PSP Development Starter Template

A minimal starter template for a PSP using SDL2 with examples

Features

• SDL2 and SDL2_ttf integration
• Automated build scripts with PSP toolchain detection
• Auto configuration from fresh clone
• Custom font rendering example
• Ready to deploy EBOOT.PBP generation

What the template does

Displays "Hello PSP!" on the PSP screen using the Orbitron font and has some example games

Prerequisites

• pspdev SDK installed
• PSPDEV environment variable set (e.g., export PSPDEV=/home/username/pspdev)
• PSP console with custom firmware (for device testing)

Quick Start

# Clone and build in one go
git clone https://github.com/OwlWorksInnovations/helloworld.git
cd helloworld
rm -rf .git
./dist.sh

That's it! The script automatically:

• Detects and configures the PSP toolchain
• Builds the project
• Copies files to helloworld/ directory
• Deploys to your PSP (if connected)

Build Scripts

./dist.sh - Development Build & Deploy

Builds the project and deploys to PSP if connected via USB in USB mode.

Custom PSP mount point:

PSP_MOUNT=/media/mydisk ./dist.sh

Default mount point: /media/$(whoami)/disk

./release.sh - Release Build Only

Builds the project without deploying to PSP. Output is saved to helloworld/ directory.

./release.sh

Perfect for CI/CD pipelines or when you don't have your PSP connected.

Output Files

After building, you'll find in helloworld/:

• EBOOT.PBP - PSP executable
• Orbitron-Regular.ttf - Font file

Troubleshooting

"PSPDEV environment variable is not set"

Make sure you've installed the PSP toolchain and set the environment variable:

export PSPDEV=/path/to/your/pspdev

Add it to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc to make it permanent.

"PSP device not mounted"

Ensure your PSP is:

1. Connected via USB
2. In USB mode (Settings → USB Connection)
3. Mounted at /media/$(whoami)/disk or set PSP_MOUNT variable

SDL2 dependency errors

The scripts automatically configure with the PSP toolchain. If you see SDL2 errors:

rm -rf build
./dist.sh

Customization

• Edit main.c to create your game/app
• Replace Orbitron-Regular.ttf with your own font
• Modify CMakeLists.txt to add more source files or libraries

NOTE

I am currently reading "C Programming - A Modern Approach", this means that I wont be doing work on this project until I am proficient with C BUT I will be using claude code to provide examples. I plan on rewriting these examples to be more clear if needed in the future.

Progress

Progress

• Chapter 1 : Done
• Chapter 2 : Done
• Chapter 3 : Done
• Chapter 4 : Done
• Chapter 5 : Done
• Chapter 6 : In Progress
• Chapter 7 : Not there yet
• Chapter 8 : Not there yet
• Chapter 9 : Not there yet
• Chapter 10 : Not there yet
• Chapter 11 : Not there yet
• Chapter 12 : Not there yet
• Chapter 13 : Not there yet
• Chapter 14 : Not there yet
• Chapter 15 : Not there yet
• Chapter 16 : Not there yet
• Chapter 17 : Not there yet
• Chapter 18 : Not there yet
• Chapter 19 : Not there yet
• Chapter 20 : Not there yet
• Chapter 21 : Not there yet

Disappointments

• 'Maze 3D' I don't know what claude code did but it was horrible even on the opus 4.5 model used all my usage...
• 'cube3d' Almost 99% sure that this does not even use the gpu on the psp even after I told claude code with sonnet 4.5 to use it.

What I learned

With all of these disappointments I learned.

• PSP uses PSPGL for 3d which uses opengl 1.1 if im correct (another way is with PSPGU but im not sure)