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PCSX2

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PCSX2
Original author(s)Linuzappz, George Moralis (AKA Shadow),[1] Refraction, Saqib, Gabest, Gregory, GovanifY, Stenzek, lightningterror, fobes
Developer(s)PCSX2 Team
Initial releaseMarch 23, 2002; 22 years ago (2002-03-23)
Stable release
2.2.0 / October 31, 2024; 14 days ago (2024-10-31)
Repositorygithub.com/PCSX2/pcsx2
Written inC++
Operating systemWindows, Linux, macOS
Platformx86-64[2]
Size
Available in14 languages[4]
TypeVideo game console emulator
LicenseSince 0.9.7: GPL-3.0-or-later[5]
Until 0.9.6: GPL-2.0-or-later
Websitepcsx2.net

PCSX2 is a free and open-source PlayStation 2 emulator for Windows, Linux, and macOS[6] that supports most PlayStation 2 video games with a high level of compatibility and functionality. Although PCSX2 can closely mirror the original gameplay experience on the PlayStation 2, PCSX2 supports a number of improvements over gameplay on a traditional PlayStation 2, such as the ability to use higher resolutions than native, anti-aliasing and texture filtering.[7]

Background

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PCSX2, like its predecessor project PCSX (a PlayStation emulator), is based on a PSEmu Pro spec plug-in architecture, separating several functions from the core emulator. These are the graphics, audio, input controls, CD/DVD drive, and USB and FireWire (i.LINK) ports. Different plug-ins may produce different results in both compatibility and performance. Additionally, PCSX2 requires a genuine copy of the PS2 BIOS, which is not available for download from the developers due to copyright-related legal issues. Since September 2016, PCSX2 is partially compatible with PlayStation games.[8]

The main bottleneck in PS2 emulation is emulating the Emotion Engine multiprocessor on the PC x86 architecture. Although each processor can be emulated well independently, accurately synchronizing them and emulating the console's timing is difficult.[9]

Development

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Development of PCSX2 was started in 2001 by programmers who go by the names Linuzappz and Shadow, who were programmers for the PlayStation emulator PCSX-Reloaded. Other programmers later joined the team, and they were eventually able to get some PS2 games to the loading screen. The team then started working on the difficult task of emulating the PlayStation 2's BIOS; they got it to run, although it was slow and graphically distorted. Version 0.9.1 was released in July 2006.

From 2007 to 2011, developers worked on Netplay and speed improvements.[10] PCSX2 0.9.8 was released in May 2011 and featured an overhauled GUI written with wxWidgets, that improved compatibility for Linux and newer Windows operating systems. In December 2022, PCSX2 was overhauled to remove all WxWidgets elements. The project has used Qt since. The addition of a new VU recompiler brought better compatibility, a memory card manager, an overhaul of the SPU2-X audio plug-in, and numerous other improvements.[11]

As of September 2024, 97% of PlayStation 2 games are considered "playable" on the emulator, meaning they can be played largely but not entirely free of slight issues. All at least boot to the menu screen.[12]

In 2022, PCSX2 added support for the Vulkan API.[13] PCSX2 was used as a basis for AetherSX2, a PlayStation 2 emulator for Android.[14] In 2022, an unofficial fork of PCSX2 was created for the Xbox Series X/S known as XBSX2.[15]

Features

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PCSX2 supports save states and dynamic recompilation (JIT). There is also support for gameplay recording in Full HD using the GSdx plugin.[7] Options such as the ability to increase/decrease game speeds, use unlimited memory cards, and utilize any gamepad controllers supported by the native operating system are also available.[7] Cheat codes are supported via the use of PNACH patching files.[7] RetroAchievements support adds a community-driven achievement system for select games.

Plug-ins

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PCSX2 formerly made use of plug-ins as a means of modularizing development efforts among the separate components (subsystems) of the emulated PlayStation 2 hardware. For instance, video plug-ins were utilized by PCSX2 to render images to the screen and emulate the graphics hardware of the PlayStation 2, whereas sound plug-ins would emulate the sound hardware of the PlayStation 2.

A list of several plug-ins follows:

Name Subsystem Notes
GSdx Video The fastest, most accurate graphics plug-in. Requires Direct3D or OpenGL support and optionally uses a GPU. GSdx plug-in is compatible with PSX emulators but is limited to software rendering with them. There also exists an unofficial ToCAEDIT[16] version and the GSdx-Cutie version.[17]
GSdx FX Video Post-processing shader pack for GSdx plugin.
ZZogl Video A less optimized graphics plug-in that uses Open GL. Compatible with Linux and Windows. This plugin is fork of ZeroGS KOSMOS plugin.
SPU2-X Audio The most accurate sound plug-in.
SSSPSX Pad Input A simple input plug-in.
LilyPad Input An advanced input plug-in that supports keyboards, mice, and controllers.
Nuvee Input An input plug-in that supports lightguns and USB mice.
TwinPad Input Another keyboard and mouse plug-in.
XPad Input An Xbox 360 controller input plug-in.
CDVD Optical A simple optical media plug-in that runs games from optical discs.
Linuz ISO CDVD Optical A plug-in which has the ability to compress ISO images.
Dev9 Hard drive Handles PS2 hard disk drive and Ethernet emulation.
MegaDev9 Hard drive A more advanced version of Dev9. Currently, it only partially emulates the PS2 hard drive.
Netplay Netplay A plug-in which allows certain games to be playable multiplayer over the Internet.

As of v1.7.0-dev-1420[18] PCSX2 has merged all functionality into the core emulator, eliminating the concept of plugins as well as releasing 64-bit variants.

The list of plugins that have been merged are listed below:

  • GS: GSdx
  • SPU: SPU2-X
  • PAD: LilyPad (Windows) | OnePad (Linux)
  • DEV9: Dev9Gigaherz
  • CDVD: CDVDGigaherz

Hardware requirements

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System requirements
Minimum Recommended
Personal Computer[19]
Operating system Windows 10 Version 1809 (x86-64) or higher

Ubuntu 22.04 or higher, Debian, Fedora Linux, Arch Linux, or other distro (x86-64)

macOS Big Sur or higher		Windows 10 Version 22H2 (x86-64) or higher

Ubuntu 24.04 or higher, Debian, Fedora Linux, Arch Linux, or other distro (x86-64)

macOS Big Sur or higher
CPU SSE4.1 support, 1500 Single Thread Performance on PassMark w/ 2 physical cores and simultaneous multithreading.AVX2 support, 2000 Single Thread Performance on PassMark w/ 4 physical cores with or without simultaneous multithreading.
Memory 8 GB RAM.16 GB RAM.
Graphics hardware DirectX 11, OpenGL 3.3, or Vulkan 1.1 support and 2 GB VRAM.DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.3, or Metal support and 4 GB VRAM.

Hardware requirements are largely game-dependent. Due to the demanding nature of emulation, PCSX2 is much more likely to perform well with modern mid-range to high-end hardware, with lower-end systems likely to experience less than full performance. The performance bottleneck in most cases is the CPU rather than the GPU. This is especially the case in software mode, in which only the CPU is used for emulation. In hardware mode, the GPU emulates the graphics, but can still be a bottleneck if the internal resolution is set too high. Some games may also run slower due to unoptimized graphics code or weak video cards. As computer hardware has continued to advance with time, the likelihood of performance issues with PCSX2 has experienced a corresponding decrease.

Reception

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PCSX2 has been very well-received. Matthew Humphries of Geek.com described it as "an impressive piece of work".[20] Alex Garnett of PC World criticized the difficulty of setting up PCSX2 but called it a "masterpiece."[21] Although David Hayward of Micro Mart also criticized the complexity, he also called it "technically amazing."[22] Sriram Gurunathan of In.com described PCSX2 as "arguably the most popular emulator around" and named it as one of the site's top five emulators.[23] Brandon Widder of Digital Trends included PCSX2 in his Best Emulators article.[24] John Corpuz of Tom's Guide mentioned PCSX2 in his Best PlayStation Emulators for PCs article, saying, "When it comes to stable, playable PlayStation 2 emulation, PCSX2 is pretty much the best game in town at the moment."[25]

See also

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References

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[26]

  1. ^ "PCSX2 Readme 0.9.8". github. April 8, 2011.
  2. ^ "x64 Work and Testing · Discussion #4102 · PCSX2/pcsx2". Retrieved 7 July 2021 – via GitHub.
  3. ^ "PCSX2 - The PlayStation 2 emulator - Windows". pcsx2.net. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  4. ^ "PCSX2/pcsx2". Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via Crowdin.
  5. ^ "Upgraded PCSX2 core and utilities to GPLv3". 2009-09-08 – via GitHub.
  6. ^ "Requirements". Pcsx2.net. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Meo, Francesco De (12 December 2018). "ICO Can Now Run At 4K Resolution Through PCSX2 PlayStation 2 Emulator". Wccftech.
  8. ^ "Ramapcsx2 PSX mode by gregory38 · Pull Request #1583 · PCSX2/Pcsx2" – via GitHub.
  9. ^ "Why is PCSX2 slow?".
  10. ^ "PS4 Controller".
  11. ^ Refraction (2010-11-05). "The History of PCSX2". PCSX2. Archived from the original on 2017-01-22. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  12. ^ "PCSX2 Compatibility Data". PCSX2. September 27, 2024. Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  13. ^ Bailey, Dustin (10 January 2022). "PS2 emulator PCSX2 adds Vulkan support". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  14. ^ Simons, Hadlee (23 January 2022). "AetherSX2: What you need to know about the best PS2 emulator for Android". Android Authority. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  15. ^ Smith, David (25 October 2022). "Yep, That's A PS2 Emulator Running On An Xbox Series S". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  16. ^ "Custom GSdx Plugin Released". Toca Edit. 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  17. ^ "s90110019/Gsdx-cutie: pcsx2 plugin". Retrieved 2016-04-21 – via GitHub.
  18. ^ "Merge GS, Mcd into core, remove plugin selector/subsystem". Govanify Edit. 2021-07-03. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  19. ^ "PCSX2/pcsx2". Retrieved 16 March 2021 – via GitHub.
  20. ^ Humphries, Matthew (August 6, 2012). "PlayStation 2 emulator PCSX2 reaches v1.0, plays games in 1080p". Geek.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  21. ^ Garrett, Alex (September 1, 2011). "How to Emulate the Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2) on Your PC". PC World. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  22. ^ Hayward, David (2013-07-19). "Retro Console Emulators Group Test: PCSX2 1.0.0 Review". Micro Mart. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on 2015-11-25. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  23. ^ Gurunathan, Sriram (February 4, 2011). "Top Five Emulators". In.com. Network 18. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  24. ^ Widder, Brandon (April 20, 2013). "Best Emulators (NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, and more)". Digital Trends. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  25. ^ Corpuz, John (January 30, 2013). "Best PlayStation Emulators for PCs". Tom's Guide. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  26. ^ https://theaethersx2.com/ [bare URL]
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