Emulating PlayStation 2 with PCSX2
How to emulate PlayStation 2 on your PC
(Windows-Only Guide)
Important Links:
Part 1: System Requirements
(Credit to PCSX2 Forum article "Will PCSX2 run fast on my computer?" Please refer to that thread if you're unsure about your own CPU.)
Part 2: Installation & Configuration
There are two ways you can install and configure PCSX2. The "stable" installer (recommended); or the latest build from SVN (the Buildbot link at the top has the latest builds precompiled for Windows).
If you've never used PCSX2 before, I'd highly recommend going to the official site and using the full installer for the stable build first. Please remember that you usually won't get help for the most recent builds on their official forum.
Installation summary modified from the Official Configuration Guide.
The next screen is the most complicated part of setup, the Plugin configuration wizard.
After configuring those, you may continue the wizard which will ask you to select a BIOS to use. If you have placed a bios file in the bios sub-folder it should show up automatically.
The original "SCPH10000" should not be used - it is best to use the most recent BIOS for your preferred region if possible.
After that, you are done with the basic setup.
There is a little more you may do to improve performance before you run any games; enable speedhacks & fine-tune emulation window settings.
Note: MTVU Speedhack is only available in the most recent builds and is not present in 0.9.8!
Lastly, you should be ready to run a game.
Optional/Advanced: Cheats
Part 3: Troubleshooting
One of the most common problems with this emulator is failure to launch.
If you have errors regarding missing DLL's or unsupported commands, please make sure to use the full installer for PCSX2; that will make sure you have the proper DirectX libraries installed. Even Windows 7 may not have some of them preinstalled.
Also, run Windows Update to make sure your .NET frameworks are all fully updated.
Some errors are caused by not having installed Visual C++ libraries as well, this can also be remedied, by installing Visual C++ runtime components.
Part 4: FAQ & Other Resources
Q: Where can I find a list of compatible games?
A: http://pcsx2.net/compat.php?c=key
Q: I seem to be missing the BIOS? How do I get that?
A: Unfortunately due to the forum rules I can't solve that problem for you.
Q: Does it work with any controller?
A: The input plugin LilyPad is highly configurable for any controller that works in your PC. I have it set up with a wired XBOX 360 controller. Rydian suggests getting an inexpensive USB adapter for the official PS2 controller such as this one from Amazon. It is also possible to set up a PS3 controller using special drivers (see MotionInJoy).
Q: Does it emulate PSX / PSone games?
A: No, it doesn't- at least, it's not ideal/optimized for this. I recommend the well documented & supported ePSXe for PSX / PSone emulation.
Q: There are so many different configuration options, can you help me out?
A: Unfortunately, configuration is very system-specific, in most cases you will be better off looking to the Official Configuration & Official 0.9.6/0.9.7 FAQ and learning what applies to your machine.
Q: How do I figure out if I meet the system requirements?
A: I suggest getting the freeware program CPU-Z from CPUID, running it, and using the "Validate" option to generate a shareable web-based factsheet about the components of your computer. The page it generates can be very helpful to others if you need to figure out why you may be experiencing problems.
Q: I have installed the official release, what are the advantages to installing the most recent builds?
A: In the late summer, a speedhack that provides support across more than 2 threads/cores was introduced into the builds (It is called MTVU support). You may experience increased performance with a 3-or-higher core CPU by trying out a more recent build. Furthermore, SVN builds have the most up-to-date gamefixes.
Q: Can I have the official and the latest build installed at the same time?
A: Yes, if you have the official build installed and working, you could create a seperate folder to run a more recent build to test the modifications to PCSX2 since the 0.9.7/0.9.8 stable releases.
Q: Swapping PS2 discs is pretty inconvenient, can I back them up to my computer and run the image in PCSX2?
A: Yes, I would recommend a utility such as ImgBurn to create an ISO backup of your games.
Q: Can I import my PS2 memory card saves onto my computer (and vice versa)?
A: Yes, depending on what hardware you have. Check out mymc, a PS2 Memory Card Image Utility.
Changelog:
01/23/2012 - Updated a detail in the FAQ for accuracy.
10/25/2011 - Added another link regarding cheats/patches.
10/22/2011 - More details added, moved Cheats info from FAQ to its own subsection, changed installation instructions to refer to 0.9.8, improved formatting a little.
10/21/2011 - Added screenshots and fleshed out the configuration section of the guide
10/19/2011 - Initial Draft
Credits:
Raiser for information about PS3 controller drivers.
Rydian for additional information about cheats.
(Windows-Only Guide)
Important Links:
- PCSX2 Official site: http://www.pcsx2.net/
- PCSX2 Buildbot (for the most recent, but unsupported PC builds): http://buildbot.orphis.net/pcsx2/
- PCSX2 Official English Setup Guide: http://forums.pcsx2....on-guide-v0-9-7
- PCSX2 Configuration for Low-End PCs: http://forums.pcsx2....for-low-end-PCs
- System Requirements
- Installation / Configuration
- Troubleshooting
- FAQ, Changelog, & Credits
Part 1: System Requirements
(Credit to PCSX2 Forum article "Will PCSX2 run fast on my computer?" Please refer to that thread if you're unsure about your own CPU.)
Part 2: Installation & Configuration
There are two ways you can install and configure PCSX2. The "stable" installer (recommended); or the latest build from SVN (the Buildbot link at the top has the latest builds precompiled for Windows).
If you've never used PCSX2 before, I'd highly recommend going to the official site and using the full installer for the stable build first. Please remember that you usually won't get help for the most recent builds on their official forum.
Installation summary modified from the Official Configuration Guide.
1) Download the new PCSX2 v0.9.8 HERE.
2) PCSX2 comes in 3 flavors, full installer, web installer and binary. Full installer has the DirectX web installer bundled, web installer optionally downloads it from the internet, and binary is only the program with the plugins. Download the one you prefer or if you don't know which, the full installer.
3) Run the installer (if you downloaded the installer) or if you downloaded binary open the archive and extract its contents into a folder. (e.g. CCSX2)
4) Run pcsx2.exe which is in the folder you installed or extracted the files.
System Default should be the primary language you use on your computer, you shouldn't need to change this.
The next screen is the most complicated part of setup, the Plugin configuration wizard.
If you have an Intel CPU, try using the SSE4.1 plugin first. If you have an AMD CPU, you will have to use the default SSE2 plugin.
After selecting the appropriate GS plugin and clicking the "Configure" button to its right, you will be able to adjust options specific to that plugin such as DirectX version and resolution.
I typically enable "Blend bff" interlacing on my high end system.
After selecting the appropriate GS plugin and clicking the "Configure" button to its right, you will be able to adjust options specific to that plugin such as DirectX version and resolution.
I typically enable "Blend bff" interlacing on my high end system.
Lilypad is the default plugin for configuring input devices and has a lot of options. In these screens I'm configuring an XBOX 360 controller, but many others will work, see the FAQ for more info about other controllers.
The original "SCPH10000" should not be used - it is best to use the most recent BIOS for your preferred region if possible.
There is a little more you may do to improve performance before you run any games; enable speedhacks & fine-tune emulation window settings.
Note: MTVU Speedhack is only available in the most recent builds and is not present in 0.9.8!
Lastly, you should be ready to run a game.
Optional/Advanced: Cheats
- Official PCSX2 Forum Cheats Guide - This explains the cheat code format.
- Official PCSX2 Forum Patch Thread - This is a user-contributed index of verified patches.
Part 3: Troubleshooting
One of the most common problems with this emulator is failure to launch.
If you have errors regarding missing DLL's or unsupported commands, please make sure to use the full installer for PCSX2; that will make sure you have the proper DirectX libraries installed. Even Windows 7 may not have some of them preinstalled.
Also, run Windows Update to make sure your .NET frameworks are all fully updated.
Some errors are caused by not having installed Visual C++ libraries as well, this can also be remedied, by installing Visual C++ runtime components.
Part 4: FAQ & Other Resources
Q: Where can I find a list of compatible games?
A: http://pcsx2.net/compat.php?c=key
Q: I seem to be missing the BIOS? How do I get that?
A: Unfortunately due to the forum rules I can't solve that problem for you.
Q: Does it work with any controller?
A: The input plugin LilyPad is highly configurable for any controller that works in your PC. I have it set up with a wired XBOX 360 controller. Rydian suggests getting an inexpensive USB adapter for the official PS2 controller such as this one from Amazon. It is also possible to set up a PS3 controller using special drivers (see MotionInJoy).
Q: Does it emulate PSX / PSone games?
A: No, it doesn't- at least, it's not ideal/optimized for this. I recommend the well documented & supported ePSXe for PSX / PSone emulation.
Q: There are so many different configuration options, can you help me out?
A: Unfortunately, configuration is very system-specific, in most cases you will be better off looking to the Official Configuration & Official 0.9.6/0.9.7 FAQ and learning what applies to your machine.
Q: How do I figure out if I meet the system requirements?
A: I suggest getting the freeware program CPU-Z from CPUID, running it, and using the "Validate" option to generate a shareable web-based factsheet about the components of your computer. The page it generates can be very helpful to others if you need to figure out why you may be experiencing problems.
Q: I have installed the official release, what are the advantages to installing the most recent builds?
A: In the late summer, a speedhack that provides support across more than 2 threads/cores was introduced into the builds (It is called MTVU support). You may experience increased performance with a 3-or-higher core CPU by trying out a more recent build. Furthermore, SVN builds have the most up-to-date gamefixes.
Q: Can I have the official and the latest build installed at the same time?
A: Yes, if you have the official build installed and working, you could create a seperate folder to run a more recent build to test the modifications to PCSX2 since the 0.9.7/0.9.8 stable releases.
Q: Swapping PS2 discs is pretty inconvenient, can I back them up to my computer and run the image in PCSX2?
A: Yes, I would recommend a utility such as ImgBurn to create an ISO backup of your games.
Q: Can I import my PS2 memory card saves onto my computer (and vice versa)?
A: Yes, depending on what hardware you have. Check out mymc, a PS2 Memory Card Image Utility.
Changelog:
01/23/2012 - Updated a detail in the FAQ for accuracy.
10/25/2011 - Added another link regarding cheats/patches.
10/22/2011 - More details added, moved Cheats info from FAQ to its own subsection, changed installation instructions to refer to 0.9.8, improved formatting a little.
10/21/2011 - Added screenshots and fleshed out the configuration section of the guide
10/19/2011 - Initial Draft
Credits:
Raiser for information about PS3 controller drivers.
Rydian for additional information about cheats.
