EPSXe

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ePSXe

ePSXe 1.9.0
Original author(s) calb, _Demo_, Galtor
Developer(s) ePSXe S.L.[1]
Initial release 14 October 2000 (2000-10-14)
Stable release 1.9.0 / 3 August 2013 (2013-08-03)[2]
Development status Active
Operating system Linux, Microsoft Windows, Android
Available in Multilingual
Type Video game console emulator
License Freeware (PC) Commercial (Android)
Website www.epsxe.com
ePSXe releases[3]
Version Key feature Date
1.0.0 First release 14 Oct 2000[4]
1.2.0 SaveState Support 9 Mar 2001[5]
1.4.0 Setup assistant 26 Jun 2001[6]
1.5.0 Native support for PPF patches 27 Jan 2002[7]
1.6.0 Improved CD ROM emulation 5 Aug 2003[8]
1.7.0 Rewritten MDEC decoder 24 May 2008[9]
Android First Android version 30 Aug 2012[1]
1.8.0 Cheat codes support 9 Nov 2012[10]
1.9.0 Bug fixes 3 Aug 2013[2]

ePSXe (enhanced PSX emulator) is a PlayStation emulator for x86-based PC hardware with Microsoft Windows or 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. When released on 14 October 2000, ePSXe was a revolution in the PSX emulation scene, boasting higher compatibility and performance than other PlayStation emulators of the time.[4]

After ePSXe 1.6.0 was released on 5 August 2003,[8] its development seemed to halt, with rumors claiming that the source code had been lost due to a hard disk failure. However, on 5 April 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 24 May 2008, ePSXe version 1.7.0 was released.[9]

On 30 August 2012, the developers came back after another hiatus announcing the release of ePSXe for Android,[1] as well as saying that ePSXe for Windows was in testing of version 1.8.0. This version was released on 9 November 2012.[10]

On 3 August 2013, another update was released called version 1.90 which is even more stable than any previous version of espxe.

Features

As with many modern emulators, ePSXe makes 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.

Unlike a few alternative PlayStation emulators that are able to use high level emulation to mimic the effect of the PlayStation's BIOS, ePSXe functions 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]

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]
  • 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 accurately, however, 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]

System requirements

PC version

ePSXe's stated system requirements are:[14]

Android version

  • Processor: ARM or x86 (Intel Atom)[1]
  • Operating system: Android 2.2 or newer

Reception

Retro Gamer called ePSXe "the best free PlayStation emulator".[15] Techtree stated "ePSXe is the best free PlayStation emulator".[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "ePSXe for Android". Google Play. Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "ePSXe 1.90 for Windows and Linux have been released". NGEmu.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  3. ↑ "Welcome to the official ePSXe website". ePSXe. Retrieved 2013-08-22. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 atila (October 14, 2000). "Saturday, October 14th 2000 - ePSXe released!". retrogames.com. Retrieved 2007-09-07. 
  5. ↑ [http://www.aep-emu.de/archive/news200103.html#newsitem984122335,37993, "News March 2001"]. AEP Emulation Page. 2001-02-25. Retrieved 2013-08-22. 
  6. ↑ [http://www.aep-emu.de/archive/news200106.html#newsitem993555936,71752, "News June 2001"]. AEP Emulation Page. 2001-06-24. Retrieved 2013-08-22. 
  7. ↑ [http://www.aep-emu.de/archive/news200201.html#newsitem1012211248,31879, "News January 2002"]. AEP Emulation Page. Retrieved 2013-08-22. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "ePSXe 1.6.0". AEP Emulation Page. 2003-08-05. Retrieved 2013-08-22. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "ePSXe 1.7.0 released!". Emulation64.com. The Emulation64 Network. 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "ePSXe 1.80 released". NGEmu.com. 2012-11-10. Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  11. ↑ "ePSXe message board rules". ePSXe.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  12. ↑ "Enhance PS1 Graphics With The Best ePSXe Plugin Settings". Racketboy.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  13. ↑ "Game compatibility list for ePSXe". 
  14. ↑ Based on the documentation file and official website. [citation needed]
  15. ↑ "Retro Coverdisc". Retro Gamer (15): 108. 2005. 
  16. ↑ "India > Reviews > Games > Reviews > ePSXe 1.5.2". Techtree.com. Retrieved 2010-05-13. 

External links

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