Setting up Windows version: Difference between revisions

This guide explains how to download, install and properly configure '''PCSX2''' on '''Windows'''. It will also give some tips on how to use PCSX2 more efficiently. Keep in mind that the guide was written for PCSX2 '''v1.2.1''' but can still be used for other versions of the emulator.

There are also [[Setting up Linux version|Linux]] and [[Setting up Mac version|Mac]] versions of this guide.

=Overview=

[[PCSX2]] is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_2 PlayStation®2] emulator capable of running commercial games. It's an open source project that runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Like its predecessor project [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCSX-Reloaded PCSX] (a PlayStation®One emulator), it is based on a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSEmu_Pro PSEmu Pro] spec plug-in architecture, separating several functions from the core emulator. PCSX2 requires a copy of the PS2 BIOS, which is not available for download from the developers, due to the copyright concerns and legal issues associated with it.

=Prerequisites=

===Concerning BIOS===

You will need the BIOS files from '''your own''' PlayStation®2 console. They are not included with PCSX2 since they are copyrighted by Sony. Without them you won't be able to use the emulator at all, since PCSX2 requires these binaries to work. You'll find more information on how to dump\download the BIOS from your PS2 console [[#BIOS|later in this guide]].

These are the minimum system requirements to run PCSX2, bear in mind however that most games will be unplayable or slow with these low-end specs:

*CPU: Any that supports SSE2 (Pentium 4 and up, Athlon64 and up)

*GPU: Any that supports Pixel Shader model 2.0, except Nvidia FX series (broken SM2.0, too slow anyway)

*512MB RAM (note Vista needs at least 2GB to run reliably)

 

Note that Windows XP will no longer be able to run PCSX2 compiled under modern MS Visual Studio by default (unless Windows XP is specified as a target [http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vcblog/archive/2012/06/15/10320645.aspx before building]).

*Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32bit or 64bit) with the latest DirectX

*CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 3.2 GHz or better OR i3/i5/i7 @ 2,8 GHz or better OR AMD Phenom II @ 3,2 GHz or better

*GPU: 8800gt or better (for Direct3D10 support)

*RAM: 1GB on Linux, 2GB or more on Vista / Windows 7

=Getting PCSX2=

You can get PCSX2 for Windows [https://pcsx2.net/download/releases/windows/viewcategory/6-windows.html here]. There are 3 versions available for download: standalone installer, Windows binaries and Orphis' dev builds.

This is the default option for most users. The installer will contain the latest stable version of PCSX2. After opening it, you will be able to select the installation options.

First of all you will be asked to provide the location for PCSX2 to install. The following image illustrates the default installation path:

{{Clear new paragraph}}After clicking the ''Install'' button, the emulator will be installed to the chosen location. The installer will also create the following folders under the user's ''My Documents'' folder (Those folders can be changed to a different location anytime you want. See [[#Folders|'''Folders''']] section of this guide for more information).

*''sstates'': [[Savestate]]s are stored here.

<br />

This option is recommended for advanced users. You will download the archive containing the Windows binaries. You should then unpack it in a desired location and run '''pscx2.exe'''. Start menu entries or a desktop shortcut will not be created automatically.

This is the ideal solution if you want to keep the application portable. You will need [https://www.7-zip.org/ 7-Zip] to decompress the files and the [https://download.microsoft.com/download/2/E/6/2E61CFA4-993B-4DD4-91DA-3737CD5CD6E3/vcredist_x86.exe Visual Studio 2013 redistributable package] for this version to work.

On its first run the emulator is going to create the previously mentioned folders.

===Orphis' Dev Builds===

These "bleeding edge" builds are considered unstable but are perfect for those who wish to try out new PCSX2 features before they are released in an official stable build. Dev builds can be downloaded [https://buildbot.orphis.net/pcsx2 here]

=Running PCSX2 for the first time=

[[image:PCSX2_Wizard_1.png|400px|thumb|left|Click to enlarge]]

{{Clear new paragraph}}The first option is the language your wizard – and later PCSX2 – will be using. You will be able to change language anytime from PCSX2 main menu.

{{Clear new paragraph}}[[image:PCSX2_Wizard_2.png|400px|thumb|left|Click to enlarge]]

{{Clear new paragraph}}[[image:PCSX2_Wizard_3.png|400px|thumb|left|Click to enlarge]]

{{Clear new paragraph}}In the third screen, you will be prompted to select one of your BIOS images from the list. If you can't see anything in this list, you need to either copy your BIOS files in the folder shown below, or change that folder to point to a location where BIOS images are saved. For more information about the BIOS, check the [[#BIOS|BIOS configuration section]] of this guide. Note that you will not be able to use PCSX2 without a proper BIOS image.  

[[File:NewGUI.png]]

From ''Config'' menu using ''Plugin/BIOS'' item, you can review and change the above settings or plugins used by PCSX2 at any time. More information about plugins will be given in the following section of the guide.

=The Component Selector (Plugins, BIOS and folders configuration)=

''The Component Selector'' is the plugin and BIOS configuration window that opens when you select '''Config => Plugins/Bios''. It has 3 tabs -- Plugins, BIOS and Folders.

[[File:ConfigMenu.png|400px|thumb|left|Click to enlarge.]]

PCSX2 is a plugin oriented program. Your ''pcsx2.exe'' is the main processor that can emulate the real PS2 on the PC but it does not work alone. It needs a graphics plugin to display the game graphics and a sound plugin to play the game sounds and music, and it also needs a pad plugin to allow you to play using your keyboard, mouse or gamepad. Moreover there may be more than one plugin of each type so you can choose the one which is better suited for a particular game. All plugins are stored (by default) in the ''plugins'' folder of your main PCSX2 folder. Some plugins like ''GSdx'' for example can be updated quite often so you may want update only a chosen plugin from time to time. In order to do it you'll need to download the updated version and extract it by using the archiver into your plugins folder. Selecting your new plugin and changing its configuration may also be required.

The default PCSX2 1.2.1 installation has three different GS plugins for you to select from (only two of the three are useful):

*GSdx v0.1.16

GSdx v0.1.16 is a DirectX 9 and DirectX 10/11 plugin by '''Gabest''' which is the most compatible and in most instances the fastest GS plugin for PCSX2. It requires at least pixel shaders 2 and SSE2 to work and Windows Vista/7/8 with a DirectX 10 compliant graphics card for DirectX10/11 mode. ZeroGS is a very old plugin which has not been updated in years. Still a very small number of games works better with this plugin, so you have an option to try it as a ''last resort''. GSnull is a null graphics plugin which will not output any kind of video. It is used for debugging purposes.

[[image:GSDx2.png|thumb|GSdx]]

The default PCSX2 installation has GSdx in 5 versions: SSE2, SSSE3, SSE4.1, AVX and AVX2. They are in fact the same plugin compiled using different optimization instructions sets.<br />

You must use only the versions supported by your CPU otherwise the emulator may crash. The difference between these versions speed-wise is in fact minuscule and only some games are showing any improvements in speed when using more optimized version. So if you are unsure, your safe choice is the SSE2 version. Here's the order from the "slowest" version to the "fastest" one for reference:

#SSE4.1

To use the DirectX10/11 mode, you will have to be running '''Windows Vista''' or '''Windows 7/8 with a DirectX10/11''' compliant graphics card. As of 2014 DirectX10 and DirectX11 modes of GSdx are '''exactly the same''' in both speed and compatibility.

 

To configure GSdx plugin press ''configure'' button.

This option allows you choose the interface through which the graphics will be rendered.

*''"Direct3D9 (Hardware)"'': GSdx will use the Direct3D capabilities of your graphics card.

*''"Direct3D10 (Hardware)"'' or ''"Direct3D11 (Hardware)"'' '''(only selectable with DX10/11 graphics card)''': GSdx will use Direct3D10/11 mode which is often faster and usually more compatible as well. It is '''recommended''' to use this option if your system supports it.

*''"Direct3D9 (Software)"'', ''"Direct3D10 (Software)"'' or ''"Direct3D11 (Software)"'': GSdx will use its built-in software renderer which will not utilize your graphics card at all. The image will be rendered solely by your CPU. This will greatly reduce the rendering speed but unfortunately this is the most compatible mode. This option is recommended if you encounter graphics bugs with the hardware renderer.

*''"OpenGL (hardware)"'': GSdx will use the OpenGL interface to render the image. Currently this mode is a slower and less compatible equivalent of the DirectX renderers but it's the only option for Linux users.

*''"OpenGL (software)"'': GSdx will use the OpenGL backend in software mode.

*''"Direct3D9 (null)"'', Direct3D10/11 (null)", "Null (software)" or "Null (null)": The plugin will not render anything in these modes, thus not giving any output on the screen. It's useful for debugging purposes only.

Open downloaded zip file and extract ''PCSX2Fx_Settings.txt'' and ''shader.fx'' files in the same directory ''pcsx2.exe'' is located. You can change some shaders' settings by editing the ''PCSX2Fx_Settings.txt'' (the file contains all the needed instructions). External shaders should be used with caution because some of them may potentially have an enormous impact on speed. Note that you can '''use''' external shaders even with GSdx '''software''' renderer, which is the best way to get higher visual quality in this rendering mode.  

*''Texture filtering'': Enables linear filtering when rendering textures. '''Checked''' option will ensures filtering in all cases and '''grayed''' will only use filtering when the game calls for it.

 

*''Allow 8-bit textures'': Sacrifices texture decoding speed for video card memory (RAM) requirements. In 8-bit texture mode the plugin will utilize less memory of your graphics card storing some of the textures in 8-bit format (instead of 32-bit otherwise). That may help with some games that use a lot of 8-bit textures but may become a clog for the others because these textures will then be decoded by the special shader consuming a portion of the cards processing power.

*''Sprite'': Gets rid of black inner lines in 2D sprites. Grayed option is recommended.  

*''Nvidia Hack'': Fixes odd stretching issues in certain NVIDIA drivers when upscaling (using DirectX 11). Try not to use this unless your game Videos or 2D screens are stretching outside the frame.  

Default PCSX2 installation allows you to select one of three PAD plugins:

#LilyPad v0.11.0

#SSSPSX Pad v1.7.1

*LilyPad supports keyboards, mouse, game pads and XBOX 360 pads. It also has some very handy hacks like ''ESC hack'' or ''Disable Screensaver'' option.  

[[image:SPU2-X_Settings.png|200px|thumb|left|SPU2-X]]

However, if you want to play a game from the actual DVD disk or to create a dump of an ISO file use '''Plugin''' option in the ''CDVD'' menu. It will let you use one of the PCSX2 CDVD plugins instead of ''ISO loader''.<br />

Default PCSX2 installation has three CDVD plugins:  

#Gigaherz's CDVD v0.8.0

*Configuration allows you to select your DVD-ROM drive letter. This option will allow you to play directly from your PS2 DVD without dumping it to an ISO image. Put your PS2 DVD disk in the selected drive before starting emulation.

 

 

 

 

This is a null plugin, meaning it simply does nothing.

As with Dev9 plugins PCSX2 does not currently have any official working plugin to properly emulate USB access. The release package includes only ''USB Null v0.7.0'' which is yet another stub plugin. However  

The dumping of BIOS is a complicated process so follow the instructions you can get [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Official-English-PCSX2-configuration-guide-v0-9-8#Bios from this thread]. You can start dumping by downloading the tool from [http://pcsx2.net/download/releases/tools.html this page] or refer to the official guide [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Guide-to-Dumping-Your-PS2-Bios-over-LAN here]. Also, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3AVqzYcqSw here] is a youtube tutorial on dumping your BIOS (by '''FullGrownGaming''').  

Apart from the main BIOS file (''SCPH-XXXX.bin'' must be exactly 4Mb of size) your BIOS files collection may include ''rom1.bin'',''rom2.bin'',''erom.bin'' and ''SCPH-XXXXX.nvm'' files (note that ''XXXXX'' is the version of your BIOS, e.g. ''SCPH-34004.nvm'' and ''SCPH-34004.bin''). The last file contains some PS2 common and regional settings and it can also be created by the PCSX2 itself after you configure your BIOS while in emulation mode (set time zone, language, etc.) but it would still be fine to dump this file directly from your console.  

{{tip|Interesting fact 2: Basically the first Japaneese PS2 had a single BIOS and the DVD player etc were installed on the memcard. The PS2's after that first model had the DVD Player software installed in a separate ROM (EROM) which is encrypted. The ROM1 is an additional part of the BIOS that contains some extra stuff like ID's for DVD Player version etc. ROM2 is the same really but I think only available in Chinese PS2's. '''auMatt'''.}}

=Emulation Settings (Core configuration)=

==EE/IOP==

==VUs==

 

* ''VU0/VU1 Advanced recompiler options'' let you select ''Round mode'' and ''Clamping mode'' for floating point numbers emulation much like with ''EE'' and ''IOP'' CPUs modes (see [[#EE/IOP|above]]).  

* ''Restore Defaults'' button will restore all settings to their default values (which are seen in bold or green font).  

==GS==

#''Slow Motion Adjust'' and ''Turbo Adjust'': PCSX2 has two additional frame rate modes that you can freely switch to while playing a game. ''Slow Motion'' mode can be switched (on and off) by using ''Shift-Tab'' and ''Turbo'' mode be switched by just using ''Tab'' key.  

==GS Window==

*''Double-click toggles fullscreen mode'': Enables to use ''double-click'' to switch between ''fullscreen'' and ''windowed'' modes (along with ''Alt'' + ''Enter'')  

==Speed Hacks==

*''Emotion Engine (EE) Cyclerate'': This hack will increase the time required for one EE operation to complete (essentially down-clocking ''[[#EE/IOP|Emotion Engine]]''). Your CPU will get additional cycles to spend on emulation of other PS2 processors. This will speed up those game that do not utilize EE processor fully (VUs and GS will get additional CPU power). In contrast, the games that use EE fully will appear slowed and may start skipping frames.  

*''VU Cycle Stealing'': This hack specifies the number of cycles the ''[[#VUs|Vector Units]]'' steal from the ''[[#EE/IOP|Emotion Engine]]''. This option is somewhat resembling the previous although the donated CPU power will go directly to two VUs (not ''[[#GS|GS]]'' emulation or other PCSX2 needs). As ''VUs'' tend to need more power than ''EE'', the hack will exploit this fact by overclocking VUs in the cost of EE clock speed reduction. Please note that it can cause false FPS readings (especially in higher values), screen flashing, slowdowns and possibly more serious bugs for some games! Using the slider control you can select up to four levels of VU stealing starting with level 0 (no VU stealing) to level 3 (severely incompatible option that will cause flickering, slowdowns and graphical bugs for the majority of games). Level 1 is fairly compatible while level 2 is selectively compatible and should be used with a caution.  

**''MTVU (Multi-Threaded microVU1)'': This option will isolate [[#VUs|VU1]] emulation to a separate CPU thread, making it a huge speed up for CPUs with 3 or more cores. The option is highly compatible (except for some possible synchronization errors or timing issues that may cause problems in a handful of games). If you have a dual core CPU you may still want to try this option (there are some reports of speed increase even on these CPUs).

==Game fixes==

This tab contains some game-specific hacks and fixes. These fixes are disabled by default but enabled automatically if the game in question is detected to be running. The ''Automatic Gamefixes'' option can be also switched off (although it is not recommended) in ''System'' sub-menu of PCSX2 main menu. You should not enable these hacks unless you have a game that somehow was not detected by PCSX2 automatically (note also that some of these fixes are not applied automatically).

 

The game-specific fixes are temporal solutions to some unresolved emulation issues. PCSX2 developers provided them to increase compatibility levels so some games, otherwise broken, can still be enjoyed. As the emulation compatibility will continue to improve some of these options may become obsolete and will be removed.  

[[image:GameFixes.png|300px|thumb|right]]

*''VU Add hack'': Enable it only for [[Star Ocean: Till the End of Time]],[[Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria]] and [[Radiata Stories]].

*''VU Clip Flag Hack'': This hack is only needed when ''superVU'' is selected as [[#VUs|VUs]] recompiler. Needed for [[Template:Megami_Tensei_series|Persona]] games.

*''FPU Compare Hack'': Enable it only for [[Digimon Rumble Arena 2]].

*''FPU Multiply Hack'': Needed only for [[Tales of Destiny]].

*''FPU Negative Div Hack'': Needed for [[Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space|Gundam]] games, fixes the camera view.

*''VU XGkick Hack'': Adds more delay to ''VU XGkick'' instructions. Needed for [[Elemental Gerad: Matoe, Suifu no Ken|Elemental Gerad]].

*''FFX videos fix'': Fixes gray overlay garbage in the videos of [[Final Fantasy X]].

*''EE timing Hack'': Known to help [[Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga|Digital Devil Saga]], [[SSX]], [[Resident Evil: Dead Aim]].

*''Skip MPEG Hack'': Use this to skip freezing intro videos to avoid hanging.

*''OPH flag Hack'': Needed for [[Bleach: Blade Battlers]], Growlancers [[Growlanser II: The Sense of Justice|II]] and [[Growlanser III: The Dual Darkness|III]] and [[Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land|Wizardry]].

*''Ignore DMAC writes when it's busy'': Needed for [[Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis]] and [[Metal Saga]].

*''Simulate VIF1 FIF read ahead'': Can help games which load slow (for ex. [[Test Drive Unlimited]] or [[Transformers]])

*''Ignore Bus Direction on Path 3 Transfer'': Fixes [[Hot Wheels: Beat That!|Hot Wheels]].

*''Switch to GSdx software rendering when an FMV plays'': This will allow [[GSdx]] to automatically switch to a software renderer when FMV starts to play and back to hardware renderer when the video is finished. This option is very useful considering the number of games that have issues with videos in GSdx hardware mode.

*''Preload TLB hack to avoid TLB miss on Goemon'': Helps to fix [[Bouken Jidai Katsugeki Goemon]] TLB miss issue.

For those users do not want to spend the time fiddling with all the hacks, fixes and speed-ups described above and especially for the new users who wants to start playing games right away the system of options sets or ''presets'' was introduced. This system will restrict you to only 6 slider positions instead of myriad options and PCSX2 will automatically assume using specific options, game fixes and speed-ups according to the ''presets'' level you choose. Check ''Preset'' checkbox on the botton of settings window to enable using presets. This will disable most of the options on many tabs (because they will now be controlled by PCSX2 automatically). Presets go from the safest (but also the slowest) to the most unsafe (but the fastest one). You should start with level '''1''' or '''2''' if you have a powerful machine. Level '''3''' and '''4''' are for those who do not have a good machine or have a very demanding game to emulate. Level '''5''' or '''6''' are not recommended and should only be used as a last resort (note that some game can even be ''slowed down'' by those levels).

PCSX2 main menu consists of 5 sub-menus.

***Selecting a memcard from the list will allow you to ''Duplicate'', ''Rename'' or ''Delete'' it.  

*'''Misc menu''' contains some miscellaneous options including GUI language option.  

=PCSX2 Shortcuts/hotkeys=

<br />

 

=Further reading, links and credits=

*The translations of the official PCSX2 configuration guide v1.2.1 on different '''languages''' can be found [http://pcsx2.net/config-guide/guide-translations.html here].  

*The shorter version of the official PCSX2 configuration guide v1.2.1 made by [http://forums.pcsx2.net/User-avih avih] can be found [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Quick-Start-PCSX2-Configuration-Guide-v1-0-0 here].