How to run PS2 on pc

How to play Sony
PlayStation 2 Games on
your PC
In the previous installment of these
emulation series, you saw how to play
Sony PlayStation (PSX) games on your PC.
Many of you told me (in the comments
here and on Digg.com) how the first
PlayStation was too outdated, and thus not
interesting. ‘Passé’, one might say.
Because of that and because it was planned
anyway, we ’ll raise the stakes a bit. This
time, we’ll be discussing emulation of
PlayStation 2 games.
How to Playstation 2 Games
on PC
First of all a warning. Many of you will
not be able to run these games properly.
They ’ll lag on a lot of PC’s. On some of
them they’ll lag even more. When
emulating PlayStation 2 and Xbox games,
you always have to keep in mind the next
equasion:
Your computer is X <=> PlayStation 2/
Xbox games will play (like) X-1
To remove the above mentioned ‘-1‘ factor,
you can pay more attention to the specific
type of game you ’re trying to play.
Naturally, visually simple games like
‘ Disgaea’ will run smoother than 3D, over
the top graphical shooters, like ‘Black’. In
short, your computer will never completely
be a PlayStation 2.
We’ll be guiding you through this process
in a few simple steps.
Step 1 – Download and
install PCSX2
PCSX2 comes in two packages. A binary
package (which you have to un7zip) and an
installation file. Just install or extract it to the
folder of your choice.
Step 2 – Getting the BIOS
files
Contrary to the first PlayStation, the
PlayStation 2 uses several BIOS files.
Basically, these are the hardest to find.
Because they are copyrighted material, you
are only allowed to own these files if you
also own a PlayStation 2. MakeUseOf does
NOT encourage piracy! This is also the
reason why it’s illegal to host these files
online. If you actually own a PlayStation 2
though, it ’s not illegal to download them
(laws may differ in your country).
So now you basically have two options
layed out for you. You can either dump
them from your PlayStation 2 yourself, or
find someone else who dumped them and
who put the files online. On this last
website you can find the ROM1, eROM and
the SECAM-, NTSC- and PAL BIOS files
you ’ll need. Again, you must’nt download
them if you don’t have a PlayStation 2. You
can put these files in a folder of you’re
choice.
Step 3 – Running PCSX2 and
configuring BIOS, video and
controller input
The program comes in two different
versions. One version uses TLB
(pcsx2t.exe), the other one Virtual
Memory (pcsx2.exe). First of all, try
running the VM version. The program will
try to reallocate the memory, after which
you have to log off and on again. If it fails
to do so, you ’ll have to use the TLB
version. This one is somewhat slower, but
according to the developers the speed
difference is not that great.
After you’ve started up, select ‘Config’ ->
‘Configure’.
First, we’re going to configure our BIOS.
Press ‘Set Bios Directory’ and select the
folder where you’ve put your BIOS files.
Back in the Configuration screen, select the
correct region from the Bios drop-down
menu. You might want to change this now
and then, depending on your games.
Next, the video plug-ins. PCSX2 comes
with ZeroGS KOSMOS and GSdx9 plug-ins.
A ‘Ps2 Output’ window (which looks similar
to the command screen) normally opened
when you started PCSX2. Else, temporarily
close the Configuration screen, select ‘Misc’
-> ‘Enable Console’ and restart the
program. In this Ps2 Output screen, look if
‘ Detected SSE2′ is stated under Features. If
not, you might want to choose the ‘no
SSE2′ video plug-in.
If you press the ‘Configure…’ button under
the video drop-down menu, you can
tweak graphic related options like screen
size, toggle full-screen, anti-aliasing and
more.
As for the controller, I highly recommend
LilyPad. This is one of the most adjustable
plug-ins. You can use keyboard, mouse
and controller input. There even is a setting
so you can use your Guitar Hero guitar.
Just download it here, and drop it in the
plugins directory. If you’ve used the
installer, that would be C:\Program Files
\Pcsx2_0.9.4\plugins .
Re-open the Configuration screen, select
LilyPad from the drop-down menu and
press configure. In the ‘General’ tab, you
can tweak various settings. Select the ‘Pad
1′ or ‘Pad 2′ tab to configure the keys.
Step 4 – Test-driving and
alternative plug-ins
With everything set up, it’s about time for a
test-drive. We’re going to look if everything
works as it should, and look which points
need more improvement.
We can boot the games, depending on the
plug-in we use, either by CD/DVD or by
using an image file. The standard
configuration uses Linuzappz, which is able
to boot ISO ’s and other image files. To do
this, just select ‘File’ -> ‘Run CD/DVD’.
If you want to boot from a disc instead, go
back to the configuration screen and select
the P.E.Op.S driver from the Cdvdrom
dropdown menu. Press configure to select
an interface (based on your operating
system) and the drive you want to use.
Confirm your configuration and you’re
ready to roll. Select ‘File’ -> ‘Run CD/DVD’ to
boot from the chosen drive.
At this point you’ll be prompted for a date
and a timezone, after which the game will
start. If you ’ve got problems with the
graphics or sound, try using one of the the
other plug-ins. You can get more additional
plug-ins here.
If you’re still having problems, check the
compatibility status of your game here.
Have fun!
About the (would-be) next
article
Some of you might also remember that I
had the intention of also publishing an
article concerning Xbox emulation. We are,
however, going to postpone this subject
until it is in a somewhat more stable form.