Original story: A Sony Computer Entertainment representative has confirmed to Shacknews that developers can now take full advantage of the PSP's CPU following the late May release of the system's version 3.50 firmware. Rumors of the unlocking were initially reported by fansite PSP Updates via an unnamed source.

Previously, developers were only able to run the CPU at 266MHz rather than its full potential clock speed of 333MHz, though most games ran at only 222MHz. High Impact Games' Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, released in February, is said to run at 266MHz. Hackers long ago discovered methods to run the PSP's CPU at full speed, the benefits of which include a smoother framerate for certain games, at the cost of reduced battery life. There is no word yet if this update enables previous PSP releases to run at 333MHz, something hacked PSP firmware has enabled in the past.

It is widely believed that the PSP CPU was underclocked to increase the portable's battery life. Some speculate that the availability of the portable's full CPU speed affirms recent rumors of an upcoming redesign, which supposedly includes a brighter screen, a slimmer profile, and increased battery life. Such a system would be better equipped to deal with the greater power demands of the unthrottled CPU.