06-24-2007, 09:40 AM
Rumors swirled following the late May release of PSP firmware 3.50, claiming that the update removed the underclocking restrictions on the hardware, which reportedly sacrificed as much as one-third of the system's total processing power to improve battery life.
Sony Computer Entertainment America confirmed to Shacknews today that the 3.50 update does indeed allow developers to take advantage of the full 333MHz clock speed of the PSP. Most previous games were limited to 222MHz, though February's Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters reportedly ran at 266MHz. PSone downloads available from the PlayStation Store are also rumored to run at 333MHz on the PSP.
While Sony is only just now officially unlocking the hardware, intrepid members of the PSP homebrew scene enabled this option long ago through the creation and use of unofficial firmware. Using the 333MHz setting to run older games often resulted in smoother frame rates and faster loading times, but battery life suffered and some had difficulty with Infrastructure play.
Though unofficial firmware has been used to improve previously released software, the official 3.50 firmware will not offer the same ability. Only new games designed for the firmware upgrade will be able to run at 333MHz. A request for comment on the subject was not returned by press time; we'll update if something substantial comes along.
Even without tapping into the full potential of the hardware, the PSP has long been criticized for its suspect battery life, so the prospect of trading additional juice for increased performance may create a difficult situation for developers. Here's hoping that the widely-rumored PSP redesign increases the battery life enough for it to be a non-issue.
source
Sony Computer Entertainment America confirmed to Shacknews today that the 3.50 update does indeed allow developers to take advantage of the full 333MHz clock speed of the PSP. Most previous games were limited to 222MHz, though February's Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters reportedly ran at 266MHz. PSone downloads available from the PlayStation Store are also rumored to run at 333MHz on the PSP.
While Sony is only just now officially unlocking the hardware, intrepid members of the PSP homebrew scene enabled this option long ago through the creation and use of unofficial firmware. Using the 333MHz setting to run older games often resulted in smoother frame rates and faster loading times, but battery life suffered and some had difficulty with Infrastructure play.
Though unofficial firmware has been used to improve previously released software, the official 3.50 firmware will not offer the same ability. Only new games designed for the firmware upgrade will be able to run at 333MHz. A request for comment on the subject was not returned by press time; we'll update if something substantial comes along.
Even without tapping into the full potential of the hardware, the PSP has long been criticized for its suspect battery life, so the prospect of trading additional juice for increased performance may create a difficult situation for developers. Here's hoping that the widely-rumored PSP redesign increases the battery life enough for it to be a non-issue.
source
