| ePSXe | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of ePSXe running under Windows Vista | |
| Developer | calb, Galtor and _Demo_ |
| Latest release | 1.6.0 / August 5 2003 |
| OS | Linux, Microsoft Windows |
| Natural language(s) | Multilingual |
| Status | Inactive |
| Genre | Emulator |
| License | Freeware |
| Website | www.epsxe.com |
Enhanced PSX emulator most known as ePSXe is a freeware emulator of the PlayStation video game console and works using plugins to emulate GPU, SPU, and CD drive functions.
Contents |
History
For almost half a year the emulator was worked on as a silent project. When ePSXe was released on October 14, 2000,[1] it was a breakthrough in the PSX emulation scene and boasted a revolution in compatibility and speed as compared to other emulators of the PlayStation. ePSXe continues to be among the fastest and most compatible PlayStation emulators available. The last release of the emulator was in 2003.
Design
As with most modern emulators, ePSXe requires the use of plugins to emulate GPU, SPU, and CD drive functions, a requirement first established with PSEmu/PSEmuPro. ePSXe also requires the use of a BIOS file dumped from a PlayStation. This is to avoid a legal problem, as it is copyright infringement to provide Sony's BIOS for download, and unlike some other emulators, ePSXe cannot high-level emulate the BIOS. Technically, the only legal way to use ePSXe is to dump the BIOS from a PlayStation owned by the user. ePSXe can read from CD and run many types of CD images directly from the user's hard drive. With few exceptions, it is capable of nearly flawlessly emulating many PlayStation games. Games that do not necessarily run properly or even start at all, can still be fixed and played via the use of ePSXe patch files in .ppf format. On the latest version of ePSXe (and possibly some older versions), there's a patching feature that allows the user to patch certain games. Not all games prone to bugs have ppf patches written for them.
Minimum system requirements
The minimal requirements are:[2]
- Processor: Pentium 200 MHz, recommended 1 GHz.
- RAM: 256 MB RAM, recommended 512 MB RAM.
- Graphics card: 3D graphics card needed with support for OpenGL or DirectX.
- Operating system: Windows 9x (95, or 98/98SE), NT (XP, 2000, Vista, etc), Linux (any distro will do)
- DirectX: DirectX 7a or higher, this is required for keyboard input.
- CD-ROM: 16x or faster (optional)
If the computer just meets the minimum system requirements, ePSXe will emulate games roughly, averaging from about 60% to 100% full speed depending on plugins are used and how high the settings are on them.
Plugins
- GPU: Most GPU plugins run with either Direct3D, OpenGL, or Glide, and are available freeware or open source.
- SPU: The SPU plugins can emulate everything from music to sound effects.
- CD-ROM: ePSXe comes with a core CD-ROM plugin, but many others are available for freeware download to emulate up to seven different types of read modes.
- Input: The core plugin is sufficient, but there are others that allow for more functionality. It is even possible to plug in and use a DualShock controller with a USB adapter.
Compatibility
Prior to the release of ePSXe version 1.6, about 95% of all games run perfectly, provided the user changes his or her plugin settings depending on the game. Most games that are otherwise incompatible have .ppf patches written for them (see near the top of this page) that fix certain bugs of certain games. Some compatibility relapses occurred however with the release of version 1.6.
References
- ^ atila. "Saturday, October 14th 2000 - ePSXe released!", retrogames.com, October 14, 2000. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
- ^ NGEmu - ePSXe overview. ngemu.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
External links
| video games Portal |
