What is the perfect PS1 emulator?

[Muscab]

Hey all.

Well, I don't have a great list of consoles like you guys but emulator is currently my best friend.
Thus, I wanted to know what is the perfect PS1 emulator out there?
I mean, when I said perfect, I'm taking about an emulator that emulate absolute everything about the console which is in this case is PS1.

Everything including the graphic, the sound and so on. Especially the graphic though.

I do know about EPSXE and PCSX-RELOADED but hey, like I said, I don't want to tweaking up the emulator (I do love tweaking actually), since I wanted for a perfect emulator without you having to tweaking the graphic.

Many of you suggest to try OpenGL2 plugin, but come on, does PS1 using modern graphic that our computer use nowadays? Hell no.

I wanted for the real PS1 graphic and not PS2 graphic for PS1 games.
And therefore, I'm looking for an emulator that can emulate PS1 just like the real console does.

I have try PSX but does it really emulate PS1 games graphic?

Please reply.

[Hard core Rikki]

Color accuracy is slightly lower than the real machine. 1.14 was supposed to allow extra precision, but its been many years now since it was supposed to be out.

Blade's gpu plugin might come the closest to the real deal, compared with pete's softgpu. More correct geometry specially. Compares follow.

pic1 / pic 2

pic1 / pic2

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Last edited by Hard core Rikki; December 21st, 2011 at 18:36..

[Muscab]

Thank you for reply.

So, I guess I should try on PSX even though the color accuracy is a bit lower?

[Hard core Rikki]

PCSX-Reloaded might be a better option, if you know your way around plugins and want improved graphics.

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[Muscab]

That helps a lot.
Well, I'm actually playing FFIX.
So I guess I should try some of the plugins that you mentioned.

[ShendoXT]

Xebra, hands down.

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[the_randomizer]

Originally Posted by ShendoXT

Xebra, hands down.

Two problems; one, the audio isn't interpolated and two, not the most user-friendly GUI out there (and why are there three or so versions included in the zip file)? I've been using emulators since 1997 and Xebra has the most confusing UI of them all.

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[kerframil]

Originally Posted by the_randomizer

Two problems; one, the audio isn't interpolated and two, not the most user-friendly GUI out there (and why are there three or so versions included in the zip file)?

I agree that the distinction is not clear. There are actually two versions of the emulator. XEBRA requires a BIOS image and ARBEX does not.

[drhycodan]

The audio is interpolated, might actually be the closest you can get to real PSX audio. I agree Xebra is the best.

[Muscab]

Originally Posted by drhycodan

The audio is interpolated, might actually be the closest you can get to real PSX audio. I agree Xebra is the best.

Well, I care the most about the graphic, so does Xebra is good as well in terms of graphic like original PS1?

[kerframil]

Originally Posted by Kasabian

Well, I care the most about the graphic, so does Xebra is good as well in terms of graphic like original PS1?

I discovered Xebra only recently and it has been something of a revelation. Like bsnes, this is an emulator developed with a view to accuracy first and foremost - and it shows.

The criticism of the GUI is justified to some extent. The help is sparse and some dialogs present low-level options with no obvious indication as to what effect they have. That said, the esoteric options can generally be left alone and - after spending just a little time with it - it's really no more impractical to use than most other emulators. Besides which, the lack of plugin support and overall options is actually quite refreshing. I performed only minimal tweaking - enabling progressive mode to remove interlacing artifacts and aspect ratio correction for my widescreen display - and the results have been great. I cannot say the same for recent versions/builds of the competing emulators that I tried. Most of them sacrifice accuracy and compatibility for (unfaithful) bling, and seem rather less stable.

Regarding the graphics, it's worth noting that it has an option for disabling bilinear filtering. For pixel perfect reproduction, it's best to do this and to use a resolution which is equal to - or a multiple - of the internal framebuffer resolution, which is usually 320x240 for PSX games. However, the effect of this can be quite jarring on a modern LCD display because - notwithstanding the accuracy of the emulation - the graphics will be super sharp (on a par with the upscaling performed on a PS3).

In other words, bilinear filtering is best turned off for CRT displays, or just for games that use high-quality 2D pixel artwork. This is also a great approach if you're lucky enough to have a quality scanline generator such as the SGL 3000 or an XRGB-Mini to go with your LCD display. The rotate feature is also a nice touch. That can be used for vertical shooters such as Raiden DX. Simply enable TATE mode in the game then have the emulator rotate it so as to be vertical again. That way, every last pixel of the (320x240) framebuffer will be used for the in-game graphics without having to actually physically rotate your monitor to enjoy the results.

[the_randomizer]

You don't have to run the game in Pass 1 when using Xebra, but Pass 2 (or Run 2...forgot what it's called), which is a lot faster than interpreter. Other than testing, running interpreter mode is next to useless.

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[Black Zero]

I have been a ePSXe user since 2003 until a couple of days ago when I found out about XEBRA.

Much like kerframil said, it was like an revelation.

I have had several issues with games in the past like Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Doom and Final Doom etc. in ePSXe that have required different versions of the emulator and tweaks to run correctly.

And here comes XEBRA booting them up like nothing, playing them perfectly. Ah... almost had a tear in my eye there.

I don't care much about how the GUI looks like, it's quite easy to configure and I'm used to somewhat confusing GUI's like the one's SSF and Ootake have.

Accurate stable emulation is all I'm for these days, bling bling and fancy plugins I don't need in my life really.

[drhycodan]

I second that. I believe all emu authors should concentrate on accuracy and compatibility first and foremost rather than speed or hires textures and all that crap. What's the use of hi-res textures when it's not even accurate(I'm looking at all the N64 emus)?

[the_randomizer]

Accuracy is vital yes, but it shouldn't take a lot of precedence over speed, because if it did, our PCs would never have a snowball's chance in hell of ever running more complex systems. There has to be a fine line between accuracy and speed, like the Bsnes Performance profile or the soon-to-be-released Snes9x 1.54 (which Byuu himself do a few tweaks here and there with, and stated it being pretty darn close to Bsnes in accuracy while being a heck of a lot faster).

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"If you call up your local hardware store and ask them how you can put tractor tires onto a 1990 Honda, well there's gonna be some laughter, a visit from the cops, maybe a psychiatric nurse." - Red Green

[Princess Garnet]

Originally Posted by Kasabian

That helps a lot.
Well, I'm actually playing FFIX.
So I guess I should try some of the plugins that you mentioned.

P.E.Op.S. software plug-in used to be able to do it, but with modern operating systems (Windows Vista and 7 and later), unless it's been fixed since I last tried/knew, it's broken. It works, but looks pixelated. Unless that's been fixed, ePSXe isn't really much of an option.

If you're interested, and specifically for that game, I took the approach of wanting accurate enough but still enhanced visuals, and it's possible with ePSXe/Pete's OpenGL 2, but you really need a CRT for best results (reason being that resolution is a large part of the key to get that result, and 640 x 480 is about essential), which unfortunately makes it less practical in this day and age where hardly anyone seems to have one anymore. LCDs just really don't cut it for this approach (unless you like running in a window). Anyway, I have a thread in the Misc Plug-in forum for it. It actually works for many games, like Resident Evil games, Dinso Crysis, and others, but it was made for Finalk Fantasy IX first and foremost.

Past that, another emulator, like pSX or I guess some others (of which I haven't realy tried) are your best bet.

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[Black Zero]

Originally Posted by the_randomizer

Accuracy is vital yes, but it shouldn't take a lot of precedence over speed, because if it did, our PCs would never have a snowball's chance in hell of ever running more complex systems. There has to be a fine line between accuracy and speed, like the Bsnes Performance profile or the soon-to-be-released Snes9x 1.54 (which Byuu himself do a few tweaks here and there with, and stated it being pretty darn close to Bsnes in accuracy while being a heck of a lot faster).

Compared to bsnes, XEBRA runs like a Rolls Royce in full speed even in interpreter mode.
Haven't had a single slowdown with this emulator yet while bsnes have given me plenty of that.

Anyway it's good to hear that a Snes9X 1.54 version is in the works and that byuu have some part in it. 1.54 could be a really good solid release.

[the_randomizer]

Here's a link where Byuu mentions Snes9x's accuracy compared to Bsnes (about halfway down) - http://board.byuu.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2309&start=15

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"If you call up your local hardware store and ask them how you can put tractor tires onto a 1990 Honda, well there's gonna be some laughter, a visit from the cops, maybe a psychiatric nurse." - Red Green

[Black Zero]

Well I'll be, I was there today and read that and now you posted a link to it.

I really like byuu's philosophy and his articles. He have really inspired me and my way of thinking regarding emulators.

Before I realized that accuracy matters some time ago I have for the most part only looked for an emulator to run the games that I have in the past and not thought of it much more, he have also made me realized that emulators also have shelf-lives kinda like ZSNES for example that is written in pure x86 assembly.

Today I want to preserve both my physical and digital collection and emulators that are accurate and future proof is what I look for the most part.

[drhycodan]

So can snes9x finally run earth worm jim 2 with proper sound?