Moonlight PSP

PSP Moonlight
General
Author	k4idyn
Type	Other
Version	1.2
License	GPL-3.0
Last Updated	2026/05/18
Links
Download
Website
Source

PSP Moonlight is a Moonlight-compatible game-streaming client for Sony PSP systems, designed around a custom PSP-native networking, decode, audio, input, and rendering stack.

The project streams H.264 video from a host PC running Sunshine, decodes video on the PSP main CPU, and uses the Media Engine for accelerated YUV-to-RGBA conversion.

Features

• Host discovery (mDNS, known-host probes, optional subnet scan).
• Pairing + TLS transport auth (Runtime identity, PIN flow, authenticated confirm).
• Game library + icons (Sunshine box-art download, static PNG decode, raw RGB565 cache).
• RTSP / RTP / FEC pipeline (PSP-native transport with CAVLC host profile required).
• OpenH264 decode + ME conversion (PSP-optimized software decode path).
• Audio (Opus playback when enabled; Performance preset disables local audio work).
• Input (Xbox and Browser modes, customizable PSP combo mapper).
• UPnP hotspot/remote assist (Temporary IGD UDP port mapping for stream ports).
• Multi-host support (Up to 8 paired hosts).

Installation

Requirements

PSP:

• PSP-1000 / PSP-2000 / PSP-3000
• Custom firmware: ARK-4 on 6.60/6.61 is the supported target
• 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi

Host PC:

• Sunshine current stable release recommended
• H.264 Baseline + CAVLC configured for PSP-compatible streaming

Instructions

• Extract both files to ms0:/PSP/GAME/Moonlight/.
• Both EBOOT.PBP and moonlight_me_helper.prx must be in the same directory.
• Requires custom firmware.
• Host must run Sunshine on the same LAN.

Encoder Settings guides

• AMD (AMF) - 13 settings with Web UI locations and recommended values
• NVIDIA (NVENC) - 8 settings covering presets, rate control, and AQ
• Intel (QSV) - 3 settings with generation-specific notes
• Software (x264) - CPU fallback preset and tune options

These guides matter because the PSP's software H.264 decoder is extremely constrained - wrong encoder settings on the host will cause failed streams, visual corruption, or massive frame drops. The guides explain which settings work and why.

For full setup, pairing flow, and troubleshooting, see INSTALL.md.

Screenshots

Known issues

• The PSP Wi-Fi radio is 2.4 GHz only and remains the main practical bottleneck.
• H.264 CAVLC is required for normal playback; CABAC is not recommended for PSP use.
• High resolutions above the native PSP display are outside the intended operating range.
• Some fast-motion content can still expose the PSP display and network limits.

Detailed notes at docs/KNOWN_ISSUES.md

Changelog

1.2.0 2026/05/18

• Streaming Presets
  • Added a dedicated Preset row with PSP-focused Performance, Balanced, and Quality defaults.
  • Performance now defaults to 300x170 at 30 fps, 384 kbps, 1056-byte packets, and audio disabled.
  • Balanced now defaults to 360x204 at 20 fps, 480 kbps, 1200-byte packets, and audio enabled.
  • Quality now defaults to native 480x272 at 10 fps, 576 kbps, 1200-byte packets, and audio enabled.
  • Built-in stream sizes use the PSP LCD aspect ratio so presets fill the display without fixed black bars.
  • The Resolution row is independent from the Preset row, so manual resolution changes no longer reapply the whole preset ladder.
  • Packet size is now configurable from the settings menu and is saved to config.ini.
• Pairing and Host Flow
  • Pairing now completes the authenticated HTTPS pairchallenge confirmation after the signed pairing secret.
  • Failed or cancelled pair attempts now best-effort unpair from the host so later attempts do not inherit stale half-paired state.
  • Stale paired-host entries are cleared when a host reports paired but returns an empty app list, allowing the user to pair again without manual config cleanup.
  • App-list loading and launch transitions prime both display buffers to avoid stale host-list/loading frames during slow network work.
  • Game-list fetch failure can fall back to a Desktop launch tile when the host app list is unavailable.
• Input
  • Reworked the default PSP-to-Xbox mapping for full controller coverage:
    • L + Triangle/Cross/Square/Circle maps to right stick up/down/left/right.
    • L + D-pad Left/Right maps to LT/RT.
    • L + D-pad Down/Up maps to L3/R3.
  • The Button Mapping UI now exposes the combo modifier, all virtual actions, and a right-stick source selector.
  • Added an optional modifier + analog nub right-stick mode.
  • Mapping files are versioned and legacy defaults migrate to the new v2 map.
  • Browser mode now sends mouse/keyboard input only, with stronger analog mouse acceleration.
  • App-owned combos such as HUD toggle and stream exit are consumed locally instead of also sending host input.
• Telemetry and HUD
  • Added diagnostics telemetry for CPU, GPU, ME, RAM, media bandwidth, usable video bandwidth, audio bandwidth, local drops, loss, and FEC.
  • Diagnostics telemetry updates once per second even when the HUD is hidden.
  • HUD layout now places decode timing alongside latency and shows loss/FEC values from the RTP/FEC path.
• Low-Work PSP Path
  • Performance preset disables local audio decode/playback by default to reduce PSP CPU, memory, and audio-thread work.
  • Audio Disabled remains client-side and can be changed from the PSP settings menu.
  • Video rendering applies the stream color/dither adjustment only to decoded video output, not to menu UI or HUD text.
  • Retail builds compile out diagnostics-only logging, telemetry formatting, and debug sampling at call sites so public XMB builds do less PSP work.
• Build and Documentation
  • Public docs updated for v1.2 presets, packet-size setup, pairing behavior, and controller mapping.
  • Generated local build artifacts and internal audit notes are ignored so release diffs stay focused.
  • Added scripts/smoke_checks.sh so make smoke validates release prerequisites and fails fast on unresolved merge markers.
  • CI now validates release/** branches and uploads CI artifacts only; public release assets remain manual to preserve PSPSDK parity.

1.1.0 2026/05/06

• Networking
  • Client-selected bitrate is now used directly for launch and transport bitrate setup (no implicit startup downscale).
  • Connection quality classification now prioritizes transport-side loss/FEC recovery signals and no longer penalizes clean links for decode-side FPS stalls.
  • RTCP Receiver Reports now use interval loss accounting and RFC3550-style jitter representation in RTP clock units.
  • Adaptive bitrate fast-drop trigger now requires 3 consecutive drop signals before halving.
• Release
  • Retail (non-dev) build artifacts are published manually for this release because CI uses a different PSPSDK and does not produce reproducible release binaries for this branch.
• Documentation
  • Public docs refreshed for ARK-4-only CFW guidance.
  • Installation guidance updated to remove risky flash-write install wording.
  • Encoder setup instructions now present vendor-neutral CAVLC guidance for NVIDIA/AMD/Intel users.

1.0.0 2026/05/05

• Release Hardening
  • Retail build mode is now the documented default for public packaging.
  • Public docs were normalized from pre-release audit wording to release wording.
  • CABAC compatibility documentation was clarified as normal-mode unsupported behavior with explicit CAVLC host guidance.
• Fixed (vs v0.2.3-beta)
  • Pairing persistence now survives partial connection failures: successful pairing is saved even when launch/RTSP infrastructure fails later in the same attempt.
  • RTSP/launch infrastructure failures now return a dedicated retryable status (-3) distinct from user cancel (-2) and pairing failure (-1).
  • Settings UI now flushes controller state after OSK/button-mapping flows to prevent stale Start-edge saves on return.
  • Config bootstrap now remembers default-loaded config when no file exists so first-session host/pairing additions persist correctly.
• Documentation
  • Updated README status badges and version history for public release posture.
  • Reworked release-validation documentation to include retail build commands and git-tag comparison notes.
  • Removed internal blocker/audit wording from user-facing docs (docs/KNOWN_ISSUES.md, encoder settings guides, and UI/architecture headers).

Initial 1.0.0 publication 2026/05/04

• Release
  • Stable v1.0 public documentation set.
  • Security, memory, reliability, and architecture hardening work from the beta cycle is now integrated in the release branch.
• Networking
  • UPnP IGD hotspot/remote assist is included for RTP/RTCP UDP mapping setup and cleanup during streaming sessions.
• Documentation
  • Removed pre-release blocker workflow references and test-only publication content from public docs.
  • Updated README, install flow, and known-issues content for v1.0 user-facing guidance.

External links

• GitHub - https://github.com/k4idyn/Moonlight-PSP