How Do I Play My Old Playstation 1 and 2 Games On My PC?

T Hutchems · Aug 22, 2015

I've run across a few old articles explaining how to use an emulator to allow you to run PS1 and PS2 games on the pc. But I'm wondering what's the latest and greatest way to do it for Windows 10. And do the games look and run well enough to even bother?

getochkn · Aug 22, 2015

They don't run well enough to bother.

James Mason · Aug 23, 2015

PS1: ePSXe, works pretty good: https://youtu.be/x4aaqunguuY?t=8m7s
http://www.epsxe.com/
PS2: PCSX2 Has slightly more compatibility issues, but generally works alright.
http://pcsx2.net/

Nothing has changed, you'd still emulate them, they just have higher compatibility as opposed to the past. The PS2 is dificult to emulate because it's hardware is weird.

I can't tell you specifically how to set them up, because it involves piracy, technically.

The 3D looks smoother, sometimes it can backfire, because the textures don't get any better, and being able to see them clearly makes them look like garbage.

gamerk316 · Aug 24, 2015

Assuming he has the CDs and has a way to rip the BIOS [Which is legal, per the BLEEM case], emulation of the PS1/PS2 is perfectly legal since there's no copy protection to break on the disks, and thus doesn't violate the DMCA.

Now that I've covered my own behind, for the PS1, ePSXe and PCSX Reloaded are the best options, though other options, such as pSX, are also viable in a pinch. I'd say *most* stuff is expected to work, though a few games are finicky with savestates.

For the PS2, PCSX2 is the only option. Most stuff works these days; I'd guess about 80% of the PS2 library works, though slowdown and the occasional graphical hiccup are common. Depends on the game really.

Llamageddon · Aug 25, 2015

As everyone else says PCSX/ePSXe and PCSX2 are good. To elaborate on what gamerk316 said about 20% of games will barely run or not at all, for the other 80% a lot of them might need some quite fiddly trial and error tweaking to get to work properly and can be very dependent on what hardware you are using. From personal experience I would say you can have a very enjoyable time emulating even PS2 games on PC.

To answer your last question, a lot of games actually look better through emulation because they can do some clever tricks with OpenGL/DirectX and newer cards that were never an option for the original games. James is right though, these improvements can end up making other parts of the game look even worse by comparison.

Using save states is also a nice touch all the emulators have. It means you don't have to use "save points" in the game or be limited by the emulated memory cards and can therefore save whenever and as often as you want. A small difference but I find it to be a godsend if I just want to go to bed instead of trudging along to the next checkpoint for instance.

James Mason · Aug 25, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzqETUpIv34

Another example of how the 3d in a PS1 emulator is "good" but still kinda wonky. The lines are all super smooth due to AA, but it has weird collision and it glitches out a bit. It all works/plays fine, but a bit innacurate. Also you can probably tell the health bars are all "broken" they all extend out beyond the limit of the bar, but still work right otherwise. (it gets weirder in battle because they extend out and go off screen.)

Edit: forgot to link it.

gamerk316 · Aug 25, 2015

That sounds more like a plugin issue then anything else. Haven't seen any of those lifebar overruns in years...Could also be a BIOS issue, though I doubt it.

PS1 does need newer plugins though; I'm still using Pete OGL2 GPU plugin.

James Mason · Aug 25, 2015

gamerk316 :

It's a general problem with the specific game when people emulate it.
I don't they even make new ps1 plugins anymore.
All more other PS1 games seem to emulate 99% accurately enough.

gamerk316 · Aug 26, 2015

Yeah, only one I have with any issues is Suikoden, which HATES savestates.

Out of curiosity, which game is the one with the issue you describe?

James Mason · Aug 26, 2015

gamerk316 :

Jade Cocoon.
Edited the post above, forgot to include the video I made for it originally. It's weird because I can play with the graphics settings, and depending on how the textures are filtered, the health bars are either too long or too short.

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How Do I Play My Old Playstation 1 and 2 Games On My PC?

T Hutchems

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getochkn

Polypheme

James Mason

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gamerk316

Glorious

Llamageddon

Reputable

James Mason

Titan

gamerk316

Glorious

James Mason

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gamerk316

Glorious

James Mason

Titan

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