Software:ePSXe

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Short description: PlayStation emulator

ePSXe
EPSXe's logo
EPSXe Emulator Screenshot.png
ePSXe 1.8.0 Running on MS Windows 10
Original author(s)calb, _Demo_, Galtor
Developer(s)ePSXe Software S.L.[1]
Initial releaseOctober 14, 2000; 23 years ago (2000-10-14)
Stable release
2.0.5 (PC) / 2.0.15 (Android) / June 23, 2016; 7 years ago (2016-06-23) (PC)[2] / June 19, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-06-19) (Android)[3]
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows, Linux, Android, macOS
Available inMultilingual
TypeVideo game console emulator
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.epsxe.com

ePSXe (enhanced PSX emulator) is a PlayStation video game console emulator for x86-based PC hardware with Microsoft Windows and Linux, as well as devices running Android. It was written by three authors, using the aliases calb, _Demo_ and Galtor. ePSXe is closed source with the exception of the application programming interface (API) for its plug-ins.

Development

For half a year, ePSXe was developed in private, with part of this initial development being carried out by _Demo_, previously known for his work on the Super Nintendo emulator ZSNES.[4] When released on October 14, 2000, ePSXe was a revolution in the PlayStation emulation scene, boasting higher compatibility and performance than other emulators of the system at the time.[5]

After ePSXe 1.6.0 was released on August 5, 2003,[6] its development seemed to halt, with speculation that the source code had been lost due to a hard disk failure. However, on April 5, 2008, the developers of ePSXe made a public statement revealing that in the summer of 2007, they had decided to continue development of the emulator, due to encouragement from users. On May 24, 2008, ePSXe version 1.7.0 was released.[7]

After another hiatus, the developers came back on August 30, 2012, announcing the release of ePSXe for Android,[1] as well as stating that ePSXe for Windows was in testing of version 1.8.0. This version was released on November 9, 2012.,[8] being followed by 1.9.0 in 2013[9] and ePSXe 1.9.25 in 2015.[10]

Features

ePSXe was one of the early emulators to make use of plug-ins to emulate GPU, SPU (sound), and CD-ROM drive functions, a model first established in PSEmu Pro. Games can be loaded from the computer's CD drive or from one of many types of CD images directly from the user's hard drive.

A patching feature allows the user to apply game patches. Games that do not necessarily run properly, or even start at all, can be fixed and played via the use of ePSXe patch files in .ppf format. Not all games prone to bugs have ppf patches written for them.

Until version 1.9.25, ePSXe could only function with an image of an official Sony PlayStation BIOS. Since the various PlayStation BIOS images are copyrighted by Sony, it is illegal to distribute them. For this reason, ePSXe does not come bundled with any of the PlayStation BIOS images, requiring the user to provide one for the emulator.[11] Version 1.9.25 added HLE BIOS support, allowing it to mimic the effect of the PlayStation's BIOS, although compatibility is currently lower than an official BIOS.[10]

Plug-ins

  • GPU: Most GPU plug-ins run with either Direct3D, OpenGL, or the Glide API, and are available as freeware or open-source.[12] Many GPU plugins require game-specific hacks to run games.
  • SPU: The SPU plug-ins can emulate everything from music to sound effects, with varying degrees of success depending on the plug-in settings, and of course the plug-in being used
  • CD-ROM: ePSXe comes with a core CD-ROM plug-in, but many others are available for freeware download and many can emulate up to seven different types of read modes
  • Input: The core plug-in is sufficient, but there are others that allow for more functionality.

Compatibility

ePSXe is able to run most PlayStation games somewhat accurately. Few games run flawlessly without extensive configuration and trial by error testing. In the case that a game does not run successfully, patches written for the game in question can be used, though few games have patches available.[13]

Releases

For PC

ePSXe releases for PC[14]
Version Key feature Date
1.0.0 First release 2000[5]
1.2.0 SaveState Support 2001[15]
1.4.0 Setup assistant 2001[16]
1.5.0 Native support for PPF patches 2002[17]
1.6.0 Improved CD ROM emulation 2003[6]
1.7.0 Rewritten MDEC decoder 2008[7]
1.8.0 Cheat codes support 2012[8]
1.9.0 Bug fixes 2013[9]
1.9.25 Added HLE BIOS support 2015[10]
2.0 Added support for Konami Justifier gun 2016[18]
2.0.2 Added support to overclock the PSX CPU 2016[19]
2.0.2-1 Crash fix in Russian language 2016[20]
2.0.5 Fixed the >2GB PBP roms support 2016[21]

For Android

ePSXe releases for Android[22]
Version Key feature Date
1.7.5 First Android version 2012[1]
1.7.10 New hardware renderer 2012
1.7.11 Gameshark cheat codes 2012
1.8.0 Peopsxgl OpenGL plugin support 2012
1.8.1 Analog input on touchscreen 2012
1.8.4 Support for Intel x86 devices 2013
1.9.0 Support BluezIME gamepads 2013
1.9.6-10 Improved gamepad mapping 2013
1.9.15 Android 4.0 Holo interface 2014
1.9.40 Initial netplay support 2015
2.0.0 shaders and filters support 2016
2.0.5 multi-platform netplay 2016
2.0.8 additional plugins support 2017
2.0.14 64bit app, Android 9 support[23] 2019[23]
2.0.15 Image overlay support 2021[24]

Reception

Retro Gamer called ePSXe "the best free PlayStation emulator".[25] Techtree stated "ePSXe is the best free PlayStation emulator".[26]

Pcnexus says "the easiest PS1 emulator for android with downloadable cheat codes and great game compatibilty with PS1 roms".

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "ePSXe for Android". Google Play. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.epsxe.ePSXe. 
  2. "ePSXe 2.0 released!". ePSXe Team. 2016-06-23. http://www.epsxe.com/index.php. 
  3. "ePSXe for Android - Apps on Google Play". https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.epsxe.ePSXe. 
  4. https://www.epsxe.com/files/ePSXe_FAQ.txt
  5. 5.0 5.1 atila (October 14, 2000). "Saturday, October 14, 2000 - ePSXe released!". retrogames.com. http://www.retrogames.com/102000.html. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 "ePSXe 1.6.0". AEP Emulation Page. 2003-08-05. http://www.aep-emu.de/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=890. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 "ePSXe 1.7.0 released!". The Emulation64 Network. 2008-06-02. http://www.emulation64.com/view/1700/ePSXe-170-released/. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 "ePSXe 1.80 released". NGEmu.com. 2012-11-10. http://www.ngemu.com/152990/epsxe-180-released. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 "ePSXe 1.90 for Windows and Linux have been released". NGEmu.com. http://www.ngemu.com/157617/epsxe-190-for-windows-and-linux-have-been-released. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 "ePSXe 1.9.25 for windows and linux have been released". emulation64.com. http://www.emulation64.com/view/2481/-ePSXe-1925-for-windows-and-linux-have-been-released/. 
  11. "ePSXe message board rules". ePSXe.com. http://www.epsxe.com/forum.php. 
  12. "Enhance PS1 Graphics With The Best ePSXe Plugin Settings". Racketboy.com. 6 August 2007. http://www.racketboy.com/retro/sony/ps1/enhance-ps1-graphics-with-the-best-epsxe-plugin-settings. 
  13. "Game compatibility list for ePSXe". http://ngemu.com/forumdisplay.php?f=46. 
  14. "Welcome to the official ePSXe website". ePSXe. http://www.epsxe.com/. 
  15. "News March 2001". AEP Emulation Page. 2001-02-25. http://www.aep-emu.de/archive/news200103.html#newsitem984122335,37993,. 
  16. "News June 2001". AEP Emulation Page. 2001-06-24. http://www.aep-emu.de/archive/news200106.html#newsitem993555936,71752,. 
  17. "News January 2002". AEP Emulation Page. http://www.aep-emu.de/archive/news200201.html#newsitem1012211248,31879,. 
  18. "ePSXe 2.0 for windows have been released". reddit.com. 17 February 2016. https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/468hlg/epsxe_20_for_windows_have_been_released/. 
  19. "ePSXe 2.0.2 for windows have been released.". reddit.com. 14 April 2016. https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/4erucx/epsxe_202_for_windows_have_been_released/. 
  20. "ePSXe 2.0.2-1 for windows have been released". ePSXe Team. http://www.epsxe.com/index.php. 
  21. "ePSXe 2.0.5 for Window Released". reddit.com. 23 June 2016. https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/4pfwxa/epsxe_205_for_window_released/. 
  22. "ePSXe for Android – changelog". ePSXe. http://epsxe.com/android/changelog.html. 
  23. 23.0 23.1 "ePSXe 2.0.14 for Android - Release announcement (pl)". 2019-12-21. https://psemu.pl/ps1/sekcja-niusy/epsxe-2014-android/. 
  24. "ePSXe 2.0.15 for Android - Release announcement (pl)". 2021-07-24. https://psemu.pl/ps1/sekcja-niusy/epsxe-2015-android/. 
  25. "Retro Coverdisc". Retro Gamer (15): 108. 2005. 
  26. "India > Reviews > Games > Reviews > ePSXe 1.5.2". Techtree.com. http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/article.jsp?article_id=49423. 

External links