Setting up Windows version: Difference between revisions

This guide explains how to download, install and properly configure '''PCSX2''' in Windows environment. It will also give some tips on using 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 emulator.

There are also local [[Setting up Linux version]] and [[Setting up Mac version]] versions of this guide (but they are possibly not as detailed as this one).

[[PCSX2]] is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_2 Playstation 2] emulator capable of running commercial games. It's an open source project and it runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Like its predecessor project PCSX (a PlayStation emulator), it is based on a 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.

You will need the BIOS file from your Playstation 2 console. It is not included with PCSX2 since it is copyrighted by Sony. Since PCSX2 needs this binary file to work, without it you won't be able to use emulator at all. You'll find more information on how to download BIOS from your PS2 machine [[#BIOS|later in this guide]].

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

This is the ideal solution if you want to keep the application portable. You will need [http://www.7-zip.org/ 7-Zip] to decompress the files and the [http://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.

Note to AMD users: please do '''NOT''' confuse SSE3 with SSSE3 (1 extra S) and SSE4A with SSE4.1, they are totally different and are '''NOT''' supported on AMD systems before Bulldozer/Bobcat. Please fall back to SSE2 plugin instead in case your system has older CPU.

*''Texture filtering'': Enables linear filtering when rendering textures. '''Checked''' option will ensures filtering in any case and '''grayed''' will only use filtering for 3D textures (this may help with some 2D games that will look weird otherwise).

{{Warning|Use this settings only in case you are absolutely sure they are needed for your game to function.<br />

{{Warning|Note that the only '''legal''' way of obtaining a BIOS image is to dump it from your '''own''' Playstation 2 console. Do '''not''' attempt to ask where to get BIOS images on the PCSX2 forums, because it's against the [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Announcement-Global-Forum-Rules forum rules]. The PS2 BIOS is a copyrighted material of [[Sony|Sony Corporation]]. It is illegal to distribute the copyrighted files without copyright holder consent. PCSX2 team could get in trouble if suspected of illegally supplying people with BIOS files!}}

EE/IOP tab stands for ''Emotion Engine / Input Output Processor'' which are the core components of the Playstation 2. The tab contains 4 settings.

VUs stand for ''Vector Unit''s which are the Playstation 2 co-processors working in parallel with the EE and IOP CPUs. The Playstation 2 has two VUs called ''VU0'' and ''VU1''.  

GS stands for ''Graphics Synthesizer'' Playstation 2 co-processor responsible for rendering the graphics (but is also used by some games for additional calculations and other purposes). The PCSX2 will work in conjunction with the selected GS plugin (like for ex. [[#GSdx|GSdx]] plugin) to emulate PS2 graphical co-processor and convert its output into input understood by the PC video cards.