Preview release Snapshot Type Console emulator | Operating system | |
Developer(s) PCSX Team, PCSX-df Team, PCSX-Reloaded Team Stable release 1.9.93 / August 26, 2013 (2013-08-26) License GNU General Public License | ||
PCSX is a free console emulator which allows software designed to be used with the PlayStation to be used with personal computers. Over the years, development changed hands several times with PCSX-Reloaded now being the main version.
Contents
PCSX has a high compatibility rate and is currently available for a number of different operating systems including Microsoft Windows, OS X, and various Linux distributions. Released under the GNU General Public License, PCSX is free software.
History
The emulator was first released for the PC on August 31, 2000. Official development ceased on September 17, 2003 and development shifted to the new PlayStation 2 emulator, PCSX2.
PCSX-df was created in 2006 and added new features, a new GTK-based interface, AMD64 support, and corrected some bugs, but was developed mainly with only Linux compatibility in mind. Version 1.10 was released on March 29, 2009.
PCSX-Reloaded is a new project created in mid-2009, which is based on the work of the PCSX-df branch, completely independent, and works on bug fixes while maintaining Windows and OS X compatibility alongside Linux. PCSX-df and PCSX-Reloaded coexisted for a while with PCSX-df merging changes of PCSX-Reloaded back into df.
Features
PCSX supports network play and external plugins as used by ePSXe. As with many modern emulators PCSX-Reloaded supports savestates and it also has Save Rewind feature (currently only OSX and Linux version), Support for ECM files (currently only OS X and Linux version), Support for Libarchive (currently only OSX and Linux version), widescreen hack and makes use of plug-ins to emulate GPU, SPU, and CD-ROM drive functions, a model first established in PSEmu Pro, it uses Peops OpenGL plugin for graphics on default but can also use Pete's OpenGL2, gpuBladeSoft, PCSX2 graphics plugin GSDX, AmiDog GPU plugin, Asmodeans PSXFX shader pack, input plugins such as Lilypad and Pokopom Pad Plugin. It also has multi-track cue support and is the only PS1 emulator with compatibility with anti-jitter options in graphics plugins, such as GTE accuracy in the default Peops OpenGL plugin, or Improved coordinate accuracy in Edgbla's gpuBladeSoft and it also supports PeteOpenGL2Tweak plugin. Additionally, PCSX seeks to simulate the functionality of the PlayStation BIOS and consequently does not require a BIOS file dump to operate, making it easier to emulate legally, however Bios emulation is still incomplete so its better to use dumped bios to avoid various bugs and reduced compatibility. However, the Windows version is currently unmaintained and has inferior feature set.
Ports
Linux, OS X, and Windows on x86-based computers are the main development focus of PCSX-Reloaded but various PCSX iterations have been ported to other platforms as well, including Dreamcast, GameCube, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox, and various ARM-based platforms (PCSX-Rearmed fork) such as BlackBerry Playbook.
Reception
Tom's Guide featured PCSX Reloaded in a feature about the best PlayStation emulators, scoring it at 4 of 5 points. Kator Legaz reviewed the Mac OS version as "good".
Usage
PCSXR was used for an official port and commercial re-release of N2O: Nitrous Oxide on Steam on June 29, 2015.