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Setting up Windows version (0.9.8): Difference between revisions
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You may download '''PCSX2''' for free from many sites on the Internet. However, it is strongly recommended to obtain it directly from the source; downloads obtained elsewhere may be bundled with additional unknown software and may even contain spyware or malware. | You may download '''PCSX2''' for free from many sites on the Internet. However, it is strongly recommended to obtain it directly from the source; downloads obtained elsewhere may be bundled with additional unknown software and may even contain spyware or malware. | ||
The archive may contain an installer or just some zipped files. It's pretty much recommended that you start with the installer version (try downloading the newest official from [http:// | The archive may contain an installer or just some zipped files. It's pretty much recommended that you start with the installer version (try downloading the newest official from [http://pcsx2.net/download/releases.html here]). This will help you to avoid possible issues with archivers. In case you've downloaded an archived version (ZIPped, RARed, etc.) of PCSX2 you'll need to manually unzip the files from the archive (try using [http://www.7-zip.org this archiver]) and place them in any folder of your choice (adding a link to your desktop from the main executable '''pcsx2.exe''' will also help you to start your emulator quicker). | ||
'''Be warned''' not to erase you emulator's folder when you're trying to install the newer version. This folder contains all your '''ini''' files (your settings), your quick saves and your memcards. If you will accidentally erase the whole folder you may need to play some of your games anew! Thus to update the emulator with the new version of executable it's better just to download the archive and extract the executable (and maybe plugins) into your main program folder (some executables may be named like '''pcsx2-r1736.exe''' so you'll need to rename them into '''pcsx2.exe''' or update your desktop link accordingly). | '''Be warned''' not to erase you emulator's folder when you're trying to install the newer version. This folder contains all your '''ini''' files (your settings), your quick saves and your memcards. If you will accidentally erase the whole folder you may need to play some of your games anew! Thus to update the emulator with the new version of executable it's better just to download the archive and extract the executable (and maybe plugins) into your main program folder (some executables may be named like '''pcsx2-r1736.exe''' so you'll need to rename them into '''pcsx2.exe''' or update your desktop link accordingly). | ||
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'''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 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 may choose 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 to renew only this plugin (out of all plugins). In order to do it you'll need to download the updated version and extract it by using the archiver into your '''plugins''' folder. The changing of some settings (choosing your new plugin) may also be required (see the section about how to set up plugins). | '''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 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 may choose 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 to renew only this plugin (out of all plugins). In order to do it you'll need to download the updated version and extract it by using the archiver into your '''plugins''' folder. The changing of some settings (choosing your new plugin) may also be required (see the section about how to set up plugins). | ||
PCSX2 also needs the BIOS from your real PS2 in order for you to play. The PS2 BIOS is a binary file can be obtained from your console. It contains some special routines used by games (like memcard handling support) which are not emulated by PCSX2 internally. The dumping of BIOS is one the more complicated stages of your PCSX2 experience. You can refer to the instructions [http://forums.pcsx2.net/ | PCSX2 also needs the BIOS from your real PS2 in order for you to play. The PS2 BIOS is a binary file can be obtained from your console. It contains some special routines used by games (like memcard handling support) which are not emulated by PCSX2 internally. The dumping of BIOS is one the more complicated stages of your PCSX2 experience. You can refer to the instructions [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Official-English-PCSX2-configuration-guide-v0-9-8#Bios here] and start dumping by downloading the tool from [http://pcsx2.net/download/releases/tools.html this place] or use the official guide [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Guide-to-Dumping-Your-PS2-Bios-over-LAN here]. After your BIOS file is successfully dumped from your PS2 you should copy it into the '''bios''' folder (by default) of your PCSX2. | ||
Please do not forget to update your DirectX before starting PCSX2 - old versions of DirectX will cause issues for [[GSDX]]. See the [[GSDX#Hardware requirements|GSDX]] page for more information. | Please do not forget to update your DirectX before starting PCSX2 - old versions of DirectX will cause issues for [[GSDX]]. See the [[GSDX#Hardware requirements|GSDX]] page for more information. | ||
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* '''EERec''' -- Should be ON. This will allow the emulator to use recompiler on EE (Emotion Engine) and IOP (I/O Processor) processors which is much faster with almost no compatibility problems (Recompilation is a process of generating the x86 machine code from PS2 machine code). | * '''EERec''' -- Should be ON. This will allow the emulator to use recompiler on EE (Emotion Engine) and IOP (I/O Processor) processors which is much faster with almost no compatibility problems (Recompilation is a process of generating the x86 machine code from PS2 machine code). | ||
* '''VU0Rec'''/'''VU1Rec''' -- Should be both ON. This will allow the emulator to use recompiler on VU0/VU1 (Vector Units) processors. These two options will enable so-called SuperVU recompiler. The compatibility of such a recompilation is lower compared to EE/IOP but still is fairly high. There are games that may suffer from this recompilation having some weird graphical bugs. However you'll not be able to play without this options because of the lack of CPU power. | * '''VU0Rec'''/'''VU1Rec''' -- Should be both ON. This will allow the emulator to use recompiler on VU0/VU1 (Vector Units) processors. These two options will enable so-called SuperVU recompiler. The compatibility of such a recompilation is lower compared to EE/IOP but still is fairly high. There are games that may suffer from this recompilation having some weird graphical bugs. However you'll not be able to play without this options because of the lack of CPU power. | ||
** '''microVU0'''/'''microVU1''' -- It's recommended to have them ON. These two options will tell the emulator to use '''cottonvibe's''' microVU recompiler instead of SuperVU. microVU is more compatible although a bit slower and some games that were broken with SuperVU will be playable with microVU. Use this [http://forums.pcsx2.net/ | ** '''microVU0'''/'''microVU1''' -- It's recommended to have them ON. These two options will tell the emulator to use '''cottonvibe's''' microVU recompiler instead of SuperVU. microVU is more compatible although a bit slower and some games that were broken with SuperVU will be playable with microVU. Use this [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-SuperVU-vs-MicroVU link] to get more info. | ||
* '''Multi threaded GS mode (MTGS)''' -- Should be ON for double cores or hyper-threading CPUs. This option will spawn a separate thread for GS processing (i.e. for GSDX plugin). So if your CPU has at least two cores the main PCSX2 thread will run using the first core and GSDX will use the second. Without this option PCSX2 only uses one core and is much slower. | * '''Multi threaded GS mode (MTGS)''' -- Should be ON for double cores or hyper-threading CPUs. This option will spawn a separate thread for GS processing (i.e. for GSDX plugin). So if your CPU has at least two cores the main PCSX2 thread will run using the first core and GSDX will use the second. Without this option PCSX2 only uses one core and is much slower. | ||
* '''Frame Limiting''' option. This will allow you to limit the speed of emulation to the default PS2 speed if your CPU is fast enough to emulate the game faster than this default speed. PCSX2 is limiting speed by adjusting the number of frames (screen updates) per second. This number is 60fps for NTSC games and 50fps for PAL games. Thus it's easier to archive the playable speeds with PAL games (and they often do not have interlace problems) but NTSC games may look a little smoother. It is best to set this option to Limit allowing PCSX2 to slow down to the real PS2 speed or else your game will run too fast. On the other hand if your game is too slow and nothing else can help (see the section '''Speed Hacks''') you can try to ''skip'' some frames (do not compute them at all). Skipping frames is not a precise process because every game uses its own method to compute and generate visuals so for some of them this will not work and may make others run too "choppy" or cause some artifacts. Try to tune it only if your game is too slow to play without frame skipping. Some values advises: | * '''Frame Limiting''' option. This will allow you to limit the speed of emulation to the default PS2 speed if your CPU is fast enough to emulate the game faster than this default speed. PCSX2 is limiting speed by adjusting the number of frames (screen updates) per second. This number is 60fps for NTSC games and 50fps for PAL games. Thus it's easier to archive the playable speeds with PAL games (and they often do not have interlace problems) but NTSC games may look a little smoother. It is best to set this option to Limit allowing PCSX2 to slow down to the real PS2 speed or else your game will run too fast. On the other hand if your game is too slow and nothing else can help (see the section '''Speed Hacks''') you can try to ''skip'' some frames (do not compute them at all). Skipping frames is not a precise process because every game uses its own method to compute and generate visuals so for some of them this will not work and may make others run too "choppy" or cause some artifacts. Try to tune it only if your game is too slow to play without frame skipping. Some values advises: | ||