Contents
About ePSXe
This tutorial is to help you with ePSXe. ePSXe is considered the #1 PSX emulator. However, don't expect it to be perfect. Most games emulate flawlessly, but you may encounter lock-ups and an assortment of bugs. Unlike our favorite SNES and Genesis emulators, ePSXe doesn't easily run at peak capacity. Having a fast computer (roughly 1 GHz and above), a good video card
and sound
card is important if you want the best ePSXe experience. ePSXe lets you play any of your Playstation games on your computer
via your CD-ROM or with Playstation ISO's (FYI, an ISO is a file or archive of files which build up a single CD video game). With Pete's OpenGL plug-in (and others), ePSXe can render 3D
graphics to fit a specified resolution. That means 3D edges will be
sharp instead of pixilated. The two images toward the right are examples
of this. Also, don't limit yourself to this tutorial. The ePSXe help file and
help section in its site is
helpful as well.
Introduction to the plug-in system
Playstation emulation revolves around the plug-in system. Playstation emulators are merely the shell of the operation. It's your job to gather the plug-ins for each component of emulation: video, sound, cd-rom (optional) and controller device (optional). Each plug-in needs to be set up before gameplay, and each has their own bundle of customizable features. Some plug-ins are especially made for a specific video card, sound card or operating system. Summing things up, after you download ePSXe, you need to also download the following:
1. a graphic
plug-in (also called video)
2. a sound plug-in
3. a CDR plug-in (also called cdrom)
4. the Playstation BIOS
You can download the above items from any major emulation site. If you don't feel like looking around, you can just download them here. :)
BIOS and plug-ins downloads
• Playstation BIOS (2.67 MB)
• ePSXe plug-ins Collection (1.16 MB) - Contains all the best plug-ins! Here's a breakdown on what they are:
cdrPeops.dll - This is the CD-ROM plug-in.
gpuPeopsSoft - This is a video plug-in. This plug-in is ideal for people with slow computers and/or computers with a not so great video card.gpuPeteD3D.dll, gpuPeteDX6D3D.dll, gpuPeteOpenGL.dll - These are the video plug-ins that render the 3D graphics according to a specified resolution (as explained in "About ePSXe").
gpuPeteOpenGL2.dll - Same as the above plug-ins, except this is the best and most advanced plug-in. However, it's only compatible with modern video cards. If you have an older computer you need to rely on the other plug-ins.
spuEternal.dll - This is the audio plug-in.
spuEternalL.dll - This is just a supporting file for spuEternal.dll
Extracting & Placement
1. I suggest you make a new folder called "Playstation" within a folder called "Emulation". You don't have to, but it makes things easier for you if you're not too computer literate.
2. ePSXe's zip file contains folders in it. If you simply drag & drop ePSXe, those important folders will not be created. ePSXe must be extracted by the extract feature. If you don't know how to extract files from a zip file then read this.
3. When the extracting is complete, look for a folder called "plug-ins" and a folder called "bios". Extract all the plug-ins you downloaded into the "plug-ins" folder and extract the bios into the "bios" folder.
4. Double-click on "ePSXe" to open ePSXe. A "config setup" window will pop up (it only pops up the first time you open ePSXe). This config setup is a wizard to help you set everything up. You can go through it if you want to, but I suggest skipping it and setting things up manually so that you get more familiar with ePSXe's capabilities. The rest of this guide will teach you the manual method.
Setting up Video
If you haven't already, make sure all the video plug-ins you downloaded are extracted and in ePSXe's "plug-ins" folder.
1. Click on the Config menu then Video.
2. You will arrive here. Click on the down arrow and click on the name of the video plug-in you downloaded.
3. Click on the Configure button.
4. This window will show up, or something like it. Look towards the bottom-right, you will see a "Fast" button and a "Nice" button. Click on Nice if you have a good video card and around 1 GHz or above in processor speed. If you don't, click on the Fast button. Click on OK when you're done.
Setting up Sound
1. Click on the Config menu then Sound.
2. A window similar to the video window will pop up. Click on the down arrow then the name of the audio plug-in you downloaded. You don't need to configure it, just click on the OK button.
Setting up Cdrom
If you only intend to use Playstation ISO's with ePSXe, then you do not have to set up the Cdrom.
1. Click on the Config menu then Cdrom.
2. A window similar to the video window will pop up.
3. Click on the down arrow then Pete's CDR ASPI/ISCTL Driver, or any other you downloaded.
4. Click on the Configure button.
5. You will arrive here. Click on the down arrow for the "Interface" box. If you have Windows XP or 2000 then choose W2K/XP IOCTL scsi commands. If you have Windows 95/98/ME then choose W9X/ME - ASPI scsi commands.
6. Click on the down arrow for the "Drive" box and choose the cdrom that you plan on running your games from.
7. Insert the Playstation game you want to play into your CD-ROM.
8. Click on the Try auto-detection button.
9. Click OK for whatever window(s) that pop up.
Setting up Bios
Click here to download the bios if you haven't already.
1. Click on the Config menu then Bios.
2. In the new window, click on the Select button.
3. Click on the BIOS with the highest number, then click on the Open button towards the lower-right.
4. Click OK.
Setting up the keyboard or gamepad
Click on Config > Game Pad > Pad 1. You'll see an image of the Playstation controller. Simply click on a box then press the button you want to set it to, either on your keyboard or your gamepad. Click OK when you're done.
Loading & exiting/pausing games
1. For playing Playstation CDs, insert the game into your CD-ROM then go to File and Run CDROM.
2. For playing a Playstation ISO, go to File then Run ISO. An Open window will show up, look through your computer for your ISO and load it as if you were loading a ROM.
3. Don't expect the game to load immediately, give it a minute or two.
4. Press the Esc key to exit/pause the game. If you want to continue then click on the Run menu then Continue (Note: You cannot continue the game once you close ePSXe).
• If the Esc key doesn't respond then:
1. Hold down Ctrl, Alt and Delete
2. Let go of those keys then press Enter
3. The Close Program window should appear, click on the End Task button
4. If your desktop is enlarged or distorted then right-click on an empty spot, left-click on Properties, click on the Settings tab, click & hold on the notch in Screen resolution and move it to your original desktop size. Click on Apply then OK for the changes to take effect.
Save states
Save states is a feature that saves the exact spot you are in a game. Once a game is open press the F1 key to save your game. When you wish to recall your saved state, press F3.
• Tip: If you're playing an RPG then I recommend that you use both save
states and normal saving to save your games. This way you'll always have
a backup.
Troubleshooting
I guarantee you, you *will* encounter problems. Playstation emulation
is still buggy, so there's like a gazillion things that could go wrong.
• If something is messing up visually, I suggest you fiddle around with the settings in the video
plug-in's configuration, or try another video plug-in. Also make use of specific game fixes within the configuration.
• If something is messing up with sound, I suggest you fiddle around with the settings in the sound
plug-in's configuration, or try another sound plug-in.
So that's basically the plan of action when something goes wrong: try other configuration options or try another plug-in. Also keep in mind that a good video card is crucial to decent emulation. If you continue to have problems with Playstation emulation I recommend posting your problem on an emulation forum, such as the ones listed in my main links.
Q: My game is running way too fast!
I bet you're playing the game at the default settings. Heh, this is a good problem. This simply means your computer is too fast for the current settings of the video plug-in. So to resolve this simply beef up the settings. Doing so is easy. Go to Config > Video > Configure. If you're using one of Pete's plug-ins (which I hope you are) all you need to do is click on the Nice button.