Chapter 12. The Dark Side of the PSP

The PSP is, in its bare essence, a computer. It's an itty-bitty computer whose power doesn't come close to that of a typical modern desktop or laptop PC, but it's still a computer in the strict definition of the wordwhich, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, is "... one that computes; specifically: a programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve, and process data."

Let's see:

• With a Memory Stick Duo installed, the PSP certainly can store data (Figure 12.1). It can also store data for the (very) short term in its volatile memory.

  Figure 12.1. The PSP stores, retrieves, and executes files, just like any computer.

  

• The PSP can also retrieve said data from said locations.

• Finally, the PSP can process data, which is what it does to run your games and multimedia stuff.

Here's the thing about computers: They do what you tell them to do. If you tell a computer to count to 10, it'll count to 10 as fast as it can. If you tell a computer to make obscene noises, it'll do that without even realizing that it's being offensive. If you tell it to stand on its head, it'll faithfully spit out some sort of error message to the effect that it does not have a head (or, more likely, the error message will say something more meaningful, like ERROR 3399283: UNABLE TO PROCESS CMD ERR CODE 00101991:BFFFFC).

You can tell your PSP what to do in a limited fashion by pressing its buttons (someone programmed it to know what you mean when you press the Home or Select button) and by popping in a UMD (Figure 12.2), which contains a whole bunch of instructions that further tell the PSP what to do. If you're a talented programmer working for a game company that makes PSP products, you're even better at telling a PSP what to do than most people are. (I'd like to mention, for the record, that some talented programmers really should update the hopelessly underrated PC game Rocket Jockey for the PSPjust in case you're looking for something to do.)

Figure 12.2. A UMD game contains thousandsif not millionsof lines of instructions for a PSP to execute.

You don't have to be working for an official development house working on an official game, however, to get the PSP to perform the calculations that you want it to. Computers aren't picky about whose programs they run; they'll do whatever anyone tells them to do. If you don't believe that, put down this book, go to your neighbors' house, find their computer, and delete the Windows folder. The computer will happily comply.

What I'm getting at is that anyone with some programming knowledge can write stuff for a PSP, whether Sony officially approves it or not, and the PSP will faithfully execute the code if you tell it to.

As it turns out, lots of people like writing code for PSPs. When a program for a PSP isn't officially condoned by Sony, it's called homebrew. The Internet contains hundreds of homebrew applications and games, and depending on the firmware of your PSP, you can download and run them.