I would like to play PS2 games. Does anyone recommend a Emulator? Is PCSX2 any good?
PCSX2 is probably the best one in my opinion. all you need is a Bluetooth adapter for your PC (Assuming if your computer doesn't have Bluetooth i had had to buy a Bluetooth dongle for 15 bucks) or you can go wired via USB. a PS3 Controller works great and its common to get a hold of. you also need The Motionjoy application which is free to download and you're all set.
Do you need anything to get PCSX2 working? Last I saw you needed some file that acted as a key and they were hard to get. Also, do I just get PS2 DVD's and run from my DVD drive or do I need to rip them?
Thanks
PCSX2 has an excellent support page that explains many of the features and procedures for the use of their emulator. I've used such emulators in the past and the macros for creating and loading save states are extremely convenient, as is the turbo mode feature. Such features are only effective on machines that are sufficiently powerful to run them. Almost all of the calculations are performed on your CPU, with the capacity for the program to run on multiple threads to boost performance in certain compatible titles.
What you will need to run any PS2 game with PCSX2:
- Ideally a multi-core processor. Although a single core processor may be capable of running the emulator, the background tasks may cause instability. A dual core processor helps, but performance may still lag. Quad core processors are an ideal starting point as they allow you to use two to three threads for the emulator, dramatically improving stability and performance.
- PCSX2. Download and install.
- A PS2 Bios relevant to the region for the ISO of your game. emuparadise has a lot of these and even offers a multipack. Go with that. Plunk the unzipped file somewhere in the install folder of the emulator, or anywhere that you know where it is. Don't move it after this, or you'll have to tell the emulator where you put it.
- An ISO of your game. You can either rip one off of the disk using any specialized software. If you aren't afraid that the NSA or FBI will come after you in the night, feel free to torrent your game title's ISO from such resources as thepiratebay. Or you can usually run them directly from the DVD drive of your computer, but expect longer loading times than if you ripped it.
- A controller. The emulator includes very good controller compatibility already, but if you need to remap some keys for whatever reason, try using motioninjoy for your PS3 controllers.
- The website for some hints about what the settings are for. Many of the settings are to help you fix your emulator so that it runs well on your computer, and things like speedfixes and hardware hacks are frequently made to fix framerate issues and graphical glitches within certain games. Their website will also provide you info about macro keys, so you can save and load like a pro.
I guess the only other thing i need to do is go down to a coffee shop and use a whole bunch of proxies.
Just get a computer with an optical drive and look for PS2 games at your local used game store. GameStop is not local.