PCSX2 was released in 2002, emerging as a fledgling PS2-focused emulation platform. Today, it’s one of the leading emulators in the gaming world, but as a recent blog post from the core team supporting the open-source software recognised, ‘it has been over four years since the last stable PCSX2 revision released.’
With that in mind, a budding team of developers have taken PCSX2 and finally created a 2.0 version of the client, making several critical improvements to the platform.
Retro Time
If you’re able to get your hands on a PS2 BIOS (hint: it’s illegal to download one), then you can throw it onto a computer and configure it in PCSX2, getting access to a library of top retro titles. That’s the core selling point of PCSX2, which is completely open-source and free to use.
In a recent blog post on the PCSX2 site, it was revealed that so many updates have been done or lined up for the platform that it’s effectively a 2.0 version of the client. Here’s a snapshot list of everything detailed in the blog post:
- Refreshed UI
- Removed Plugins
- Automatic Game Fixes
- Per-Game Settings
- Wider Compatibility
- Big Picture Mode
- Community-Sourced Translations
- Improved Patch Format
- Graphics Improvements
- FFMPEG Video Capture
- Improved Audio
- Better Controller Mapping
- RetroAchievements Integration
If that’s not enough to make the application worthy of a 2.0 title, I don’t know what is. It can be a little tricky for some users to figure out how to get their hands on a PS2 BIOS, which is the biggest sticking point when it comes to the adoption of PCSX2, but it’s certainly doable, provided you have your own PS2 console to rip the BIOS from. It’s well worth doing – there’s nothing like going back in time to play your old favourites.
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Definitely *don’t* go to archive dot org and *don’t* search for “ps2 bios” because then you’d be able to download a copy, which you definitely *shouldn’t* do.
Thank you for an article worth the click. So many sites just blow smoke.
I wasn’t aware of these updates, and I’m glad I came across this.