PS Emulation

jmorhus · #1 11th November 2006, 12:53 AM

Just a quick question: What playstation emulator would you recommend for Fedora? I have searched and found ePCSX but I noticed that it has been collecting mothballs for a long time. As well, is it possible to use a PS2 emulator?

phorneker · #2 14th November 2006, 03:14 PM

Though you can use an emulator for Playstation games, Red Hat supplied the embedded Linux software that is inside the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. The newest versions of PS2 and the upcoming PS3 have built-in Ethernet ports, and Sony has released a version of Red Hat Linux for the game consoles, in addition to a hardware component that supplies a VGA connector, hard drive, keyboard, and serial and parallel ports, making these consoles Linux machines.

As for the emulation software, I have yet to see any suitable package besides the ePCSX for running PlayStation games.

Thetargos · #3 14th November 2006, 11:09 PM

For PlayStation games on Linux nothing beats (IMO) ePSXe, and PCSX (both have their strenghts and weaknesses) they both use the same scheme of plugins as the old PSEmu, and they both can use the very same plugins. Game compatibility is another issue too, I have found that ePSXe is the most compatible, but some games run better on PCSX (like my all-time-favorite PS game, Silent Hill, which runs best on PCSX), but some other popular games (like FF VII, VIII & IX) run best on ePSXe. If you want further input and instructions on how to get them working just drop me a line in a PM.

JLF_65 · #4 28th November 2006, 03:46 AM

PCSX is a nice PSX emulation, but get the 32bit version. It's not 64bit clean and will almost certainly segfault if you try using the 64bit version.

Thetargos · #5 28th November 2006, 05:21 AM

I couldn't agree more. And building the plugins for 32-bit on 64-bit is possible.

jmorhus · #6 3rd December 2006, 12:09 AM

Thanks for the advice, lads. This is on my "to do" list, but right now I am attempting to rewrite the Compose key patterns to make writing Latin/Greek/Math easier.

While I'm here, does anyone have suggestions for a game pad?

#7 3rd December 2006, 01:18 AM

yes get a usb - ps2 inverter plug.

i got mine for about $10aud from some random ebay store :P and it even has N64 input plug aswell ')

or im sure you could be mega leet and buy a usb plug, get a wiring diagram for the controller and make one

i was lazy. :'( and couldnt find a wiring diagram

Thetargos · #8 3rd December 2006, 02:26 AM

Yeah dual shock gamepads are sweet, but if you want something more on the layman's arena, you may want to get a WingMan Rumble pad (wireless or otherwise), as they're pretty good.

I don't know of any plugin that will support the vibration functions on either a dual shock or a WingMan which would work with the emulators (or any other program, for that matter). The kernel does support vibration function and force feedback, but the plugins don't make use of that (yet?).

Trek1701 · #9 13th January 2007, 07:44 PM

Hi,

ePSXe and PCSX can play PS2 games?

Thetargos · #10 14th January 2007, 01:06 AM

No. I'm not aware of any working PS2 emulators yet. There are a few floating around, but to the best of my knowledge, they don't work with games, only some tech demos.

Coolerthanyou · #11 14th January 2007, 04:15 PM

Epsxe I think is the better one when it comes to speed and compatibility with most games. But you will probably run into a game or two which epsxe can't play and Pcsx can. I only ran into one. Pcsx does have a better gui though.

As far as PS2, there are no working linux emulators as far as I know. And even outside of linux, there is I think one but it's still upstart.

ed: I believe it's PCSX2 for windows. Maybe it can run on wine? I'm not about to bother trying though.

Thetargos · #12 15th January 2007, 05:02 AM

Actually PCSX2 does run on Linux, but it is not functional (yet)

rappermas · #13 15th January 2007, 07:33 AM

I still haven't found anything that will run Castlevania: Symphony of the Night well. OMG, best side-scroller ever made. It's just that, I want to play it at regular speed and with sound, that's all, so I'll continue to wait for something better to come along, while still using the old PS box.

Coolerthanyou · #14 15th January 2007, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rappermas

I still haven't found anything that will run Castlevania: Symphony of the Night well. OMG, best side-scroller ever made. It's just that, I want to play it at regular speed and with sound, that's all, so I'll continue to wait for something better to come along, while still using the old PS box.

I was able to play that game from start to finish without much problem, speed, sound and all. You have to get plugins and set things up to work right though. Otherwise, all games will run strange. Opengl is better for video in the linux ports even for 2d games. Otherwise, there's tearing. I haven't run into a game that is not fully playable in either epsxe or pcsx (albeit some visual or sound bugs), except for one: Bust a Groove 2, not playable.

Thetargos · #15 15th January 2007, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rappermas

I still haven't found anything that will run Castlevania: Symphony of the Night well. OMG, best side-scroller ever made. It's just that, I want to play it at regular speed and with sound, that's all, so I'll continue to wait for something better to come along, while still using the old PS box.

As strange as it may be, I found that PCSX runs this title better than ePSXe. Also, it's been brought to my attention that apparently the BIOS image you use with the emulator has a major influence on how will it perform. In my case, I did it the old-fashioned-way and ripped the BIOS out of my PSOne and saved the image on my HDD, later I found that the very same image was floating around the ether of the Net. But just like the rules of emulation, as I already own the original product I'm entitled to have a "backup" under the terms of "fair use"... If you have the right BIOS and the right plugins, you should be all set to go and play this nice title.

As far as the plugins go, pretty much all there is for PSX emulation on Linux works great. Pete's OpenGL plugins are very nice, although the OpenGL 2.0 plugins (with shaders) may take away some effects like AA or AF (reminds me of Halo PC on Windows). For sound I use Eternal which allows for some rather nice control, you may use either OSS/SDL and under Windows, DirectSound. Pretty much any CD-Rom plugin works, though some will read sub-channel data better than others. For control, nothing beats the OmniJoy plugin, simply the best there is... If it only supported vibration functions on my WingMan Rumble Pad, I would be set!