The new AetherSX2 emulator made waves across the emulation scene when it was quietly announced to the world. It promised PlayStation 2 emulation on Android, and with good performance to boot, which left many wondering how this emulator came to be, especially after the release of DamonPS2, which used another PS2 emulator's code--PCSX2--without complying with GPL licensing, and even selling the software for profit. One of the developers from the PCSX2 team decided to look into the matter and release an explanation that clarifies some details about the mysterious new AetherSX2 emulator.

As it stands, PCSX2 is open source and complies with GPLv3, with three instances of code that are part of the software: debugger code from another emulator--PPSSPP, the FreeType library, and libmpeg2. With AetherSX2 presumably using the code from PCSX2, it would need to remove those GPL bits of code in order to not have any issues upon release. Fortunately, the two dev teams got in contact, and it appears that the remaining code won't be a problem by the time AetherSX2 is made publicly available. The FreeType OSD and PPSSPP debugger aren't used, as AetherSX2 has its own OSD and does not make use of any of the debugger code. Meanwhile, while it does use libmpeg2, the developer has stated that it'll be simply replaced by FFmpeg, meaning the entire project will be LGPL and in the clear.

The existence of these 3rd party GPL parts means that PCSX2 as a combined works needs to comply to the GPLv3 license but our source code that we own remains LGPL. By distributing the code when requested we comply with the GPLv3 license. See the GNU FAQ here and here. If these mentioned libraries are removed, the entire project would become purely LGPL licensed.

These concerns of course extended out to this new emulator, and we had to reach out about it to Tahlreth. After a good discussion with him about these issues, we have been assured that it will no longer be a problem by the time the emulator releases. Right now the only piece of GPL code they need to contend with is libmpeg2, which can be replaced with FFmpeg, which is under the LGPL license; this is something we planned on doing in the future, since libmpeg2 is over a decade old. As for the aforementioned debugger and Freetype code, they no longer exist. Aether has its own OSD and no debugger, meaning the emulator will be entirely LGPL.

Source

 

[DudderButter]

PS2 emulation is so shit why even bother?
just get a 20 bucks slim

My slim literally ate my Guitar Hero 3 disc. It scratched it so bad, it became unplayable. Also the laser on that thing is really weak, and has a difficult time reading bigger games like Kingdom Hearts. As it's trying to read the disc, I have to open the lid and close it quick for it to consistently spin and be able to finally play a game. I'd use that 20 bucks to instead support better PS2 emulation.

 

[MikaDubbz]

Real hardware is so shit why even bother?
Just play on emulator where your discs or console don't stop working

To be fair, your device running said emulator can still stop working like a console can. But I totally get your point all the same.

 

[Deleted member 194275]

To be fair, your device running said emulator can still stop working like a console can. But I totally get your point all the same.

It is very likely that the device the person is using is not as fragile as a PS2 slim, also it is newer, so probability is that the emulator will live one, while the PS2 slim will run a bit more (upside down maybe) and eventually will stop reading disks.

 

[subcon959]

My original silver fat PS2 with Matrix Infinity modchip is still going strong, but then I like to keep my stuff minty fresh.

I also use PCSX2 though when it's convenient and it's good enough for me even with the odd glitch.

 

[spotanjo3]

PCSX2 and PS2 consoles are great. If you want to run with enhanced resolution then emulation will be the better option. That's simple.

 

[Cris1997XX]

enjoy your terrible emulation experience and having to use hacks so games are even playable then.

I wanna see you cry your ass off when your PS2 stops reading discs, or when they get scratched

 

[subcon959]

I wanna see you cry your ass off when your PS2 stops reading discs, or when they get scratched

That's no more of a limiting factor than it is for emulation.

 

[Cris1997XX]

That's no more of a limiting factor than it is for emulation.

You know game dumps are a thing, right?

 

[the_randomizer]

enjoy your terrible emulation experience and having to use hacks so games are even playable then.

Says the guy trying to run PCSX2 on an Intel Core 2 Duo and integrated graphics

 

[subcon959]

You know game dumps are a thing, right?

That was literally my point. You know you can play ISOs on real hardware right?

 

[Cris1997XX]

That was literally my point. You know you can play ISOs on real hardware right?

You need a compatible hard disk and a modded PS2, which not every person owns

 

[MadMakuFuuma]

I as a pirate do not like clouds, at all.

Real hardware is so shit why even bother?
Just play on emulator where your discs or console don't stop working

yep! i had 3 (still have one) ps2, 2 slims, one phat, and both fail me at some point. power suply, optics, joystick ports and so on. people still cant understand why emulation exists: to preserve the games (and software) even when the original hardware is no more. so im glad, even it ps2 emulation still sh*t. ps: i still have other consoles working 100%. we can call no lucky o something like that, but i only had problems with ps2 systems in my entire life.

 

[NyaakoXD]

Enjoy being passive agressive? It's all relative to how powerful your PC is. Most decent emulators these days can upscale resolution which makes them look much, much nicer than on a native console experience. I'd say that's worth the compromise for games and franchises that you enjoy.

Not only enjoy higher resolutions, but can even make many games run better with cpu overclocking and more!

 

[ZeroFX]

Saw the title I was: aw shit here we go again, but it's not bad news thankfully...

 

[Goku1992A]

PS2 is too old and not reliable I have a 250gb PS2 and u rather Plat it on my PC

 

[MikaDubbz]

It is very likely that the device the person is using is not as fragile as a PS2 slim, also it is newer, so probability is that the emulator will live one, while the PS2 slim will run a bit more (upside down maybe) and eventually will stop reading disks.

Well this post says the emulator works for Android, and I've had a couple of android devices crap out on me over the years, likewise for PCs. Fact is, no matter your device, it's not safe from breaking down over time, consoles are not special in this regard.

Now I get the point that any uniformly designed device will be poised to face the same issues across the board, but let's not pretend that because PCs or Androids don't have the same red ring of death issue across all of those kinds of devices, that they're therefore free of ever experiencing any similar issues.

 

[Tigran]

Considering for the MOST part, I still can't play several games without weird glitches on PCSX2, without some other hacks, like removing shadows, that annoys me. But I do believe PCSX2 is a decent emulator... Just wish it would be more compatable.

 

[DKAngel]

PS2 RGB has really bad jailbars on all models and component is worse especially since the Official PS2 cables are very cheaply made the ps3 20GB is the only real saving grace for Video output for ps2 but the compat is lacking. PS2 is currently in bad video signal hell or compat hell on real hardware and thats not letting emus off the hook Compat and video errors are abound. PS2 in general needs alot of work no matter where you lie.....I lie on the Hardware side myself.

you seriously have no idea wtf your talking about ive seen games upscalled to look so great on pcsx2 and still run really well the emulator is one of a kind and does a fantastic job

 

[DKAngel]

Considering for the MOST part, I still can't play several games without weird glitches on PCSX2, without some other hacks, like removing shadows, that annoys me. But I do believe PCSX2 is a decent emulator... Just wish it would be more compatable.

like what games?

 

[Chary]

like what games?

Not who you quoted but Tales of the Abyss has a pretty big softlock issue in one of the later game dungeons. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but it's kind of random and there's no fix for it last time I checked. It's the only PS2 game I've been dying to go back to and there's no simple, worry free method beyond just playing it on og hardware.