PCSX2 Emulation Software Rendering Vs Real PS2 Hardware (2024 Edition) - Affro's Curiosities EX

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

Took me a while but here's my long awaited video on PCSX2 using Software Rendering mode against Real PS2 Hardware! The version of the emulator used was V2.1.163!

[@ZinhoMegaman]

I will share some knowledge that I have gained from years of research on console video output methods, the difference in image quality of PS2 console vs PCSX2 emulator is because, first, in the emulator it is 100% digital instead of analog to digital, second, few emulators try to replicate how the image is processed by the console's video encoder chip, as most NES emulators do, you mainly see options to replicate how the image quality looks on real hardware in handheld emulators. And that is what makes most of the difference seen here, in PS2 the image must be sent to its encoder chip before being sent to the video output, but in PCSX2 what you see is the pure image without any intermediate process, which is what these HDMI modifications also do, they take the signal that goes to the encoder and ignore it so that you have image and sound without any interference from the encoder, which gives PS2 the same image quality as PCSX2. And I almost forgot, the signal is pure digital before the encoder turns it into analog, another process that degrades the overall picture quality of the consoles that came before HDMI output was introduced with the PS3.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

Thank you for sharing 😊 I always enjoy learning more about how the consoles work & at least understanding this process could help us to improve video quality in the future 😊

[@ZinhoMegaman]

@@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial Yeah I agree with you, if not for the intensive research made by the community the now avalaible HDMI mods would not be possible. And as you have experienced yourself I too still have my PS2 model 50001 with oficial Sony component cable which gives the same picture quality as your oficial Sony SCART cable and could see the difference in image quality when compared to PCSX2. But If you ever have the opportunity, GameCube and Wii are the worst case scenario for this type of comparisson because of how bad Nintendo handled their output, on GameCube It's component cable are know for having a "special" chip, which is nothing but a DAC, digital to analog converter which the damn thing compresses the colors before sending the signal to a display and because of this process you see blockiness all over the image, it really sucks, and on Wii the voltage of the display out conector is smaller than it should be which in consequence makes image even worse than the GameCube, Nintendo saving where it matters least according to the company itself. If we were in a perfect world, everyone would have followed the Dreamcast's example, where Sega made the Dreamcast's VGA output the most incredible thing ever done on a console in terms of display quality, but we know this is not the case sadly.

[@Destroyersoul-e9x]

Its been a long while since i wanted to see how the real PS2 compares against the PCSX2 emulator in software, thanks a LOT for this!

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

I'm glad I was able to answer your burning question!

[@astreakaito5625]

ZOE2's music :p Nice testing

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

Definitely, I love the soundtrack & the game is great too :) Thank you for the compliment 😊

[@gabrielm1919]

Thank you for this amazing video. I was looking and waiting for ages for an in-depth PCSX2 vs Real Hardware comparison. Superb documentary.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

I'm glad I was able to make this video & it finally answered a question or two for you :D Ah thank you, still trying to get better at video production!

[@neorickio]

incredibly cool video, thanks fot this ;) I would love to see something similar with Dolphin vs GC Hardware.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

Sadly, I no longer own a Gamecube, but maybe one day :)

[@WafflesIsTheStuff]

Awesome video! Bilinear filtering for scaling may have been the culprit for the "sharper" look in some games and a "blurrier" look in others.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

Defiantly but, I find overall for PS2 games, bilinear filtering is the best choice for most games :)

[@jsr734]

@@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial I disagree. My Ps2 doesn´t look that blurry or with washed out colors on my "adequately" calibrated tv´s. I think bilinear filtering is way too much blurry than how the games actually look on real hardware.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

For the future I'll add in more saturation & see what I can do in regards to the Bilinear Filtering :)

[@jsr734]

There is a problem with your Ps2 capture, colors look way too washed out. Its more obvious with Tekken 3. Maybe it was not a good idea to use bilinear filtering. Remember that Ps2 games tend to use the flicker filter when outputting interlaced video which already blurs the colors slightly, now add bilinear filtering on top of that and the blurriness gets maxed out. Also PCSX2 DOESN´T emulate the Ps2´s flicker filter so it tends to look sharper even in native resolution software rendering. You can "simulate" the Ps2´s flicker filter though, using "blend" deinterlacing option.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

I think I reduced the saturation a little to much & didn't increase it enough during editing so I've since solved this problem :) I've also once again changed my capture settings so the PS2 should be a little better going forward :) This would make sense & it is a pain when flicker filters are on & you don't realise it!

[@vrekman256]

love your video. Always wanted a video like this. A few questions though, that I'm sure others ask too: what are the pc specs, and is software rendering a viable solution for everyday PCs? I mean how strong a PC someone needs to play, say, GoW 2 or GT3 in software mode? thanks again, friend

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

Thank you for the compliment, glad you enjoyed it :) I recorded PCSX2 emulation using my M1 Macbook pro using the M1 Pro chip so pretty powerful :) My weakest PC is actually my Steam Deck, which as you know has 4 cores, 8 threads & a intergrated graphics chip: The 780m :) This device can play quite a lot of games using software rendering although not every game will work at full speed :) It depends on the games although thankfully GT3 & GOW 2 are games I have on the device & both work well! You can modify hardware rendering to better match software but some effects may not get rendered correctly :) Hope this helps!

[@vrekman256]

@@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial thanks. As I'm getting a new PC, maybe a 9700x based one, I think it will play many games ok.I hope no one will buy the zen5 cpus so their price falls as low as possible

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

If you get a PC with this processor, you'll be playing most PS2 games in software mode at full speed :) Add in a decent graphics card & compatibility will only increase :)

[@djm9937]

Great video !! I use XBSX2, a spin off if you will, on my Series S console. I hadn't noticed a difference using software mode myself, but with your side by side examples the difference is clear. Thankyou :)

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

Ah I heard the Series S & X are fantastic for emulation, even PS2 so glad to hear it is working well! Also anytime!

[@winterhell2002]

Its likely you can drastically improve the image focus of the real hardware with the OSSC timings, but that may vary on a per game basis since not all games render 640 pixels per line. So that might require several custom presets.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

While you can indeed do this & it would have an effect, it is too cumbersome to do & since the games are PAL, a lot of people don't want to do optical timings for it. If there is one for the PAL PS2, I'd like to try it :)

[@Sickonaut]

Amazing!! I have a ps3 fat BC, but i prefer the emulation on PC

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

Ah you are lucky to own that model of PS3, very expensive & hard to find in working order now!

[@Sickonaut]

@@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial It's a Japanese ps3 fat day one model (CECHA00), amazingly enough, the sixaxis controller still works today, and there's no drift! I've had several DS4s that drifted prematurely, but unlike the SixAxis it's still working today, I just had to change the battery that died after a while of use... I have a huge sentimental attachment to it, I hope I never have to sell it!

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

It is a collectors item now due to how well it can play PS1 & PS2 games along with the high failure rate so defiantly keep it!

[@TheRealLone]

I stick to the original hardware, but good video and i like the development of PCSX2

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

I love original hardware although I do play PCSX2 on my Steam Deck often :)

[@bpcgos]

Software rendering on a CRT will probably look identical to real ps2

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

It would be close, certainly close enough for most people :)

[@jsr734]

Not without the flicker filter emulated. Also some games still have graphical bugs or effects not rendering properly even in software mode.

[@HumanManufactured]

Bro never use bilinear filtering for scaling, it looks like shit

[@jsr734]

The problem is real Ps2 may be using the flicker filter, that already adds a slight blur but adding bilnear filtering on top of that definetly makes the picture loss brightness, specially in the colors.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

I think it is good to use for later 3D games since it helps smooth out jaggies but, in this case my capture settings might also have been wrong besides the Bilinear Filtering :) I'm always looking to improve for next time :)

[@breezy1990]

how did you play tekken 3 on pcsx2?

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

Via Tekken 5 Arcade History Mode which is available straight away :)

[@i__X_GOD_X__i]

but now know what to play thank

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

Anytime :)

[@everx7]

Well ill disagree here SW is way more taxing then HW on ur CPU. Thats what ive experienced most of the time with most games.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

I said at the end of the video that software rendering is more taxing than Hardware rendering :)

[@gurujoe75]

If PS2 can handle BLACK, it can handle Half Life 2.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

It could but how well? We may never know unless someone tries to port it to the system 😮

[@jsr734]

Even the OG Xbox struggles with it.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

It does & I own it too xD Still fun despite the technical issues 😊

[@gurujoe75]

@@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial I've been on a PC since the first IBM XT. And nothing has amazed me as much as Black on PS2 especially in the area of shocking amount of full screen alpha effects with extreme overdraw, also the amount of geometry. Technically sovereign game. BLACK uses the standard multiplat RenderWare engine. None of us have any idea what the PS2 is capable of with top-notch programming. For example, Killzone 1 is clearly technically weaker than BLACK.

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

That's why I love covering Black where possible & the console has produced some fantastic titles :) Shadow Of The Colossus is another one which is very taxing, yet incredible on the PS2!

[@i__X_GOD_X__i]

i cant see difference

[@AffrosCuriositiesOfficial]

Watch at the highest quality possible on the biggest display possible & I zoomed in on many games to help show the difference, Soulcalibur III was a good example of a difference :) Also if you struggled to tell the difference, that means software rendering did its job :)