Ps2emu Tutorial
Edilma Howard
PCSX2 was the first PlayStation 2 emulator - it started in 2001! Through persistent development, it has remained the best one around! It's capable of playing most titles without any major glitches. It conveniently comes equipped with its own plug-ins, which can be customized. PCSX2 requires a fast computer in order to run well. You might have trouble with it if you're using a budget laptop or a Windows tablet.
One drawback with PCSX2 is, out of the box, it runs barebones with its defaults and doesn't have any enhancements enabled. In this tutorial, after I help you get PCSX2 running, I will show you how to enable graphical enhancements to benefit from the hottest features that modern emulation has to offer for PlayStation 2.
With other emulators, you can get away with using your keyboard for gameplay. However, with PCSX2 it's pretty difficult, given the PlayStation 2 controller's mini joysticks. I strongly recommend purchasing a gamepad for this emulator.
Important note: In July 2024, the PCSX2 team released a significant version 2.0 update. PCSX2 was practically re-written from the ground up! All the menus were changed. This tutorial was updated to support this new version. If you're using an older version of PCSX2 (any version below 2.0), please update it so that you can benefit from this tutorial. But if for whatever reason you refuse or cannot use the new version, I still have a backup of my old PCSX2 tutorial that covers v1.x.x.
Installation is simple: just extract PCSX2 from its zip file. To make things clearer, check out the video below that shows how to 'install' a portable emulator (it shows Snes9x, but PCSX2 is the same process). It's pretty straight-forward - all that you're doing is extracting a zip file while doing a little bit of folder management. If you want to 'uninstall' a portable emulator, simply delete it!
Also, when you open PCSX2 for the first time, Windows might prompt you with a warning . Don't be scared - this is just a standard practice by Windows with any EXE downloaded from the Internet. To move past this window, click More info then Run anyway.
In the First Time Configuration wizard, I had you set the keyboard as the default input. So your next question might be: what are the keyboard keys to play games? Or, what about setting up a gamepad? Everything pertaining to input can be managed on the Controllers screen.
PCSX2 doesn't require any special directions for using a PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, or Xbox controller. However, the first time you plug one into your computer, it needs to be properly setup or requires special instruction for connecting. There are lots of videos on YouTube showing you how to do this:
Note: I do not recommend playing your games via your DVD-ROM drive. PCSX2 is a rather demanding emulator on your CPU. Running the game from your DVD-ROM drive will slow it down and lower its performance. Rather, I recommend ripping your game to an ISO. I have directions for that towards the bottom of this guide.
PCSX2 has two ways to load PlayStation 2 games. You can (1) load games by manually selecting them, just as you would with most video game emulators, or (2) you can tell PCSX2 where your PlayStation 2 games are stored and have it populate a game list within PCSX2.
By default, PCSX2 renders graphics in the native PlayStation 2 resolution. On our sharp HD monitors, this resolution looks very blurry (see below). However, you have the option to upscale graphics by increasing the resolution.
You can set a duo of keyboard keys to upscale/downscale the internal resolution. This is a fantastic way to quickly find out what resolution your computer can handle, as opposed to always manually changing the resolution via the Graphics menu. I recommend setting the Page Up & Page Down keys for this. Here's how:
Now that you've increased the resolution of the game, you may notice weird graphical issues. See the examples to the right. These graphical issues are normally made up of obstructive vertical lines. This has an easy fix!
This section is only necessary if you've increased the resolution, found that your computer isn't fast enough to handle the high resolution well, but you insist on keeping the high resolution. Or maybe you're using an old computer and it can't even handle the default (blurry) native resolution. Keep reading if you want to explore PCSX2's speed hacks.
6) Mostly Harmful - Harsh application of speed hacks. May help a very small set of games that have unusual performance requirements, but have adverse effects on most others. Not recommended for underpowered PCs.
If it's not fixed, perhaps try Software as the renderer. If that doesn't fix it, I'm afraid PCSX2 may not be compatible with your device. However, if the black screen is the result of the game crashing (you don't hear audio), that's a different issue. Try black screen troubleshooting.
These formats are forms of compression, and your PS2 game is inside of it! You need to extract it. Windows can extract ZIP files by default: here are directions. To extract a 7Z or RAR file, you can use 7-Zip (it's free).
These ISO formats are exclusive to specific burning software. Google around to find what program is associated with that format. Once found, install it and burn the game to a DVD. However, if you want my opinion, I say just forget about it. You should try to download the game from somewhere else to get it in CHD or ISO format. Working with these proprietary ISO formats are too much trouble.
Save states is a feature that saves the exact spot you are in any game. You can recall your save state at any time. Here, take a look at the save state menu . You can collect up to 10 different save states per game.
New to emulation? If you're new to video game emulation, I don't want to confuse you into thinking that save states are what you're supposed to use as the only means to save your progress with PCSX2. Save states are an optional feature. You can still save your game at save points as you would on a real PlayStation 2. In-game saves are loaded at the game's title screen (like on a real PS2) - they're not loaded via the System menu.
Perhaps you prefer using your own PlayStation 2 games instead of downloading them from the Internet? Or maybe you just want to keep backup copies of your PlayStation 2 games? Whatever the case, here's how you can dump your games:
PCSX2 might cover the screen with a white bar or gradient. It might look something like the picture toward the right. This is a video related issue. It could be PCSX2's fault or the fault of your video card. Try the following.
The easiest way to figure out fault is to try other video game emulators. Or even try connecting a second monitor (if one is available). If the white bar is present elsewhere, then this is definitely a video card issue. Try what Microsoft recommends to fix this. Well, even if you don't see the white bar in other emulators, I'd try Microsoft's recommended troubleshooting anyway.
Are you using an older version of PCSX2? Or did you download PCSX2 from its official homepage? (Note that the official homepage hasn't been updated in years.) The issue could be as simple as you just need to download the latest version. You can find it on this 'automated builds' page.
To fix this you need to force close PCSX2 (again) and select a different graphics plug-in. This video shows you how. Finding ISOsIn my links page, I have some good links to sites where you can download ISOs.
Thank you for reading my tutorial! If you found it useful, please spread the word that this is an awesome site to get help with emulators and emulation! If you have questions, you're welcome to email me or message me on social media.
Here is a tutorial on how to use Play Station 1, 2 & PSP Emulators for PC. Full download Included, with the best Bois and Plugins available. Includes PCSX2, EPSXE and JPCSP. I will show some of the best settings that would make your gaming run better and smoothly.
9. install playnite and follow the steps , after it finishes installing you will be presented with a screen like this- yours will be empty until you start to add games.
10. First we will have to add PCXS2 emulator to playnite, go to the top left corner and you will see a game pad. Select it and scroll down to library and then to configure emulators.
P.S: You can have more then one PCXS2 emulator for better compatibility since different versions may work differently. Just repeat the tutorial and create a new folder with the pcx2 version you download.
12. Select emulator specifications, then select PCXS2. Select add underneath profiles box and select built-in : default. Under General name the emulator again and leave built-in profile on default, now save it. PXC2 is now added to playnite !
20. Here you can add a custom cover image or you can use the app cover scraper. Hit download metadata and select IGDB, you will then be presented with covers that came up from the scan. Pick the cover you want and hit select. You may also be asked to select background screens, do that as well if you like and proceed to the next step.
22. Now for the Last part of the tutorial we are goin to set up the specific configuration for tekken 4, this is very important especially if you have a wide selection of games that depends on specific settings. Go to the edit option on the title that you want to have a specific config. On the next screen go to the tab where it says Actions.
An emulator emulates software or hardware. A gaming emulator reproduces a gaming console, allowing users to play everything from a Super Nintendo to a Wii, and everything in between without the need for the console. And the PlayStation 2 is no exception. An emulator can read the game's disc image using special software that uses your computer and a display and storage system.
An emulator often has various benefits over classic gaming consoles. For example, many emulators allow enhanced resolutions, modern shaders and filters, third-party mods and tweaks, and much more besides. The extensive functionality of an emulator can enhance older games, as the emulator can also make use of the potential of a modern gaming rig.
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