System Module (sysmodule)

The system module API provides functions to load and unload PS3 system libraries at runtime. Many PSL1GHT APIs require their corresponding system module to be loaded before use.

Overview

System modules are dynamic libraries that provide functionality for various hardware and software features. Instead of linking all libraries statically, you can load only the modules you need at runtime, reducing memory usage.

Some modules may already be loaded by the system or other libraries. Use sysModuleIsLoaded() to check before loading.

Error Codes

Code	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_OK`	0x00	Operation successful
`SYSMODULE_LOADED`	0x00	Module is loaded
`SYSMODULE_ERR_DUPLICATE`	0x80012001	Module already loaded
`SYSMODULE_ERR_UNKNOWN`	0x80012002	Unknown module ID
`SYSMODULE_ERR_UNLOADED`	0x80012003	Module already unloaded
`SYSMODULE_ERR_INVALID_MEM`	0x80012004	Invalid memory container
`SYSMODULE_ERR_FATAL`	0x800120ff	Fatal error occurred

Module IDs

sysModuleId

enum

Available system modules that can be loaded.

Network Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_NET`	0x0	Network library
`SYSMODULE_HTTP`	0x1	HTTP client library
`SYSMODULE_HTTP_UTIL`	0x2	HTTP utility functions
`SYSMODULE_SSL`	0x3	SSL/TLS library
`SYSMODULE_HTTPS`	0x4	HTTPS client library
`SYSMODULE_NETCTL`	0x14	Network control library
`SYSMODULE_RUDP`	0x57	Reliable UDP library

Multimedia Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_VDEC`	0x5	Video decoder base
`SYSMODULE_ADEC`	0x6	Audio decoder base
`SYSMODULE_DMUX`	0x7	Demultiplexer
`SYSMODULE_VPOST`	0x8	Video post-processing
`SYSMODULE_PAMF`	0x12	PAMF container format

Video Codec Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_VDEC_MPEG2`	0x24	MPEG-2 video decoder
`SYSMODULE_VDEC_H264`	0x25	H.264/AVC video decoder
`SYSMODULE_VDEC_DIVX`	0x3c	DivX video decoder

Audio Codec Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_ADEC_LPCM`	0x26	LPCM audio decoder
`SYSMODULE_ADEC_AC3`	0x27	AC-3 audio decoder
`SYSMODULE_ADEC_ATX`	0x28	ATRAC-X audio decoder
`SYSMODULE_ADEC_AT3`	0x29	ATRAC3 audio decoder
`SYSMODULE_ADEC_PAMF`	0x2a	PAMF audio decoder
`SYSMODULE_ADEC_MP3`	0xf01e	MP3 audio decoder
`SYSMODULE_ADEC_CELP8`	0x47	CELP8 audio decoder
`SYSMODULE_ATRAC3`	0x13	ATRAC3 encoder/decoder

Image Codec Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_JPGDEC`	0xf	JPEG decoder
`SYSMODULE_JPGENC`	0x3d	JPEG encoder
`SYSMODULE_PNGDEC`	0x18	PNG decoder
`SYSMODULE_PNGENC`	0x52	PNG encoder
`SYSMODULE_GIFDEC`	0xf0a0	GIF decoder

Graphics Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_GCM_SYS`	0x10	GCM graphics library
`SYSMODULE_RESC`	0x1f	Resolution scaler
`SYSMODULE_SAIL`	0x1d	SAIL graphics utility

Font Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_FONT`	0x19	Font rendering
`SYSMODULE_FONTFT`	0x1a	FreeType font rendering
`SYSMODULE_FREETYPE`	0x1b	FreeType library
`SYSMODULE_FREETYPE_TT`	0x40	TrueType support

System Utility Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_SYSUTIL`	0x15	System utility library
`SYSMODULE_SYSUTIL_NP`	0x16	Network Platform utilities
`SYSMODULE_USERINFO`	0x32	User information
`SYSMODULE_SAVEDATA`	0x33	Save data management

I/O Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_IO`	0x17	I/O library
`SYSMODULE_FS`	0xe	File system library
`SYSMODULE_USB`	0x1c	USB device support

Audio Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_AUDIO`	0x11	Audio output library
`SYSMODULE_MIC`	0x22	Microphone input
`SYSMODULE_VOICE`	0x46	Voice processing
`SYSMODULE_MUSIC2`	0x4a	Music player v2
`SYSMODULE_MUSIC_DEC`	0x4f	Music decoder
`SYSMODULE_MUSIC_DEC2`	0x53	Music decoder v2

Threading Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_SPURS`	0xa	SPURS job system
`SYSMODULE_SPURS_JQ`	0x50	SPURS job queue
`SYSMODULE_FIBER`	0x43	Fiber library
`SYSMODULE_SYNC`	0xd	Synchronization primitives
`SYSMODULE_SYNC2`	0x55	Synchronization v2

Miscellaneous Modules

Module ID	Value	Description
`SYSMODULE_RTC`	0x9	Real-time clock
`SYSMODULE_OVIS`	0xb	OVIS library
`SYSMODULE_SHEAP`	0xc	Shared heap
`SYSMODULE_CAMERA`	0x23	PlayStation Eye camera
`SYSMODULE_GEM`	0x5a	PlayStation Move
`SYSMODULE_KEY2CHAR`	0x21	Key to character conversion
`SYSMODULE_DAISY`	0x20	DAISY audio book
`SYSMODULE_LV2DBG`	0x2e	LV2 debugging
`SYSMODULE_CELP8ENC`	0x48	CELP8 encoder

Core Functions

sysModuleLoad

s32 sysModuleLoad(sysModuleId id);

Loads a system module.

sysModuleId

Module ID to load (see Module IDs section).

Returns: SYSMODULE_OK on success, error code otherwise.

Loading an already-loaded module returns SYSMODULE_ERR_DUPLICATE, which can usually be ignored.

sysModuleUnload

s32 sysModuleUnload(sysModuleId id);

Unloads a system module.

sysModuleId

Module ID to unload.

Returns: SYSMODULE_OK on success, error code otherwise.

Only unload modules when you’re completely done with them. Unloading a module that’s still in use will cause crashes.

sysModuleIsLoaded

s32 sysModuleIsLoaded(sysModuleId id);

Checks if a system module is currently loaded.

sysModuleId

Module ID to check.

Returns: SYSMODULE_LOADED (0) if loaded, SYSMODULE_ERR_UNLOADED if not loaded, or other error code.

Usage Example

#include <sysmodule/sysmodule.h>
#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    s32 ret;

    // Check if module is already loaded
    ret = sysModuleIsLoaded(SYSMODULE_JPGDEC);
    if (ret == SYSMODULE_LOADED) {
        printf("JPGDEC module already loaded\n");
    } else {
        // Load JPEG decoder module
        ret = sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_JPGDEC);
        if (ret == SYSMODULE_OK || ret == SYSMODULE_ERR_DUPLICATE) {
            printf("JPGDEC module loaded successfully\n");
        } else {
            printf("Failed to load JPGDEC module: 0x%x\n", ret);
            return -1;
        }
    }

    // Use JPEG decoder functions...
    // ...

    // Unload module when done
    ret = sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_JPGDEC);
    if (ret == SYSMODULE_OK) {
        printf("JPGDEC module unloaded\n");
    }

    return 0;
}

Multiple Module Example

Loading multiple related modules:

#include <sysmodule/sysmodule.h>
#include <stdio.h>

int load_video_modules(void) {
    s32 ret;

    // Load base video decoder
    ret = sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_VDEC);
    if (ret != SYSMODULE_OK && ret != SYSMODULE_ERR_DUPLICATE) {
        printf("Failed to load VDEC: 0x%x\n", ret);
        return -1;
    }

    // Load H.264 codec
    ret = sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_VDEC_H264);
    if (ret != SYSMODULE_OK && ret != SYSMODULE_ERR_DUPLICATE) {
        printf("Failed to load H.264 decoder: 0x%x\n", ret);
        sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_VDEC);
        return -1;
    }

    // Load demuxer for container formats
    ret = sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_DMUX);
    if (ret != SYSMODULE_OK && ret != SYSMODULE_ERR_DUPLICATE) {
        printf("Failed to load DMUX: 0x%x\n", ret);
        sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_VDEC_H264);
        sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_VDEC);
        return -1;
    }

    printf("Video modules loaded successfully\n");
    return 0;
}

void unload_video_modules(void) {
    sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_DMUX);
    sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_VDEC_H264);
    sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_VDEC);
}

Network Stack Example

#include <sysmodule/sysmodule.h>
#include <stdio.h>

int init_network(void) {
    s32 ret;

    // Load base network module
    ret = sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_NET);
    if (ret != SYSMODULE_OK && ret != SYSMODULE_ERR_DUPLICATE) {
        return -1;
    }

    // Load SSL for secure connections
    ret = sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_SSL);
    if (ret != SYSMODULE_OK && ret != SYSMODULE_ERR_DUPLICATE) {
        sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_NET);
        return -1;
    }

    // Load HTTP client
    ret = sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_HTTP);
    if (ret != SYSMODULE_OK && ret != SYSMODULE_ERR_DUPLICATE) {
        sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_SSL);
        sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_NET);
        return -1;
    }

    // Load HTTPS (combines HTTP + SSL)
    ret = sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_HTTPS);
    if (ret != SYSMODULE_OK && ret != SYSMODULE_ERR_DUPLICATE) {
        sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_HTTP);
        sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_SSL);
        sysModuleUnload(SYSMODULE_NET);
        return -1;
    }

    printf("Network modules loaded\n");
    return 0;
}

Module Dependencies

Some modules have dependencies on other modules:

Video Decoding

Base: SYSMODULE_VDEC
Codec: SYSMODULE_VDEC_MPEG2, SYSMODULE_VDEC_H264, or SYSMODULE_VDEC_DIVX
Optional: SYSMODULE_DMUX (for container formats), SYSMODULE_VPOST (for post-processing)

Audio Decoding

Base: SYSMODULE_ADEC
Codec: SYSMODULE_ADEC_LPCM, SYSMODULE_ADEC_AC3, SYSMODULE_ADEC_MP3, etc.
Optional: SYSMODULE_DMUX (for container formats)

Network Stack

Base: SYSMODULE_NET
HTTP: SYSMODULE_HTTP + SYSMODULE_HTTP_UTIL
Secure: SYSMODULE_SSL + SYSMODULE_HTTPS
Control: SYSMODULE_NETCTL

Font Rendering

Base: SYSMODULE_FONT
FreeType: SYSMODULE_FREETYPE + SYSMODULE_FONTFT
TrueType: SYSMODULE_FREETYPE_TT

Best Practices

Important: Always load modules in the correct order, with base modules before dependent modules.

Check for duplicates: It’s safe to ignore SYSMODULE_ERR_DUPLICATE errors
Load early: Load modules during initialization, not during time-critical operations
Unload late: Only unload modules during cleanup or when completely done
Error handling: Always check return values and handle failures appropriately
Module lifetime: Keep modules loaded for the duration they’re needed

Common Module Groups

Frequently used module combinations:

// Image decoding
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_JPGDEC);
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_PNGDEC);

// Video playback
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_VDEC);
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_VDEC_H264);
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_ADEC);
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_ADEC_AC3);
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_DMUX);

// Graphics
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_GCM_SYS);
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_RESC);

// System UI
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_SYSUTIL);
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_SAVEDATA);
sysModuleLoad(SYSMODULE_USERINFO);

Graphics APIs

Input APIs

Audio APIs

Network APIs

System APIs

System Utility APIs

Media APIs

Device APIs

SPU APIs

Math Libraries

System Module (sysmodule)

Overview

Error Codes

Module IDs

Network Modules

Multimedia Modules

Video Codec Modules

Audio Codec Modules

Image Codec Modules

Graphics Modules

Font Modules

System Utility Modules

I/O Modules

Audio Modules

Threading Modules

Miscellaneous Modules

Core Functions

sysModuleLoad

sysModuleUnload

sysModuleIsLoaded

Usage Example

Multiple Module Example

Network Stack Example

Module Dependencies

Best Practices

Common Module Groups

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Graphics APIs

Input APIs

Audio APIs

Network APIs

System APIs

System Utility APIs

Media APIs

Device APIs

SPU APIs

Math Libraries

​Overview

​Error Codes

​Module IDs

​Network Modules

​Multimedia Modules

​Video Codec Modules

​Audio Codec Modules

​Image Codec Modules

​Graphics Modules

​Font Modules

​System Utility Modules

​I/O Modules

​Audio Modules

​Threading Modules

​Miscellaneous Modules

​Core Functions

​sysModuleLoad

​sysModuleUnload

​sysModuleIsLoaded

​Usage Example

​Multiple Module Example

​Network Stack Example

​Module Dependencies

​Best Practices

​Common Module Groups

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Error Codes

Module IDs

Network Modules

Multimedia Modules

Video Codec Modules

Audio Codec Modules

Image Codec Modules

Graphics Modules

Font Modules

System Utility Modules

I/O Modules

Audio Modules

Threading Modules

Miscellaneous Modules

Core Functions

sysModuleLoad

sysModuleUnload

sysModuleIsLoaded

Usage Example

Multiple Module Example

Network Stack Example

Module Dependencies

Best Practices

Common Module Groups