PS1 Programming by MIPS Assembly & C by Gustavo Pezzi

This course is a deep dive into the world of PlayStation programming. You’ll explore the PS1 hardware, understand its sub-components, and learn to code games using MIPS assembler and the C programming language. You’ll also use a PS1 SDK library with a modern development toolchain to push fast polygons out of your console.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Write MIPS assembly code for the PS1’s CPU
• Use the PS1 SDK and C compiler for game development
• Render 3D polygons with the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
• Implement camera transformations and controller input
• Load and display textured 3D objects from CD-ROM
• Build a complete, playable game for the original PlayStation

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic understanding of coding (if-else, loops, functions)
• Tools: A PC with Windows 10/11 (or macOS/Linux with emulation), Visual Studio Code
• Hardware: A real PS1 console is optional (emulation is fully supported)

📝 Description

This course is a no-nonsense, ground-up look at PS1 development. It starts with MIPS assembly to get you comfortable with the console’s raw hardware—registers, memory maps, and the GPU. You’ll write code that directly flips bits on the machine, not just imitate its look in a modern engine.

Once you’ve got a handle on the low-level stuff, you’ll move to a C compiler and the official PS1 SDK. This is where the real fun begins. You’ll build a 3D engine from scratch, handling everything from fixed-point math and the GTE coprocessor to loading textures from a CD-ROM. The final project is a playable game, complete with physics, audio, and a full track.

The course is packed with practical exercises and quizzes. You won’t just watch—you’ll code. Every concept is tied directly to a working example, so you understand why things work the way they do. By the end, you’ll have a deep, practical understanding of the PS1’s architecture and the skills to build your own retro-style games.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Developers who want to understand the hardware and software of the original PlayStation
• Retro programming enthusiasts looking to build games for a classic console
• Students of computer science who want to apply concepts like assembly, data structures, and computer graphics to a real-world project

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Gustavo Pezzi is a university lecturer in London, UK, and the founder of pikuma.com. He has won multiple education awards and teaches fundamentals of computer science and mathematics. His academic background includes institutions such as Pittsburg State University, City University of London, and the University of Oxford.

🏁 Final Result

• A fully playable 3D game running on a real PlayStation console (or emulator), demonstrating textured polygons, physics, audio, and CD-ROM loading.