The power of a modern computer and special programs allow you to run old console games without using the appropriate equipment. Since it is quite difficult to find a good console with a set of original games, any user can set up a PS1 emulator on a PC and enjoy the classics. In this article, we'll figure out how to do it.
Description
The first version of this application was released in 2000. The software is currently distributed free of charge. With the release of new versions, players get support for more and more old games. At the time of the release of the version in 2007, the percentage of supported projects was 95% of the total number of games on the console. At the moment, almost 99% of all games work without any problems.
Download
First you need to download the program installer to runconsole games. It is distributed completely free of charge on the official website of the ePSXe developers. The creators are constantly releasing stability and optimization updates, so even on Windows 10 with new hardware, you will not have problems. You can also download special versions of the emulator for Linux and Android operating systems on the site. You won't be able to play classic from the console on iOS.
If you have problems with the performance or setup of the PS1 emulator, you can always install the previous version - they are not removed from the official site.
Installation
First of all, you need to install this program. If you downloaded a separate archive, then it is enough just to unzip it to any folder on your hard drive. Many users recommend unpacking to the system partition of the hard drive in order to avoid problems with the emulator. Also, the path to the folder with the program should not contain special characters or Russian letters.
Startup and initial settings
Let's move on to the ePSXe emulator setup guide. On first launch, you will see a welcome window with a brief description of the application's features. You can skip this step or use the wizard to configure all settings. If this is your first time using such software, then it is better to use the help. Therefore, click "Configure".
The program will immediately prompt you to select the BIOS for ePSXe 2.0.5 (latest version). By default, developers recommend using HLE Bios, soagree with this option and click "Next".
After that, a window with a choice of graphics plugin will appear. Here you can also fine-tune the image parameters, but we will return to this later. Choose one of the two options and proceed to the next step.
A choice of sound plugin will now appear. By default, the program offers one standard option called ePSXe SPU core 2.0.0. If necessary, you can download third-party versions and add them to the emulator.
Next there are control settings windows, disk drives and the like. Finally, we close the initial window and see the main screen of the emulator in front of us.
Video Options
To set up a new PS1 emulator, you must first set the graphics settings. To do this, open the "Configuration" menu and select the "Video" item. You will see a large window with many options. Here you can select window or full screen mode, fine resolution, color depth, brightness, shader acceleration, stripes, v-sync, and more. If you do not want to manually select the settings for the ePSXe 1.7.0 emulator, then specify one of the ready-made presets. They can be selected at the bottom of the window:
- Speed. This set of settings implies maximum performance on weak computers. Sets a low resolution, removes anti-aliasing, and so on.
- Quality. This option of graphics settings will allow you to enjoy the smoothness of the picture and greatthe number of frames per second. However, the load on the computer increases significantly.
The "Quality" option is the optimal graphics settings. You can set even higher values.
Sound settings
The sound settings window is also opened via the "Configuration" menu. Unlike video, there is much less choice in audio settings. This is due to the fact that the playback of melodies and sound accompaniment practically does not affect the level of performance. In this window, you can adjust the sound delay (low or standard), as well as select the quality of the sound effects (turn them off, leave the sound without filters, or turn on the full sound effects).
Management
In ePSXe, a variant with support for two controllers at the same time is available. You can connect two gamepads or a keyboard + joystick. Emulator on PS1 (BIOS HLE) allows you to customize the keys for each input device individually.
To open the menu for setting control buttons, you need to go to "Configuration", then go to the "Control" subsection and select one of the two ports. After that, a window with a choice of keys will appear on the screen. In the center is the image of the gamepad and the designation of each button. To assign control to the keyboard, you need to click on each of the fields and click on the button that will be responsible for this action.
If you want to set up a PS1 emulator to play with a controller, then youyou need to switch the controller type. The list contains a number of popular presets for a wide variety of gamepads. For example, there is built-in support for the latest DualShock 4.
Starting the game
We've figured out the emulator settings. Now you need to start the game. If you are doing this for the first time, go to the "File" menu and select "Run from CD image" if you have downloaded the game to your computer beforehand. After that, specify the path to the folder with the game image through the explorer window that opens.
The game will start immediately. The emulator will take the form of a window based on the resolution and aspect ratio settings. If the game supports the built-in save system, then ePSXe is able to simulate virtual memory cards. When starting the next game session, you can load with saved progress. Also, the emulator tools allow you to perform quick saves and loads even in those games that do not support this feature natively.
Additional settings
It remains to consider the additional settings of the PS1 emulator, which are located in the section of the same name. These include:
- overclocking the CPU - this option allows you to speed up the gameplay;
- enable/disable widescreen mode (not supported in some games);
- switch interface language;
- using cheats;
- switch between game profiles.
If the described guide is not enough for you and you want to go deeperimmerse yourself in the study of the emulator, then use the "Help" section. For complete help, you can visit the official website. The only drawback of this guide is the lack of translation into Russian.
System Requirements
Finally, consider the system requirements for your computer. The ePSXe doesn't use as many resources as the graphics in games from Sony's first generation of consoles aren't that demanding by today's standards. Most of the power of the PC will be spent on emulating the operating system of the set-top box itself. The minimum requirements include the following:
- Pentium 2 processor or better;
- minimum 64MB RAM;
- graphics accelerator with more than 64 MB of memory.
And the recommended requirements are as follows:
- Intel Pentium 4 processor or higher;
- 128 MB RAM or more;
- graphics with 128 MB of memory on board.
It is worth noting that the most demanding component for the operation of the emulator is the video card, since it bears the main load from the program and running games.
Conclusion
So, we have reviewed all the basic settings of the PS1 2.0.5 emulator. The program is quite friendly, so even a novice user can handle it. In some cases, individual instructions for a particular game may be required. itdue to the fact that the classic projects from the PlayStation 1 were created more than 15 years ago on outdated engines and using old technologies.
