Linux Playstation

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DevynCJohnson

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Linux can run a wide variety of game emulators. One emulator of interest is the PlayStation emulator for Linux - PCSX. PCSX simply emulates a Sony PlayStation. Emulators act like an original, but they cannot duplicate the original. The PCSX does have some issues playing games, but many games work well in this emulator. Some games (mainly the newer ones) will not work in PCSX; the emulator mainly runs PlayStation-1 (PS1) games. Remember, only use legal PlayStation games on this emulator; do not use pirated games.

Install PCSX:

Three choices exist for installing PCSX.
Option 1: Search the package manager for PCSX or PCSXR (this the the name of the installation package). The description should mention that the application is a PlayStation emulator. Once found, install the program.
Option 2: In a terminal, type "sudo apt-get install pcsxr" using root privileges on Debian systems.
Option 3: Go to http://pcsxr.codeplex.com/releases/view/50048 and download the package that the user's Linux system requires. If the user decides to download the source code, then the user must configure, compile, and install the program by following the compilation instructions that come with the application.

Configuring PCSX:

To configure the controllers, click the options icon on the emulator. PCSX supports up to two controllers, or the user can use the keyboard. To emulate two controllers for two-player games, the keyboard can be divided in half. One player would use buttons on the left side while the other uses the right side. This can be crowded and uncomfortable, but players can get used to using the same keyboard. Players could use two separate keyboards, but the same buttons cannot be used for both players. For example, the up-arrow-key can only be used by one player. Assuming that player-1 uses the arrow keys, player-2 would be controlling player-1 when the arrow keys are pressed even if two physical keyboards are used. This issue can also arise with some game controllers. Sometimes Linux or the game emulator cannot distinguish the signals from the two controllers although this is rare.

Pressing "ctrl+p" or clicking "Configuration -> Preferences" brings up a window that allows users to change the drivers used by the emulator.

Under the configuration menu are two "Properties" buttons. One allows users to change the CPU settings for the emulator. Typically, users do not need to make changes here. The second "Properties" button permits users to enable or disable netplay. By default, netplay is disabled. Netplay enables the emulator to play the currently running game with others over the Internet if the game has those features. For example, some games have a network multiplayer, Internet play, etc. option where users can challenge others on the Internet that are currently running the same game.

Playing a PlayStation Game:

To play a PlayStation game, insert a PlayStation disc into the CD-Rom. Then, under the "File" menu, select "CD-Rom" or press "ctrl-o". Now, the emulator window should change. The emulator is now playing the game.

Alternatively, users can use ISO, bin, mdf, and img files instead of physical discs. Users may use these files for legally downloaded PlayStation games or for backup copies of their physical discs that they own. To use these files, press "ctrl-i" or click "File -> Open". Next, a window should come up for the user to browse for the PlayStation game. Once a compatible file has been selected, the game should begin.

Saving and Loading Game Status/Progress:

To save a game so that the user can continue later without doing levels over again, the user can type "ctrl+NUM" where NUM is 1-5. For instance, the games progress can be saved to game-slot one by pressing "ctrl-1". To load the game's progress, press alt and a number one through five. For illustration, if a user wanted to use the data saved to slot three, the user would press "alt+3".

The save-slots use the virtual PlayStation memory cards. The virtual cards are files usually found in ~/.pcsx/memcards/. The first memory card is named "card1.mcd". Players can make new virtual cards by clicking "New". Cards can be formatted by clicking "Format". To copy saved games, select a saved-game and click the copy button that points to the correct destination. A slot can be deleted and undeleted with the "Un/Delete" button. Users can go into the memory card folder and copy the actual files to make a backup or give to another gamer.

Alternatives?:

Yes, there are alternatives! There is pSX and ePSXe. ePSXe is older, at least hr Linux version. ePSXe emulates the PlayStation1 and requires a BIOS image. Overall, PCSX seems to be the best choice. The PCSX emulator works well and the developers are doing their best to provide Linux gamers with an awesome emulator.
 

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A note on this:
If you can get pSX running (not the easiest thing due to some strange dependencies) it is great, PCSX(-R) is pretty much the best one for most games, although you will probably encounter some frustrating problems if you play Final Fantasy VIII on it, some exits will send you back where you came (just trying over and over will eventually get you through) and some spots on the map will cause the junction menu to keep opening over and over, if you can time moving your characters just perfectly (You have a time-span of three frames to pull it off) you can continue playing, the only solution I have found is to save and restart the emulator (not just the game, the input plugin needs to be restarted) a potential solution is to switch input plugin. Furthermore this problem will prevent you from getting a 100% completion because it will always trigger during certain events in Ultimecia's castle. (meaning that you cannot complete every last challenge there and thus not get 100%) This is nothing but an annoyance though.

Other games that can have issues, depending on the setup of course, are Croc: Legend of the gobbos 1 and 2 which will experience odd slowdowns and the analog sticks won't work (the game is supposed to support it but doesn't require it) and a few misc. games where the analog sticks won't work.
Overall, any of the PCSX2 input plugins are compatible and they should solve most if not all problems.
 
how to download pcsx2

Install PCSX:

Three choices exist for installing PCSX.
Option 1: Search the package manager for PCSX or PCSXR (this the the name of the installation package). The description should mention that the application is a PlayStation emulator. Once found, install the program.
Option 2: In a terminal, type "sudo apt-get install pcsxr" using root privileges on Debian systems.
Option 3: Go to http://pcsxr.codeplex.com/releases/view/50048 and download the package that the user's Linux system requires. If the user decides to download the source code, then the user must configure, compile, and install the program by following the compilation instructions that come with the application.
 

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