphics before the processor speed was unlocked. Now that the talented team of programmers has access to PSP's full power, it'll be interesting to see what else Ready at Dawn will be able to pull off.
PSP clockspeed upped to 333MHz after 3.50 firmware update
Sony has admitted that it sneakily upgraded the PSP's clockspeed to 333MHz (from 266MHz) in the version 3.50 firmware update that was released last month. This admission is confusing for a couple of reasons: for starters, Sony originally underclocked the PSP in order to increase the stated battery life of the console. Does that mean they'll be forced to decrease the stated battery life, so as to avoid false advertisement? It's also rather odd that developers are only now being granted access to the extra MHz oomph, prompting mutterings of a new PSP model which -- as one Joystiq commentator points out -- could take as long to appear as games that take full advantage of the 333MHz clockspeed. Or, maybe this upgrade simply enabled the PSP to cope with all that "remote play" malarkey that 3.50 enabled. That would be the logical assumption.[Via Joystiq]
Confirmed: Firmware 3.50 unlocks full 333MHz speed [Update]
According to QJ's "insider" at Sony, firmware version 3.50 allows UMD games to use the full 333MHz of the PSP. If true, this is great news but brings up a few questions. Using the total available processing power will potentially allow for smoother framerates and quicker load times. The problem, however, comes with the battery life. The reason games are locked to 266mhz (only one game has been allowed to use even that much - Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters) is due to the very limited battery life when the PSP runs at full speed.This would coincide with Kotaku's PSP redesign rumours, which claim to have a much heftier battery life due to a much more economic screen. If this feature really is already in the current firmware update, does that mean we will be seeing a redesign much sooner than we expected? [Update: Developers have confirmed that new 3.50 SDKs allow for full clock speed use.][Andrew's note: Older games will not run at the higher clock speed. However, any new games developed from this point onwards will be able to utilize the full clock speed of the PSP. This is intrinsic to firmware 3.50, and any new games that require 333MHz will need firmware 3.50 or above.]
Ready at Dawn explains PSP's power; prepares PS2 Daxter?
Ready at Dawn has been getting a lot of attention lately. Their first game, Daxter, is considered one of PSP's best: not only does it feature solid gameplay, but it features truly impressive graphics technology, and completely invisible load times. Obviously, the team has learned new tricks, and has managed to squeeze more power out of our handheld for their upcoming God of War game. According to co-founder Didier Malenfant, Daxter doesn't come close to taking advantage of the system's true capabilities: "[We] made the conscious decision not to push the hardware as far as we could ... mainly because we wanted to ship the game in a timely manner."Obviously, the talented team is unlocking even more of PSP's power in God of War. However, "the biggest frustration right now, in a way, is the limitation on the clock speed. We'd love to run our games at 333Mhz (we do internally just for kicks) because it does make a big difference in how much stuff you can push on the platform."So, how does Ready at Dawn feel about being responsible for two of Sony's biggest franchises? "The truth is," Malenfant explained, "we built Ready At Dawn Studios to create original IP, but ... I don't think anyone here regrets working on two of the world's biggest franchises in the meantime."The future is bright for this Santa Ana-based team. The single most wanted request the team receives, though, is a PS2 version of Daxter. "I think everyone here would love to do it, and it actually wouldn't be that hard because Daxter was never designed as a handheld game, we could even add a few things for the PS2 version."[Via Gamasutra; Thanks, Joe!]
Did you know? 333MHz is officially unlocked
PSP owners have been hotly anticipating an official unlock of PSP's full capabilities. The system runs at 222MHz, 1/3 less than what the system is capable of. But, did you know that ever since firmware 3.0, the PSP has been running at 333MHz? Yes, it's true ... but the system only runs at maximum speed for emulated PSone games.What? Didn't the original PlayStation run at 33MHz? Yes, it's true. So why does the PSP have to run ten times faster to run PSone games? Well, software emulation is pretty complex stuff (ask the people at Microsoft: they know a little something with Xbox 360's backwards compatibility). With Sony having unlocked the PSP's full clock speed, will wee see other games take advantage? I'm sure a studio like Ready at Dawn can do some truly amazing things.[Via IGN]See also:Is 3.0 accelerating the PSP?
