PlayStation Portable system software


The PlayStation Portable system software is the official firmware for the PlayStation Portable. It uses the XrossMediaBar as its user interface, similar to the PlayStation 3 console. Updates add new functionality as well as security patches to prevent homebrew applications and plugins from being executed on the system. Updates can be obtained in four ways:
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. 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 XrossMediaBar as its graphical user interface, which is also used in the PlayStation 3 console, a variety of Sony BRAVIA HDTVs, Blu-ray disc players and many more Sony products. XMB displays icons horizontally across the screen that be seen as categories. Users can navigate through them using the left and right buttons of the D-pad, which move the icons forward or back across the screen, highlighting just one at a time, as opposed to using any kind of pointer to select an option. When one category is selected, there are usually more specific options then available to select that are spread vertically above and below the selected icon. Users may navigate among these options by using the up and down buttons of the D-pad.
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, Settings and Extras. Also, XMB offers a degree of multitasking. With the PSP, using the Home button while playing music would allow users to browse photos without stopping the music. While XMB proved to be a successful user interface for Sony products such as PSP and PS3, the next generation Sony video game consoles such as the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation Vita no longer use this user interface. For example, the XMB is replaced by the LiveArea interface on the PS Vita.

Web browser

The PlayStation Portable comes with a web browser for browsing the Internet. The web browser is a version of the NetFront browser made by Access Co. Ltd. and was released for free with the 2.00 system software update. The browser supports most common web technologies, such as HTTP cookies, forms, CSS, as well as basic JavaScript capabilities.
The version 2.50 upgrade added Unicode 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. However, the player runs Flash version 6, five iterations behind the current desktop version 11, making some websites difficult to view.
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 limited tabbed browsing, with a maximum of three tabs. When a website tries to open a link in a new window, the browser opens it in a new tab.
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 in . 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, 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 has allowed a custom version of the browser to be released that utilizes all 32/64 MB of the PSP's RAM, which allows the browser to load pages faster and have more memory for larger pages. 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.

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 of 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, and the final Harry Potter movie was one of the final releases on the format.
The PlayStation Portable also supports a feature known as Remote Play, which allows the PSP to access many features of a PlayStation 3 console from a remote location using the PS3's WLAN capabilities, a home network, or the Internet. However, unlike the later Remote Play feature between the PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation 4, the Remote Play capabilities between the PSP and the PS3 are much more limited. Although most of the PS3's capabilities related to its main user interface are accessible with Remote Play, playback of DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, PlayStation 2 games, most PlayStation 3 games, and copy-protected files stored on the PS3's hard drive are not supported. Actual Remote Play between the PSP and the PS3 games are only supported by a "select" very few PS3 titles.
Furthermore, PSP-2000, PSP-3000 and PSP-N1000 can use the Skype VoIP service starting with system software version 3.90. The service allows Skype calls to be made over Wi-Fi and on the PSP Go over the Bluetooth Modem feature. It is not possible to use the VoIP service on the original PSP-1000 console due to hardware limitations. There also existed other services for the PSP such as the Room for PlayStation Portable, similar to the PlayStation 3's online community-based service known as PlayStation Home.

Custom firmware

was very popular during the time of the PlayStation Portable. Besides the official firmware made by Sony, custom firmware is also commonly seen in the PlayStation Portable handheld consoles. Custom Firmware allows the running of unsigned code such as homebrew applications and UMD backups, emulators for other consoles as well as PSone games when the disc images are converted into PSP format, unlike official system software which usually only allow signed or retailed copies of software to run. Famous Custom Firmware 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 CFW and the PRO CFW. Since from the early days hackers working on the PSP discovered exploits in system software 1.00 and 1.50 that allowed them to run unsigned code on the PSP, many PSP-1000 users had downgraded their consoles to these versions in order to install a Custom Firmware corresponding to a higher version of the system software. Later exploits were discovered in some more recent versions of the system software too allowing the installation of homebrew content. Sony had put significant effort into blocking Custom Firmware and other third party devices and content from their PSP consoles, but their effort was not quite successful for the PSP. 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, but other Custom Firmware continue to be developed or updated. However, this would be very different for its successor, the PlayStation Vita. Unlike the PSP, there is currently no native CFW for the PS Vita. Besides the popular henakau exploit, which allowed users to run unsigned code, it wasn't technically a custom firmware. There only exists eCFW for the PS Vita, meaning Custom Firmware for PSP running in the PSP "emulator" of the PS Vita, but the features of eCFW are expected to be much more limited than a real CFW for the PS Vita, unless with the usage of Adrenaline, a homebrew upgrade to the existing "emulator", which adds USB support, fixed PS1 emulation, blue colour filter and more.

History of updates

Version 6

Version 5

VersionDate ReleasedDescriptionDays until next version update
5.70Pre-installed Only
First found on October 1, 2009
This firmware is only available pre-installed on new PSP-N1000 models and some later PSP 3000 models and cannot be downloaded.
  • has been renamed to .
  • option has been added to .
  • has been added to the menu.
  • has been added to .
  • Calendar has been added to the screensaver setting.
  • icon has been redesigned.
days unknown
5.55UMD OnlyFirst found on July 5, 2009
  • Provided only with some UMD games, including:
  • *'
  • *'
  • *Tales of VS.
  • *Armored Core 3 Portable
  • *'
  • *'
  • *'
  • *'
  • *AFL Challenge
  • *Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
  • *'
  • *'
  • *Rugby League Challenge
  • *Gran Turismo
  • *Macross Ultimate Frontier
  • *WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
  • *FIFA 10
  • Required to play the above games
  • Security on 5.55+ titles has been increased
67 days
5.51June 11, 2009
  • System software stability during use of some features has been improved.
  • 5.03-5.05 ChickHEN kernel-level exploit silently patched.
  • Patched 5.50 gamesave exploit for Need for Speed Underground and Monster Hunter Freedom
    		• 24 days
    5.50April 20, 2009
  • has been added
  • Memory Stick improvements
  • *Sub-folder support has been added for music, videos, and photos
  • *Space required to download a file from PlayStation Store to the Memory Stick has been reduced significantly.
  • for games directly from the XMB has been added
  • An icon has been added within the web browser
  • Trend Micro trial has been added for the Web Browser.
  • *Trend Micro Web Security
  • *Trend Micro Kids’ Safety
  • The new TIFF exploit by MaTiAz was patched.
  • The PlayStation Store can now be accessed without an account.
  • An option to sign-in automatically is now available on the PlayStation store sign-in screen.
  • has been added as an option when purchasing multiple items from the store.
  • Removal of Go!Messenger under Network
  • Consumption capacity calculation problem with download contents for The Idolmaster has been fixed.
    		• 52 days
    5.05UMD OnlyFirst found on February 19, 2009
    Provided only with the Japanese release of The Idolmaster
    • Rumored changes relating to The Idolmaster:
    • *In-game PlayStation Store interface—it is said that The Idolmaster is the first title that has this interface.
    • *Support for PlayStation Home rewards added—rumor spread from the false report by some websites that prizes in PlayStation Home resulted from player in-game accomplishments from The Idolmaster.
    		60 days
    5.03January 19, 2009
  • System software stability during use of some features has been improved.
  • Patches the GripShift buffer overflow exploit via modified game save data.
  • Support for Premium Themes has been added.
    		• 30 days
    5.02November 20, 2008
  • System software stability including the use of the PlayStation Store has been improved.
    • Japanese only feature:
    • One-segment TV channel list for Takada, Nigata and Koga, Shiga has been updated.
    		60 days
    5.01October 21, 2008
  • Fixes a bug in the PlayStation Store with 8GB and 16GB Memory Sticks, causing the system to display "Not Enough Space" while downloading content.
    		• 30 days
    5.00October 15, 2008First "universal" firmware version for the original PSP-1000, PSP-2000 PSP Slim & Lite and PSP-3000 series''
    • has been added as a category on the XMB
    • has been added under menu
    • has been added under menu
    • Sleep Timer Function for
    • Feature added for PSP-1000 and PSP-2000 under
    • A new full-screen keyboard; press when the On-Screen Keyboard is displayed.
    • A new redesigned XMB Background added as an option under
    • A new video format is supported Video Main Profile
    • feature added under
    • Screen capture has been added as a feature within games and the internet browser.
    • PlayStation format software can now be output in full-screen size on a connected device, even if it doesn't have progressive input capability. Still PSP format software can only be output on devices that have progressive input capability.
    		6 days

    Version 4

    VersionDate ReleasedDescriptionDays until next version update
    4.21Pre-installed Only
    First found on December 5, 2008
    Only available pre-installed on the initial release of the black Rachet & Clank Entertainment Pack PSP-3000 series in North America and possibly some later production units of the Silver Rachet & Clank and Gran Turismo bundles in North America and other colors and regions worldwide.
    ;System Changes
    		days unknown
    4.20Pre-installed OnlyFirst found on October 14, 2008
    No update to this firmware was ever made available. This firmware was only available pre-installed on the initial release of the PSP-3000 series
    ;Settings Changes
    • feature in under .
    • under the menu in .
    • under the menu in .
    • under the menu in .
    		days unknown
    4.05July 13, 2008;Media Changes
    • Added new visualization effect under .
    • Added support for viewing rentals and purchased videos downloaded from the .
    • Up to 8 programs may now be scheduled for record using the One-segment TV Tuner.
    • A whole series of programs can now be set up to record using the One-segment TV Tuner.
    • It is now possible to record TV using the One-segment TV Tuner without having to also watch it.
    		94 days
    4.01June 25, 2008Initial release for the TA-088 v3 motherboard, non-compatible with the Pandora Battery.
    ;Media Changes
    • Playback of video content under has been improved for certain file types.
    ;Network Changes
    • Display of search results under has been improved for certain languages.
    		18 days
    4.00June 18, 2008;Media Changes
    • Functionality allowing for altered playing speeds under .
    • Added Subtitle support for UMD Movies under .
    ;Network Changes
    • has been added as a feature under .
    		7 days

    Version 3

    VersionDate ReleasedDescriptionDays until next version update
    3.96UMD Only
    First found on June 3, 2008
    Provided only with the North American version of Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
    ;System Changes
    • Support for PlayStation Network titles has been expanded.
    		15 days
    3.95April 8, 2008;System Changes
    • Support for PlayStation Network titles has been expanded.
    • Downloaded PlayStation game controls can now be further customized.
    • The method for turning the PS3 off using has been altered.
    		63 days
    3.93March 18, 2008;Network Changes
    • The Internet Radio feature has been expanded.
    • Skype feature has been added under Network.
    		21 days
    3.90January 29, 2008;System Changes
    • Support for PlayStation Network titles has been expanded.
    ;Network Changes
    • Support for the Go!Messenger service.
    • Skype feature has been added under Network.
    		49 days
    3.80December 17, 2007;System Changes
    • Added ability to play PlayStation games from disc or hard drive via Remote Play with the PlayStation 3 system
    ;Media Changes
    • Added new music visualization effect
    • Video scene search
    • One-segment broadcasting recordings
    ;Network Changes
    • Streaming internet radio player
    • RSS now supports OPML and pictures
    • PlayStation Spot now available at BB Mobile Point
    		41 days
    3.73November 29, 2007Initial release for a revision of the Slim & Lite with TA-085 v2 motherboard.
    ;Disc Changes
    • Improved system stability by fixing problems where the UMD drive would occasionally suspend and then fail to reload data.
    		18 days
    3.72October 30, 2007;System Changes
    • Support for PlayStation Network titles expanded.
    • Remote Start now available under Remote Play. Remote Start requires a PlayStation 3 system with system software version 2.00.
    		30 days
    3.71September 13, 2007;System Changes
    • Revisions to strengthen security have been added.
    • Support for PlayStation Network titles expanded.
    • A correction has been made to the settings for some regions
    		47 days
    3.70September 11, 2007First "universal" firmware version for both the original PSP-1000 and PSP-2000 PSP Slim & Lite series
    ;Settings Changes
    • Custom themes
    • Support has been added for assigning buttons in
    ;Media Changes
    • A scene search feature has been added under
    • Sequential playback is now supported under
    • Simultaneous playback of content under and is now supported
    • Video bitrate limit raised to 2Mbit/s from 768kbit/s
    ;Network Changes
    • PlayStation Spot icon added under for regions other than Japan
    		2 days
    3.60Pre-installed OnlyFirst found on September 10, 2007
    No update to this firmware was ever made available. This firmware was only available pre-installed on the initial release of the PSP Slim & Lite with TA-085 motherboard.
    ;Settings Changes
    • UMD cache support
    • USB Charge option
    • Additional color themes for XMB
    ;Media Changes
    • TV output added
    • Support for the 1-Seg Tuner''
    		1 day
    3.52July 24, 2007;System Changes
    • Support for PlayStation Network titles expanded.
    		49 days
    3.51June 29, 2007;System Changes
    • Illuminati exploit has been patched.
    		25 days
    3.50May 31, 2007;System Changes
    • Allows Remote Play to be used via an internet connection.
    • CPU speed limit removed, allowing CPU to run at 333 MHz rather than 266 MHz.
    ;Network Changes
    • "RSS Channel Guide" has been added as a feature under "RSS Channel".
    		29 days
    3.40April 20, 2007;System Changes
    • Support for PlayStation Network titles expanded..
    • "Certificate Utility" option erased.
    • Saved data from PlayStation format software can be used on both PSP and PS3 systems.
    		41 days
    3.30March 28, 2007;System Changes
    • "Wireless Hotspot" added
    • Security added to detect TA-082 / TA-086 motherboards which have been downgraded to 1.50 and prevent upgrading to 3.30 or newer. Easily fixed by using IDstorage Key Cleaner.
    ;Media Changes
    • Support for thumbnail images within RSS channel and in video folder.
    • MPEG-4/H.264 support for 720×480, 352×480, and 480×272.
    		23 days
    3.11February 8, 2007;System Changes
    ;Network Changes
    • "Portable TV" menu under .
    		48 days
    3.10January 30, 2007;Settings Changes
    • Dynamic normalizer.
    • Conserve memory option.
    ;System Changes
    • Secret patching of sceRegOpenRegistry and GTA exploits.
    ;Network Changes
    • menu under .
    		9 days
    3.03December 20, 2006;System Changes
    • Support for PlayStation Network titles expanded.
    • Support for PSP-300 camera.
    ;Media Changes
    • Support for taking photos and videos using the camera.
    		41 days
    3.02December 6, 2006;System Changes
    • Support for PlayStation Network titles expanded.
    		14 days
    3.01November 22, 2006;System Changes
    • Support for PlayStation Network titles expanded.
    		14 days
    3.00November 21, 2006;System Changes
    • PlayStation 3 Remote Play.
    • Classic PSone games.
    ;Media Changes
    • Added a music visualizer.
    		1 day

    Version 2

    VersionDate ReleasedDescriptionDays until next version update
    2.82October 26, 2006
    ;System Changes
    • Revisions to strengthen security have been added.
    		26 days
    2.81September 7, 2006;System Changes
    • Support for memory sticks with a capacity greater than 4GB.
    • Revisions to strengthen security have been added.
    • Patched a libtiff exploit.
    		49 days
    2.80July 27, 2006;Network Changes
    ;System Changes
    • Revisions to strengthen security have been added.
    • Secret patching of sceKernelLoadExec bug but opening sceRegOpenRegistry exploit.
    		42 days
    2.71May 30, 2006;Network Changes
    • Support to download Game Demos from the Internet Browser.
    		58 days
    2.70April 25, 2006;Network Changes
    		35 days
    2.60November 29, 2005;Network Changes
    • Support for Audio RSS feeds.
    ;System Changes
    • Revisions to strengthen security have been added.
    • First attempt at patching the 2.00-2.50 GTA exploit. Security update was later found not to work correctly in every version through 3.03.
    • An overclock bug was introduced with this update preventing the CPU from going above 222mHz while WiFi is activated. This is a predictable and reproductive behavior where if the CPU is overclocked before activating wifi, the behavior is nullified until the next complete shutdown. This is still present in the latest firmware. This could have been an attempted limit by Sony to anticipate the lower voltage of the battery in the PSP-2000 to prevent drawing too much power at once.
    		107 days
    2.50October 13, 2005;Settings Changes
    • has been added to in .
    • has been added as a security method under .
    ;Media Changes
    • Copyright-protected video can now be played.
    ;Network Changes
    • LocationFree Player added.
    • and added to the browser.
    • Settings for and and the input history of online forms accessed can now saved in the browser.
    ;System Changes
    • Korean input mode has been added to the on-screen keyboard.
    		47 days
    2.01October 3, 2005;System Changes
    • Revisions to strengthen security have been added.
    • Security update to patch the original TIFF exploit.
    		10 days
    2.00September 1, 2005Initial UK release
    ;Settings Changes
    • Korean has been added as a system language in .
    • has been added in .
    • has been added.
    • has been added as a security mode in .
    • WPA-PSK has been added as a security mode in .
    • Web address shortcut feature has been added as an input mode for the on-screen keyboard.
    ;Media Changes
    • 4:3 Screen Mode has been added.
    • Go To feature has been added.
    • A-B Repeat feature has been added.
    • Audio options have been added.
    • MP4 has been added as a playable file format.
    • The combination of SonicStage version 3.2 and PSP system software 2.00 has made it possible for music files in ATRAC3 plus format to be transferred to a Memory Stick PRO Duo
    • MP4 and WAV have been added as playable file formats.
    • Wallpaper feature has been added.
    • Image transfer feature has been added.
    • TIFF, GIF, PNG and BMP have been added as viewable file formats.
    ;Network Changes
    • added.
    		32 days

    Version 1

    VersionDate ReleasedDescriptionDays until next version update
    1.52June 15, 2005
    Initial UK release
    ;Disc Changes
    • Support for UMD music.
    ;System Changes
    • Revisions to strengthen security have been added.
    		78 days
    1.51May 18, 2005;System Changes
    • Revisions to strengthen security have been added.
    • Security update to patch "KXploit" exploit.
    		28 days
    1.50March 24, 2005Initial North American release
    ;Media Changes
    • new video codecs.
    ;System Changes
    • Revisions to strengthen security have been added.
    • Content authorization support added.
    • multiple languages.
    		55 days
    1.00Pre-installed OnlyFirst found on December 12, 2004
    Initial Japanese release
    • Original release
    		102 days