A NEW PS2 Emulator for RetroArch is Out! LRPS2 is A Big Improvement

[@theemulationportal]

Perfect now I can play PS2 games with the new CRT BEAM simulation shader for that crisply clean, smooth motion.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Def will be an interesting combo

[@jeffreypeters5578]

i have a 144 hz lcd will it work out with mine someone said it only works with oled?

[@willuigi64]

@@jeffreypeters5578 works with super low gtg. I doubt it'll be very good. isn't on mine. haven't tested my oled yet.

[@Holammer]

@@jeffreypeters5578 It should work on a 120hz display, but on my 240hz IPS it looks imperfect. I get 3 beams moving slowly up the screen. The effect is minor and and almost something you'd expect on a real CRT, it still looks great in games. Decreased blur is noticeable. I think it's because the backlight and framerate aren't in sync (?). The ideal is an OLED display as it generates its own light.

[@amitypredator9385]

How do you add shaders? I go to an area to download, but nothing is actually downloading. And can shaders be downloaded added for arcade games?

[@flink1231]

If I understood correctly, paralel gs is the gpu implementation of pcsx2 software renderer, meaning accurate upscaling! Good stuff, like the n64 parallel rdp.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

That’s how I understand it

[@elblanco5]

To me, with everything set right, it puts PS2 games within spitting distance of the PS3. It's kind of crazy. So happy they reworked this core.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It does get very close to PS3 feeling

[@cemsengul16]

@@VideoGameEsoterica Yeah emulation is insane sometimes with how it improves graphics.

[@realamericannegro977]

Also a testament that 6th Gen graphics gets the point across and then some

[@GameExperiment]

Ico in native 4k looked absolutely breathtaking when the shots were out far but it starts to look really rough when it gets up close, in which case this game starts to benefit more from a low resolution and CRT scanlines.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yes there’s really only so much upscaling can do

[@PM-xc8oo]

Nice. I have no issue with standalone emulators but having more options within Retroarch is definitely "a good thing". If nothing else, the Retroarch UI is very easy to navigate with a controller whereas most standalones (including PSCX2) are not.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yes it’s all about the options. The more quality resources the better

[@dannyd4339]

I am a steam deck emulator user. steam os is my emulator box, no matter where it comes from, they all have a normal shortcut

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I may do a Deck tutorial too

[@syygnis]

I'd stick with PCSX2, setup my deck almost a year ago easy as.

[@dannyd4339]

@@syygnis yeah me too. it works great. only thing retroarch is better at is filters and save states

[@Blak22390]

I've been waiting for the emulator to get an update, I'm excited to give it a try, thanks for the video!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Happy to make it :)

[@xombiegriffin]

Unrelated, but they released the trailer for the House of the Dead 2 remake, and it looks just as bad if not worse than the first one.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I saw. I have zero expectations for it. The first remake was so bad

[@Emulator_Crossing]

yep...seems like those pre made asset unity games.

[@PM-xc8oo]

Seriously. The remake of the first one was so bad, I just rolled my eyes when I saw that a remake of the second was announced.

[@Emulator_Crossing]

@@PM-xc8oo i did like the gore on the enemies bodies.

[@Dragonfury3000]

The game plays just fine to me dunno whats the issue

[@emmettturner9452]

Because the Japanese developers called Shadow of the Colossus “Nico” during development, we know that Ico is pronounced E-koh, not Eye-koh. “Ni” is Japanese for two, so “Nico” (pronounced Knee-koh) means “the second Ico game.” It’s wordplay that hinges on the original having that “E” sound. :)

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Everyone knows my pronunciations are never correct haha

[@Tamacat388]

Hold on its not Ick-ooo?

[@Tamacat388]

Also as the one big Last Guardian fan the boy in that game calls the griffin Trico pronounced specifically Ter-E-Co

[@emmettturner9452]

@Tamacat388 Letter E koh. The Ter-E-koh thing is because of the way their written language forces them to write a vowel sound with every consonant (Te-Ri-Ko). Same reason you hear them add vowels to the end of so many western words… and “Tri” for three is not native to Japan. :)

[@AquaticMammalOnBicycle]

We already knew it’s ee-ko because in Japanese it’s イコ

[@Pridetoons]

Sarah Bryant is the best girl in the Virtual Fighter series! 😍

[@ravagingwolverine]

Great timing and thanks for reporting on this. I was just wondering about this yesterday. I knew LRPS2 has been in development and would get better, but didn't know when. I didn't expect it would be today. I even stopped mid video to read the two articles on the Libretro site. The part about the frame buffer and frame pacing was fascinating. I'll be playing around with this later and over the weekend. One thing I've been doing is looking to compare some multi-platform games against Gamecube, most of which I had there. As an emulation guy, I'm flexible and will use whatever is best. Since I started with PS2 emulation, that's been PCSX2 on PC. However, I do prefer staying within Retroarch when possible and I'm quite comfortable with the UI. It does some things better than other emulators in my experience, overlays being an example of that. I also appreciate having universal hotkeys and menus. There are some other things I like better within Retroarch, but this isn't meant to be comprehensive. PSP is one where I use both. PPSSPP standalone seems to run a bit better on things that are borderline, but the options in Retroarch are nice to have. I will say, PCSX2 has been one of the best standalone emulators I've used in terms of performance and navigation.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Technically it was three days ago haha. I just had other things to show first :)

[@SahabatGamer-r7f]

Thanks for using Virtua Fighter 4 as the showcase

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Happy to. I always use it to test latency “feel”

[@UberNeuman]

It's nice to have everything under one roof, but I'll use standalone emulators for some cases. It certainly has come a long way from the early ps2 core Retroarch was using.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yes it’s a major improvement on the PS2 side of things

[@Pruflas-Watts]

I just tested the ParaLLel renderer yesterday with 6700X3D paired with a RX 7800XT. Set the primary display driver to Vulkan and the core to ParaLLel and in some of the most notorious games, namely, Champions of Norrath and Tekken Tag Tournament. It is pure perfection for my use case. I turned all of the experimental bells and whistles on and the upscaling 16x SSAA and the visuals are insane. It makes Champions of Norrath look like how an uprendered PS2 game should look. No weird artifacts, no 2D element and UI break up, text scales cleanly and sharply. Tekken Tag Tournament also performed perfectly and looks phenomenal.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It fixed the rendering issues with Ridge Racer V and that’s always been a good test. Hew renderer def looking good so far!

[@_oBSOLEte_]

ICO is such an amazing game. I played the HD remaster on RPCS3 in 3D with a VR headset and SteamVR/Desktop+, but it was capped at 30 fps so I used Lossless scaling's framegen to smooth things up. Got the whole game recorded in 3D SBS 4K60. Curious to see if I could make the game run, still at 4k, but natively at 60fps with LRPS2/PCSX2... And also in 3D/VR with Geo-11 Helix mod.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Sounds like quite the setup to play but fun

[@_oBSOLEte_]

@@VideoGameEsoterica All those are freewares, so if you've got a vr headset I would highly recommend. The PS3 remaster disc also included Shadow of the Colossus, which was also a blast to play in 3D/VR.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

@_oBSOLEte_ I’ll give it a peek

[@timtavares2629]

I'm looking forward to your setup guide. I prefer to do everything under RetroArch for unified controllers, shaders and overlays.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Next sat am it’ll run :)

[@creechrfeechr8094]

Mostly a Retroarch user here, so this is fantastic news!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Enjoy the new core! It’s a good one

[@Fnorgh]

You said there's no reason to switch over from PCSX2 to this core just yet, but from what I understand the Parallel-GS renderer is supposed to solve some longstanding issues PCSX2's hardware renderer has when upscaling games, such as various broken effects and z-fighting textures. I'd definitely be interested in seeing some comparisons.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

There’s some upsides. But you can keep using standalone too. It’s really a coin flip

[@bobbyjr.9559]

Always love options! I hope you can go over ways to setup this nxt Saturday with steam deck as well! Great video as always 👍🏾

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Steam Deck will def get a video

[@STRONTIumMuffin]

More friendly competition and collaboration in PS2 emulation is amazing news!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

The more options the better!

[@DanielMcLaughlinMarriedMan]

All these extra shaders and overlays ! A win for emulation! Go Libretro!!!!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’m always glad when everyone gets more options

[@Rod_Zaramella]

For me, the reason to use this is for play Splashdown (the first one). With paraLLEI-GS, works for the first time with upscaled graphics.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Nice. I’ve heard a lot of positive results coming in

[@MrMysterious420]

I like Retroarch on handhelds like Anbernic, but I prefer standalones on PC

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

This will be a big benefit for the handheld emulation community too I feel like

[@VSMOKE1]

The core that uses less resources is the one I always go with, I mean obviously it's got to play the games good as well

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha that’s fair

[@patrickmaher5135]

ps2 with duimon and megabezel through retroarch, ahh yes please! thanks for the update VGE

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Happy to provide the update

[@Mai_Shiranui123]

And let's hope that when recording the Tekken Tag Tournament it is not slow

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Would have to check

[@ezg8448]

I'm guessing it will still be. There is nothing new in terms of improvements, just a recompilation.

[@simon41978]

I wonder how Street Fighter III 3rd Strike would look?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Ooh not sure on that one

[@carllavery4442]

PCSX2 is an outstanding emulator, especially because of it's deinterlacing options for games like Virtua Fighter 4. I use a mix of standalone and retroarch with the latter being useful for builds outside of PC or crt shaders within it

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Gotta have deinterlacing

[@masurfaker1]

Installed the core, but it didn’t appear in the core list to launch the games😔

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Odd. Maybe try updating it. Or deleting and installing again

[@masurfaker1]

Apple tv 4k, to be more specific.

[@masurfaker1]

@@VideoGameEsotericaI Didn’t quite understand where is it after I downloaded it. I thought it is self installed

[@masurfaker1]

It is downloaded and auto unpacked

[@jobimagaming]

about 2:01 I use both, but sometime you have to use retroarch since it offer some advantage like shaders and netplay, standalone in other hand (except ares) dont have shaders like retroarch, but retroarch also lacks pressure sensitive buttons support and it also not always uptodate with the standalones emus

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s always best to have them all installed. We have so many great options these days

[@Jason-hh5mq]

Retroarch + Emulation Station for me and I love the new pcsx2 emulator with retroarch. The parallel-gs renderer is very good. It allows it to upscale the 3D effects while still maintaining the benefits of software 2D. Pair it with FSR upscaler shader or a CRT shader (I like the new-pixie one) and your games will look amazing.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s a very fun combination to try

[@jmssun]

0:23 funny to see camera ties to and bobs with the character 😂

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

A fun and weird look

[@ГригорийБуров-м1ъ]

is it known by now the proximate compatibility level of ps2 library for LRPS2? at least the proximate percentage of "playable" games?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s such a new core I haven’t seen much data yet at all

[@RetroGamingX1]

Apparently LRPS2 in conjunction with paraLLEl-GS is more accurate than PCSX2... saludos!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

So I’ve heard. I’ll let bigger PS2 fans than I test that haha

[@MorrisChannel4]

this is huge!!! im just happy i can play ps2 games super crisp and clean

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Def a fun new core for RetroArch

[@diydylana3151]

This is good news! This area has always been a problem for retrowrch. I know devs have beef with retroarch, people hate its UI, and its cores lag behind, but I default to it because its convenient and it has the best options for latency (including wasapi audio), syncing without much stuttering/choppiness, crt/ntsc filters, unified yet separate settings, and software black frame insertion. However past the 5th console gen it stops working well and I go standalone unless its handhelds like ds. I don't own og consoles or a crt anymore but retroarch is the only emu that let me get close to the audio and video latency of my old GBA. I honestly feel like the hate for the UI is overblown too. It was simply made for a controller and using a ps3 style menu. But nowadays they also added a basic pc menu and that works. I still think its a bit cumbersome to get the bios to run for a lot of cores though. If I need specific documentation on those cores without even a proper error message it kinda defeats the point.

[@dannyd4339]

shaders make retroarch a must have instead of a standalone emulator. and better save states

[@Intelligenz_Bestie]

does this mean we're finally getting close to an ARM64 port of PCSX2?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I have no clue what their roadmap is so…maybe? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@jobimagaming]

the sound 5:34 is not ok, it lacks the reverb, you can test any MGS game and see the different between the pcsx2 (and LRPS2) vs real ps2, but Play! emu seems do ps2 reverb right

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ll have to take another listen

[@jobimagaming]

@@VideoGameEsoterica I forget to mention that the difference is very clear in game menu (At least in MGS3)

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

👍

[@TheRealJPhillips]

Well damn. Interesting. Great video. Is this for Android as well?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

No android or iOS as of yet

[@DarkSquall3000]

I use Retroarch from Steam and I still cannot find that core.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It should be there. I checked as did others

[@DarkSquall3000]

@VideoGameEsoterica It's not.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Hmm. Update RetroArch maybe

[@DarkSquall3000]

@VideoGameEsoterica It's updated. xD Too bad I can't send pictures here.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Odd. Showed up for me and a few other people that help me check things. Not sure

[@filipmartinez1162]

Does this have support for Stereoscopic 3D? I love using the feature on Dolphin.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’d have to check. That just gives me a headache quickly haha so I’ve never used it

[@SuperSteve152]

I like retroarch because I don't need to worry about controller configuration

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

That is a nice QOL thing where it auto binds

[@jeffreypeters5578]

Heads up none of my roms loaded but I dont think you mentioned to put your bios in retroarch folder which for most of us is a no brainer but once i copied mine to btw pcsx2 folder in retroarch it loaded right up

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ll have a tutorial next sat for everyone as the bios placement is a bit odd

[@jeffreypeters5578]

@@VideoGameEsoterica THX i got it but someone may need help however every game is skipping or micro stuttering on the core just that core i tried all setting even renders to no luck.So i'll probably stick with standalone as of now but options are always a good thing.Wish i could donate bro love your work and vids just got laid-offed though.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Ugh the lay off scourge is real. Hope you find something new soon!

[@jeffreypeters5578]

@@VideoGameEsoterica times like these i wish i looked like henry cavill I'd just strip ha

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

🤣 if only we could lead that life

[@pedrojofre4939]

is it possible to play hd texture like in PCSX2 .... Thank You

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yes it should be the same

[@PhilBaxter]

Personally, I use the Steam version of RetroArch. It syncs cloud saves to my Steam Deck, it gets auto updates through Steam, and it works nicely in Big Picture mode on my second screen (a big OLED TV). It's missing a few cores for Nintendo reasons, but I'm only interested in older stuff anyway. I ripped my entire Saturn collection a while back and play it now just through Retroarch, as it looks so much better with RetroArch CRT shaders vs my real hardware going through my Framemeister.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

That’s true the Steam integration is a def upside to doing it that way

[@eduardosampaiodc18]

OLA. COMO FAZER PARA MIRAR COM O MOUSE NO RETROARCH?

[@MySamurai77]

Retroarch has it's shaders. There is one shader it offers "AA 4.0" under the anti aliasing section it's just amazing for texture scaling 2 d visuals when you are rendering at higher resolutions. No more horribly pixelated 2d elements when you upscale the visuals!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

The shaders are a nice touch on top. I don’t use them much but the selection is good

[@dumbkoffcrow974]

I'm gonna be interested on how this will perform on my thinkpad t460p if PCXS2 works okay but not optimal.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Probably won’t work much better would be my guess

[@chrisryan8894]

It doesn’t show up in RetroArch on iOS, is it only for windows ?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Windows, Mac and Linux

[@EnigmaHood]

The last time I tried the PS2 core on Retroarch (can't remember which one it was), absolutely nothing worked. So if there's a new emulator core for Retroarch that actually works, that's great! Because nothing worked before Btw, I used to pronounce it Retro-Arch too, but everyone on YT, pronounced it Retro-Arc, so I guess that's how it's supposed to be pronounced!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ll always be known for mispronouncing names haha

[@captainthunderbolt7541]

Do you think they will bring the core to the Android version of Retroarch?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Not sure on that

[@ben.shinobi]

does "run ahead latency" supported ?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I haven’t checked as of yet

[@sargetyu]

Does this have any pros for people not upscaling?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

The new rendered seems to have fixed a few bugs, most importantly Ridge Racer V

[@METR0lD]

I wonder if it works better with some of the games that have issues before like Ridge Racer V?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ll have to check and see

[@astrea555]

Oh based. More accurate PS2 emulation was sorely needed. Also VF4 again excellent!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I like testing VF4. I just know the feel and if there’s latency that affects the game I’ll know

[@androxilogin]

XEMU just got Vulkan support too. Phantasy Star Online at 10x is niiicccceee.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Nice. I’ll look into it

[@zatokeo5935]

I've tried DOA2 on the LRPS2 core and it did not boot up at all it would just close retroarch.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Sounds like a bad file

[@thiago-sd90]

I think you are missing the bios files.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

That too

[@zatokeo5935]

@@VideoGameEsoterica it's a chd file and works with pcsx2. bios is also installed correctly in it's folder and is the only game I have a problem with so far.

[@Imgema]

It's a great update but unfortunately it doesn't work with VRR like the old core did, which means PAL games have bad frame pacing issues.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yeah that’s always the kicker. PAL

[@eponymous7910]

Ico one of the few ps2 games to natively output at 240p. Sports probably my all time favourite videogame water rendering (under the windmill)

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It has a graphical style that has just aged super gracefully

[@AquaticMammalOnBicycle]

Style yes, shame about the gameplay…

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

What? Its a classic

[@cajampa]

If you have a high hz display. I want to hear your take on the new CRT simulator shader from blurbusters that is in retroarch.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’m looking into it. I have a 144hz OLED TV but photographing it for a vid annoys me. “What’s on screen coming through the lens” never looks correct to me and I hate sending content out that’s less than how I want it to be

[@cajampa]

@VideoGameEsoterica I get that but you could just talk about it and show generalities about it. How to set it up and what it does and so. More people need to know about it. And I just want to hear your take on it. Even though we need a proper high refresh rate like 480hz screen or at least 240hz to really get the most out of it. It is a very interesting development in any case.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ll probably talk about it soon :)

[@cajampa]

@VideoGameEsoterica Don't miss the stop the FOMO angle where that plasma for gaming channel or what his name. Asked the FOMO dude who has a bunch of connections in the industry to talk with his TV brand contacts about this new algo, when he was at CES. And he did and they seemed surprisingly receptive to the idea. Who knows maybe we can get this algo hooked right into the TCON for potential much faster and deeper access.

[@bparks2193]

The automatic hardware fixes per game are still outdated. They are newer but the emulator is still not up to date with the most recent standalone pcsx2. Stenzeks improvements to the native scaling and align to native HPO that were made shortly after the hacks were released are not up to date. Also the core is still using the old patch system, where each widescreen patch, and no interlacing patch are separated. The standalone is using the updated .pnach format where they are stored in one file.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yes there’s still plenty of reason to use stand alone but extra options never hurt

[@bparks2193]

@@VideoGameEsoterica Can you confirm that when going in and out of full screen by pressing F in Retroarch breaks rendering? I'm using the Vulkan renderer for the core.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ll have to test it

[@Antzmacadamia]

I'm looking forward to using shaders in Ps2 emulation. Lottery crt is great in pcsx2. I think both emulators are awesome. The best generation of gaming was Ps2. Take me back

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

My fav generation was late 90s 3D Arcade and and Dreamcast / NAOMI era

[@cemsengul16]

@@VideoGameEsoterica My time as well. Sega was the shit once.

[@ImmortalGodEmperor]

This is neat, but historically RA has struggled with keeping their post-5th gen cores up to date, unless they were managed upstream. PPSSPP, PCSX2, and Dolphin all suffer from this, but maybe that will change? Bigger question mr. esoterica, do you have any recommendations for analog controllers? I wanna play the games with pressure sensitive face buttons but there aren't a lot of options.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Pressure sensitive is always a pain. I just go Series X for everything

[@ImmortalGodEmperor]

@@VideoGameEsoterica Ah, understandable. Ty

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

PS2 controllers... That's about it

[@femto8402]

Ps3 controllers works well, I use that for Pcsx2, and the brand Retrofighter also make wireless controllers for ps2/ps3/pc with pressure sensitive buttons, they are very good too

[@jmccamb]

Just out of curiosity when you play retroarch do you typically use your PC or do you have some other setup hooked up to your TV?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

PC. I really only use RetroArch for capture purposes. On my living room tv it’s generally real hardware / MiSTer

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

TV is just another monitor

[@snake2106]

My old a55 gaming laptop with gtx 980m gpu and i7-4710 cpu can easily run PCSX2 and LSPS2 in retroarch even at 1440p internal resolution. LSPS2 works fine for the most part but forget all those 16:9 widescreen & Deinterlacing patches in PCSX2. Also the standalone PCSX2 is less demanding on hardware than LSPS2

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yes it really doesn’t need much specs to get decent performance

[@sadigyara]

Is it available and run fully on Android?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

No android or iOS currently

[@TonyLemon]

Does this work with retroarch networking feature

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I haven’t test it enough yet to say

[@b0rg1010]

Hopefully it'll work with the mega bezel. ❤️

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Lmk if it does

[@RetroGamerDadwmax]

I might try this on my old arcade pc. Hopefully it works with groovymister RetroArch

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yeah give it a shot

[@mitchthepreacher1512]

Fantastic news!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Always fun to get new options

[@prysma2057]

Really hoping for this core to arrive to ARM also, PS2 emulation on ARM has been pretty much stalled. NetherSX2 has not been updated since early 2023. Play! which are promising progresses really slow, and the other "options" are just stolen code from AetherSX2 old versions. Really excited if this has chances of arriving to ARM, it would be a gamechanger...

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’m sure someone will pick it back up eventually

[@davidpalmer5967]

I use both Retroarch and Other Emulators that both are Standalone and Multi-System ones

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s wild how many options we have these days

[@rancid_]

Any idea if this will run on PCs hooked into a CRT? If i can use crt emudriver with this core on a CRT I will be in heaven! Do savestates work? Yes, I just need to try it myself. ;)

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I don’t see why emudriver wouldn’t work but I have not tested it

[@Pridetoons]

Can you do Widescreen in LRPS2?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

You can. I’ll show how in the tutorial next week

[@Steven.Knapman]

This is the first ps2 emulator i've been able to get Sands of Time running with upscaled visuals without bloom / ghosting issues, last time I tried pcsx2 couldn't do this, but I mostly use ps2 for lightgun games and from what I can see lrps2 does not have lightgun support, if it does i'd love to know how to get that working.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I haven’t played sands of time since it came out. I should really visit it

[@Steven.Knapman]

@@VideoGameEsoterica The game is in an unfortunate state really with the remaster being in development hell at Ubisoft, the ps2 version seems to have extra graphical effects over the pc version but worse audio, the ps3 port was supposed to be terrible, I attempted to run the xbox version a while back but the emulator wasn't quite there, the ps2 version is fine, with upscaling and boosted framerate it comes closer to the pc release, but still has the overly compressed audio so it feels like we don't have that definitive way to play yet, and the game deserves it.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ll def give it another shot. I remember enjoying it

[@QbertKraft]

@@Steven.Knapman Any reason you didn't mention the Gamecube version? Dolphin is far and away the best emulator for that gen

[@Steven.Knapman]

@@QbertKraft It's been a while so I can't remember all the specifics of why that version didn't hold up, but I think the audio was even worse and it may have had some visual issues on top. At the time it come down to the modded pc version and the ps2 emulated, but I still find myself wanting to go back to the PC version because of the audio, even if it has other issues. I did briefly revisit the xbox version again as things have progressed on that side, but it still has visual issues, and it felt quite unresponsive to play, not sure if 60fps patches exist for xemu yet but it feels like it has potential to be a good way to play if they keep progressing on that side.

[@ardkorejunglist]

Does anyone know if this core has netplay? Thanks!

[@deerocker4113]

This would be sweet to try on ps4 or ps3

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Would def be a fun thing to try

[@SlickOils]

I can’t get any games to work.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Well what is it doing? I need details

[@SlickOils]

@ try to load up a game, blank screen. Can’t find the ps2 emulator in your video on the core downloads. Almost none of the emulators work other than master system, some gameboy ones and snes. Dreamcast doesn’t work, ps1 doesn’t work, neo geo, ps2 all blank screen. Tried downloading the bios, makes no difference. Tried various emulators (stand alone and core) doesn’t work. Tried going through all of the steps on various guides. Doesn’t work.

[@SlickOils]

@@VideoGameEsoterica do you know of any bullet proof guides I can follow? I’ve just reset my machine (retroid 5) this emulation business is all over the place and a lot of hassle.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ll have one Saturday

[@SlickOils]

@@VideoGameEsoterica ok cool 👍🏻

[@Oni64]

Will LRPS2 work on PS4?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

That I have no idea on til someone tells me they’ve tested it

[@augustodeleon4358]

I prefer standalone emulators I don't like the way retroarch manages controller configurations, I find it easier and faster to configure input in pcsx2.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

The auto config in standalone does make things very easy and quick

[@augustodeleon4358]

@VideoGameEsoterica also the philosophy of retroarch with virtual controllers adds another unnecessary layer of complexity.

[@Pridetoons]

Will this be for Android and Linux too!? 🤩

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Linux yes. iOS and Android no

[@ravagingwolverine]

That's right, no ios or Android. Also not for ARM Linux.

[@sonkunhyperspinretroarch4867]

EtherealSX2 is in the works, a successor to AetherSX2 for Android. Not sure if it's open source cause I haven't digged up much info on it but who knows maybe that'll come to Android RetroArch in the future

[@Pridetoons]

@@sonkunhyperspinretroarch4867 Thank You, yes I know both EtherealSX2 and Cosmic Station are in the works but more options can only be better for us.

[@Pridetoons]

@@ravagingwolverine Thank You, for the extra information.

[@ezg8448]

I use both standalone and retroarch. Having everything all in one is nice but I wish retroarch would fix their crappy menus.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I would say crappy. I’d just say utilitarian

[@ezg8448]

@VideoGameEsoterica - Oh, it works and works well functionally, but it's a real mess.

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

It's not a mess though. It's extremely well organized

[@Emulator_Crossing]

did they finally update there awful ui in retrorach?

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

The UI is fine

[@Nemesis2K]

i wonder when we will get AI in emulators to upscale 2d hud elements. that would be insane

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Oh I’m sure it’ll happen

[@Jabjabs]

We are seeing this a little bit with the Ps5 Pro upscaling. Not intended for it but just a side effect of the scaler. What we need is an open community built version that we can optimise for the various consoles that isn't tied to a specific platform. It will come in time just a matter of when.

[@kabiebebe2332]

Can it run crisis?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

lol

[@leoariasyt]

I would like to see it wide screen (16:9)

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ll show that in the tutorial next weekend :)

[@helltioeverygames]

Good for 3d but what about 2d games? pcsx2 people told me that high res is only for 3d games i understand that but some kof games stages are not 2d for example kof xi or ngbc and i tested other ps1 titles with 2d backround and with textures it looks soo goood,sadly pcsx2 doesn´t want to add xbrz because of,copyright? come on,that´s the only thing it needs because aside of that the e,ulator is good.I prefer stand alone emulators but this is good,hope anyone out there do textures for kof XI,ngbc and other fighting games like hokuto no ken.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s great for 2D as well. Just not the same level of enhancements

[@desktorp]

I strongly prefer standalone emulators for desktop use. Over here in Linuxland, many of the major distributions have stopped packaging a lot of the good standalone emulators and instead leave us with the choice of retroarch or mednafen. Yes, we can still compile stuff ourselves, but a lot of users can't handle that and even I have had trouble with a few highly desirable programs. For example, I haven't been able to get SNES9x to compile for several years, leaving the job to one of these miserable multi-emulators with their horrible 'game library' style UI. I wish there was a frontend for libretro cores that just simulated standalone emulators, with a simple File > Open interface, but with the various rendering features of Retroarch still intact. I do use Retroarch on my Anbernic handheld though and that's where I actually don't mind it.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Ahh yes on the Linux side I’m sure it’s a lot diff. I rarely if ever use Linux

[@geniusbugshow]

Most of the emulators are available in flatpaks.

[@desktorp]

@@geniusbugshow true but I don't like using flatpak, appimage or snap.

[@desktorp]

@@VideoGameEsoterica to be fair, Arch Linux users probably don't have this problem as the AUR most likely has any standalone emulators one could want. I use a Debian based distribution and the repository's selection for emulators has gotten pretty meager. So much for the Unix philosophy of Do One Thing And Do It Well.

[@DuckRotation]

Wait is this on Android?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Not currently no. Nor iOS

[@DuckRotation]

@VideoGameEsoterica forever stuck with fairly shoddy portable PS2 emulation ;w;

[@ElectroCurmudgeon]

dont use retro arch not for a particular reason. I have just not tried to run it yet.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Worth giving a shot

[@AquaticMammalOnBicycle]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o32ylGiDhpppd5Y you can tell the devs just put a guy in a mocap suit and said “act like a woman.” Street Fighter IV has the same problem with all the women characters when they do poses.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Never really noticed or considered it

[@sinisis_sinisis]

Yumi 😍😍

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Hah

[@RolandoMarreroPR]

So this should make it to batocera

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’d presume so

[@StriderYagami]

Standalone emulators.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

So far even votes it seems

[@FemboyCatGaming]

I dont like retroarch on PC. The UI is cumbersome and the dev actively fueds with and attempts to control the emulation scene.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I ignore and any all drama here. Can’t be bothered with it

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

UI is identical across platforms for retroarch and it's straight forward

[@StardustX7]

retroarch UI is terrible, i hate having to use it for some exclusive emulators

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s just utilitarian. It’s not pretty. It gets the job done

[@grendelicious]

I'll reinstall retroarch when the get rid of squarepusher lol worst person to happen to emulation

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Unsure who that is

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

Nah, you definitely are

[@grendelicious]

@videogameesoterica Lead dev for retroarch. He's the reason why emulator devs don't want to go open source anymore because he straight up harasses them to the ends of the earth

[@X91X-km7hp]

please slow down and annunciate your words

[@hdr10man71]

Nowhere near as good as pcsx2

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Way to be optimistic lol

[@hdr10man71]

@VideoGameEsoterica it's easy to say that but standalone pcsx2 is simply years ahead