PS2: emulator setup, instruction and manual

The world of emulators is vast and interesting, these software systems make the PC a retro-compatible console. Gamers prefer to imitate the best games of the PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Gamecube and other consoles of past years, which they can no longer play for various reasons. Installing and configuring the PS2 emulator is easy even for dummies.

Purpose and features of software

PCSX2 is software that positions itself as the best alternative when emulating PlayStation 2 on a PC and delivers superior graphics performance that matches that of the original open source software console. The program is constantly updated by the community, in connection with which you can find very high-quality modified games and add-ons on the network that allow you to add the HD perspective to old PlayStation 2 video games by configuring the PS2 emulator.

Download PCSX2 directly from the official site. In addition to Windows, there are versions for Linux and Mac OS and any other operating system. You can also find setup guides, news, updates, files, and more on the web page. It is possible for programmers to change the PCSX2 code, since it is absolutely free.

Setting up a PS2 emulator on a PC has minimal requirements and allows you to play on computers with limited resources:

1. The processor is SSE2 (Pentium 4, Athlon 64 or higher).
2. GPU model Pixel Shader 3.0.
3. RAM - 2 GB.
4. Windows XP SP3.

The best processor performance for tuning the PS2 emulator is the 5th generation Intel Core i3 / 5/7 or AMD FX-8350 or higher:

1. GPU - anyone supporting DirectX 11.
2. RAM - 2 GB or more.
3. Windows 8.1 x64.

Initial PCSX2 Configuration

After the first launch of the program, the installation wizard will help you choose your preferred language, by default it will save emulator plug-ins and add-ons, which will allow you to get much more performance from the software. The next step is to configure the BIOS, for which they pre-load the PlayStation 2 BIOS, corresponding to the region where the user is located or the one that interests the gamer, for example, when he wants to imitate exclusive games from Japan.

In the PCSX2 boot section, there is a BIOS Dump - Binary (Download), a system that allows you to directly extract the BIOS from the PlayStation 2. Otherwise, you will need to emulate it directly from the BIOS. After the BIOS file is selected in the browser, it will be added to the program list, click "Accept" and go to the next aspect of the configuration: the command.

To configure the keyboard for the PS2 emulator, it is recommended that you refer to the autodetect ados drivers and pre-configured Windows. For example, any Xbox team is a good alternative. The Microsoft console is fully compatible with Windows, so the keyboard will be successfully configured.

If the user wants to get the most out of the use of PlayStation controls, they recommend downloading MotionJoy software (Download), which allows you to connect the PS2 emulator for PC and the PlayStation controller via USB for configuration. To do this, install the program and click "Driver Manager" with the PlayStation controller connected via USB, and then download and install the necessary ones.

With the drivers installed, they download Better DS3 (Download), configured for Windows, which allows you to configure the buttons on the PlayStation controller. Using the software is intuitive with a DualShock 3 connected via USB. Click “New” next to “Selected Profile”, and create a user profile that will be used to configure the PS2 emulator on the PC and play the game.

Graphical setting

It is performed to get the most out of playing the emulator. Click “Settings” and go to “Video> Plugin Settings”. Open the GSD X10 menu, the graphic configuration for the PlayStation 2 emulators, and select the options for mid-range computers (i3 / i5; 6 GB / 8 GB; RAM - 1 GB graphics).

First of all, they take the screen ratio, you can choose a 4: 3 or 16: 9 game, everything will depend on how the user wants to configure the view, for example, a panoramic view. This setting will be changed in the video window. When choosing options, it should be borne in mind that most PS2 games are designed for 4: 3 format.

Instructions for setting up the PS2 emulator PCSX2:

1. Adapter: keep the default configuration.
2. Interlaced: select the BOB TTF option.
3. Renderer: Switch to the Direct3D option (D3D11 on high-performance systems).
4. Enable FXAA by checking the box to activate anti-aliasing.
5. Turn on filtering by activating it on textures.
6. They include FX Shader, which will enhance the graphics section when activated.
7. Anisotropic filtering: improves textures, choose option 2X in mid-range devices.
8. Turn on anti-aliasing: activate without fail.
9. As for the output resolution, choose between 720p and 1080p.
10. Calculate the optimal resolution. Apply the height of the monitor as a reference to a 4: 3 ratio.
11. To get realistic and consistent results, use the following formula: 4x “maximum monitor”) / 3 = X, so you get the perfect output resolution for playback on the monitor with this fantastic emulator.

Speed ​​mode algorithm

Emulators require fine-tuning the system to achieve better performance. If you follow the advice of professionals, you can make PCSX2 work on your computer faster.

PS2 emulator setup sequence for PC:

1. Check computer specifications. PCSX2 is powerful software that requires the appropriate hardware to function properly. If the processor, memory or video card does not meet the specifications, it will not be able to make the computer work faster, for this you will need to update the system or buy a new device.
2. Decrease resolution. This setting determines the amount of detail that can be seen during the game, but a higher resolution requires more system resources and can slow down PCSX2. To reduce the resolution, select "Add / Select BIOS" in the configuration menu. On the "Add-ons" tab, click the "Configure" button next to the GS drop-down menu and change the resolution settings. The GSdx plugin finds this configuration in the “Internal D3D Resolution” section.
3. Disable the debug window. PCSX2 launches a hidden window to help track viruses. This setting is for more advanced users and may cause the emulator to run slower. To do this, uncheck the "Enable console" in the "Miscellaneous" menu.
4. Use frame limitation: “Frame rate” has a significant impact on performance. Limiting them can speed up performance, but the game may seem truncated. To access these parameters, go to "Settings" in the configuration menu and click on the GS tab when setting up the PS2 emulator on weak PCs.
5. Free up memory. If other actions have not yielded significant results and the computer meets the specifications, check that the system is not too busy with other processes.
6. Click "Start", select "Run" and enter "msconfig". On the services tab, you can see all the processes that work. Try to disable unnecessary processes such as antivirus.

PS2 for Windows PC

To configure the program, perform the following steps. Instructions for setting up the PS2 emulator:

1. Log in to Speed ​​Hacks.
2. Activate "Preset".
3. Set the maximum to "Dañino" (any name).
4. Activate MTVU, multithreaded MicroVU1 and confirm “Accept”.
5. Enter GS and set “5” to “Slow Speed ​​Adjustment”, and set “Turbocharger Adjustment” to “800”. In the frames of the jump they put “2” and confirm “Accept”.
6. Find in "Plugin / BIOS Selection".
7. Choose a quick plug-in for PC x 2.
8. Go to the Plugins section and select GSdx-SSE2 and click OK.
9. Set the schedule if the user has an old PC: auto, Native, bilinear and confirm “Accept”.

Installing drivers and starting the game

PCSX2 is a Playstation 2 (PS2) simulator that uses USB drivers such as joysticks. Setting up a PS2 emulator using them is the key to the game, as PS2 drivers cannot be connected to a computer. Many USB drivers are available, and they all work with PCSX2, including the Sony PS3 controller.

Algorithm of actions:

1. Connect the USB driver to the computer.
2. Open PCSX2 and select the “Configuration” option located at the top of the window.
3. Click on the option “Controllers (PAD)” in the displayed menu and configuration settings.
4. Click on the Pad 1 tab at the top of the window that was opened earlier, a list of PS2 controller buttons will appear.
5. Click alternately on each button in the window and on the USB driver.
6. Continue to assign each button to the PS2 controls with a USB driver.
7. Click “OK” to save the driver settings.
8. Launch the game for PS2 using PCSX2 with a USB driver.

PS2 game sequence:

1. Open emulator.
2. After opening, they switch to CD / DVD and click on the ISO-image.
3. Then again on the CD / DVD -> Iso selector -> Search.
4. Select the ISO file that is created.
5. Go to System -> Start CD / DVD Complete and the game will open.

Setting up a USB joystick for PC

Next, the user will need to configure the joystick of the PS2 emulator as a simulated Wiimote or GameCube Pad in Dolphin.

To set up the PS2 USB stick in the latest version of Dolphin, you need to do the following:

1. Go to Wiimote> Wiimote Emulation> Configure.
2. Before assigning buttons, click Clean.

Select the desired joystick in devices, for example, DInput and set the buttons as follows:

• Y> the Top button (Triangle or 1);
• B> Right button (Circle or 2);
• A> Bottom button (Equis or 3);
• X> Left button (Square or 4);
• Z> nothing;
• +> Start;
• Home> Select.

Using PCSX2 on Linux

PCSX2 is an open-source PlayStation 2 emulator for PCs and is multi-platform, allowing you to play PS2 games on a PC in Ubuntu Linux.

Linux is a free open source platform and has a large number of applications. PCSX2 is a Playstation 2 emulator for Linux platforms. The most important use of the simulator as software is the operation of consoles on appropriate platforms. The most important part of the software is setting up the PS2 1 4 0 Linux emulator on Ubuntu 14/13/12 and Linux-mint 17/16/15/14/13.

To do this, you need a BIOS that is downloaded from theisozone. After the user has gone through the initial setup, he proceeds to install the video plug-in and sound, since by default they offer a rather ugly configuration, at least in Linux.

They configure the video card without choosing OpenGL equipment, since the results will be disastrous, experienced gamers say. When setting the sound, it is very important to reduce the delay, since by default it is 300, and the sound will jump, become intermittent and create unnecessary noise.

PCSX2 can run games in several ways, but the most reliable is the ISO download, as it works more coherently and gives users the best frame rate. To play the game, select the CDVD tab, select the ISO selector and click "Browse". Then use a browser window to download the PS2 ISO file.

When the ISO file is loaded into the ISO selector, you can start the game by clicking “Reload CDVD (fully)” in the “Configuration” menu. When loading a game for PS2, FPS may drop, especially if the video card is not very modern.

Controller Setup:

1. Connect a USB gamepad to a PC. Setting up an Xbox gamepad on a PS2 emulator works best on Linux.
2. Click Config in the PCSX2 application window, hover over Controllers and select Plugin Settings.
3. In the controller plug-in settings window, the USB gamepad should be detected automatically. From there, the controller settings go through and map the buttons to the preferred layout.

PCSX2 has a hotkey system that makes it easy to save and load PS2 games at any time. If you want to save the status of the running PS2 game, press the F1 and F3 keys to load it, open the “Configuration” menu.

Best configurations for beginners

Experienced gamers use the PS2 emulator setting 1 5 0, but with the old AVX2 plugin, as the new one is still buggy. If a gamer has a stable version 1.4.0, you can use it.

Before starting, they always check the status of games on the PCSX2 wiki page, for some of them special parameters are required that are different from the default settings. If the game initially contains errors of the multi-platform version and was poorly ported to PS2, it is recommended to get an alternative, for example, True Crime NYC is much better than a poorly ported version of GC.

Next, perform the video settings:

1. AMD users are advised to install the DX11 HW - the best option for Nvidia. The difference between the SW and HW modes is that the first uses the processor for rendering, and the second uses the GPU. Select HW mode for better quality if the game does not require SW mode for correct operation.
2. Choose your graphics processor - adapter.
3. Set the mode to “Weave” - AUTO.
4. Uncheck the box “Allow 8-bit textures”, as it will lag behind demanding games (Sly games, WWE SvR).
5. Set the game multiplier - 2X for HD, 3X for FullHD, without the need to apply custom resolution.
6. Texture filtering is game-specific. Bilinear PS2 makes some have pixel-based lighting effects, while Bilinear Forced can cause artifacts on the screen.
7. AF choose freely, for example, X16.
8. CRC Hack takes full level with DX11, AFAIK - partial better with OpenGL.
9. An aggressive level is set only if the game has too many light rays and poor-looking fog effects, for example, Shadow of the Colossus.
10. HW Hacks mode is always turned off, otherwise there will be graphic crashes, require proper rendering, for example, GTA SA requires hacking Half Sprite to render photos from the camera, WWE SvR needs Alpha Stencil for correct rendering of shadows.
11. To configure the SW mode, the “Mipmapping” and “Smoothing contours” checkboxes are selected if the dual-core type is 2 in a multi-threaded window, if the quad-core type is 3.
12. For the shader parameters, check the "Enable FXAA" checkbox, check the hue gain. If you need to control the colors and brightness of the image, check the external shader for post-effects, otherwise leave it unchecked.

Sound sync

When interpolating, use catmull-rom for the best sound quality, other options will make the sound unnatural. Usually use Xaudio2, users claim that there are no problems with it.

Using Async Mix mode is the best option if you need to synchronize sounds with a slow game, while the cut scenes will not be synchronized to the lips if the game does not work with full FPS.

If it is with full FPS, then Async Mix will work flawlessly. If you want the audio / video to always synchronize even when there is a delay, select the time stretch options. The sound expansion mode depends on the sound system, usually stereo is chosen.

According to these parameters, users can easily find many plug-ins on the Internet that allow you to change the functions of video games at will. Thus, console emulation allows gamers to try fantastic games that were previously not available to them in terms of technical capabilities. Now you can take advantage of personal computer equipment to get more performance in terms of entertainment.