PCSX2 Tutorial

About PCSX2

PCSX2 was the very first PlayStation 2 emulator. Through persistent development, it has stayed the best one around! Game compatibility is high. It conveniently comes equipped with its own plug-ins, which is customized. PCSX2 requires a quick computer in order to run well. You may have trouble with it in case you're using a budget laptop or a Windows tabletcomputer. 

With other emulators you can get away with using your computer keyboard for gameplay. But with PCSX2 it is pretty difficult, provided the PlayStation 2 controller's miniature joysticks. I strongly recommend purchasing a gamepad with this emulator.

Do not download PCSX2 out of their siteThe download of PCSX2 in the official homepage hasn't been updated in years. Rather, you'll find the most latest releases of the emulator from the'automated builds' page.

Intro to plug in systemPlayStation 2 emulation revolves around the plug in system. The same system used by PlayStation 1 and N64 emulators. PlayStation emulators are only the shell of the operation.

PCSX2 already comes equipped with plug-ins, which means you don't need to worry about downloading them individually and configuring them. I still want to assess the different kinds of plug-ins together with you. It is fantastic to be educated with the way the emulator functions. Here's the list of these:

• GS – the picture plug-in. This controls the graphics and 3D rendering. This controls the way you control your matches; if you  use a keyboard or a gamepad.
• SPU2 – the audio plug-in. This controls the music and sound effects.
• CDVD – the CD/DVD plug-in. This controls the reading of your CDs/DVDs or images.
• USB – the USB plug in. This controls USB emulation.
• FW – the firewire plugin. This controls the firewire port of the PlayStation 2. 

Be aware that you don't have to stick with the plug-ins which come with PCSX2. You might find better ones on the market if you Google around.

The BIOS

The PlayStation 2 BIOS is necessary to be able to boot up games. This is another download once you've downloaded PCSX2. Below you may download this BIOS.

• PlayStation 2 BIOS (12.7 MB). Download by right-clicking the download link and proceed to Save Link As. After saving, rename the"_ip" file extension to"zip". If you do not find the file extension, consider showing them. 

Continue reading below for what to do next after you get into the BIOS.

Installation

Newer versions of PCSX2 are just standalone apps in a zip file. Older versions of PCSX2 install via a wizard. I will explain both scenarios.

Installing the standalone app (newer versions) Setup is easy: just extract PCSX2 from its zip file. Here's a video tutorial showing you : the best way to unzip files on Windows.

IMPORTANT! PCSX2 has to be placed in a frequent folder on your computer. I recommend Documents, Downloads, or make a folder on your desktop. If you put PCSX2 someplace else on your primary C drive, then you could be restricting it to unsubscribe accessibility. Doing so prevents PCSX2 from saving anything.

It'll look something like The"Choose Components" box will be the first display to pop up: Leave everything checked and click on Next. The installation will proceed. You'll be prompted with this box into Visual C++: Place a check which you read the conditions and click Install. PCSX2 is installed! But we're not done yet. Read the next section about what to do when you open PCSX2 for the very first time. First Time Configuration + BIOS installation

1. Open PCSX2 by double-clicking on . If you installed PCSX2 having an install wizard, then you would start it by going to your  Start menu (your apps list) and start up PCSX2 there.
2. PCSX2 welcomes you with the First Time Configuration display. Click Next.
3. The next screen just reviews the plug-ins that come with PCSX2. You don't have to do anything here. Click Next.
4. Next is the BIOS screen. Click Open in Explorer, as shown below:
5. you will be prompted with a"This path does not exist. Create it? Click Create.
6. Now minimize this"First Time Configuration" window. Note the route in which the BIOS folder is found. Open that folder up. Download the PCSX2 BIOS if you have not already, unzip it, and drag its contents to your BIOS folder. It should look something like  below: It's important that you match the preceding screenshot in your end. Don't place the BIOS files in a sub folder within  the BIOS folder! Click the Refresh list button (circled below). You should now find the Europe, Japan, and USA BIOS files look  in the white box. 

• Click your desired country to choose it. Click Finish.
• That is it! PCSX2 is now completely installed and configured. 

Setting up the keyboard or gamepad

Usually emulators have all of the keyboard keys preconfigured, but PCSX2's keys are a clean slate the very first time you open it! You have no option except to configure them. Again, I recommend you to buy a gamepad since the PlayStation 2 controller has a great deal of buttons. Using just the keyboard is a frustrating experience.

Employing a PS2, PS3, or Xbox controller

PCSX2 doesn't need any particular instructions for using a PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, or Xbox controller. On the other hand, the very first time you plug into your computer it needs to be properly set up or requires special instruction for linking. There are lots of movies on YouTube showing you how to do this:

• How to set up a PlayStation 2 controller onto a PC
• The best way to setup a PlayStation 3 controller on a PC
• How to join an Xbox controller into a PC

Loading a real PS2 game You Have 

Loading a genuine PlayStation 2 game that you own is incredibly straightforward. Just pop the game in, wait for a few moments, then in PCSX2 visit System > Boot CDVD (full).

However, I do not recommend playing your games through your DVD-ROM drive. PCSX2 is a somewhat demanding emulator on your CPU. Running the game from the DVD-ROM drive will slow it down and reduce its performance. Rather, I recommend ripping your game to an ISO. I have instructions for that right under.

Backing up your PS2 game to ISO

These directions show you how to back up your PlayStation 2 game in"BIN/CUE". It's a common sort of ISO format.

1. Download & install ImgBurn (it's free). It is possible to download ImgBurn from the ImgBurn homepage. *If you have an anti-virus such as AVG, it might flag ImgBurn for containing adware. Do not panic – it doesn't include adware! This warning is false. All ImgBurn does is show you advertisements during the install wizard (which is why AVG falsely flags  it). ImgBurn is 100% safe.
2. Upon launching ImgBurn, click Create picture file from disk, as revealed here.
3. Make sure the appropriate source drive is put in"Source", then click the Read icon as shown here.
4. That's it! Ripping your game CD will require perhaps 20-30 minutes. By default, ImgBurn will toss the BIN file (the ISO) into Records . 

Finding ISOs

Inside my links pageI have some good links to websites where you are able to download ISOs. If you want to try to find more sites than what's in my set of hyperlinks, simply Google around. 

But, an even better use of Google is to search Reddit. People upload PlayStation 2 matches to cloud programs all of the time. You will only find these hyperlinks to these valuable tools on Reddit. Try search phrases such as"reddit download playstation two ".