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PS2 Emulation: New UI has been released to nightlies

Teslerum

Member
As of today the new QT GUI, courtesy of Stenzek (though others are contributing as well) has been released on the PCSX2 nightlies. The UI itself is kind of a port of Duckstation's and offers many similiar features.


2022-02-02-5.png


Among these features are a game library, per-game settings, auto updater, auto save state on close, a Fullscreen GUI (in development), Retroachievement support (Ditto), on the fly settings change and all those other nifty features.

To give an overview of some *flashier* changes since 1.6

- Linux and Mac Builds both make their return and a UWP (XBOX) port is upcoming
- DX12, Vulkan and Metal renderers
- A GameDB that automatically applies the best settings for games. (With a few exceptions like extensive use of Skipdraw). Anyone can contribute!
- Switch to 64bit only
- Complete Removal of Plugin-System
- Texture Replacement
- Various improvements in accuracy and speed.
- Overhauled website: https://pcsx2.net/

These improvements are partly in consequence of having sorted out a lot of the code debt PCSX2 accumulated over its now 20 years of development. The PS2 still remains kind of a insane project though, both from the complexity of its hardware to how developers approached (and were allowed to approach) developing games for it. Here's for future improvements in the upcoming years!

P.S If you're on an ARM Device, be it an Android phone or a M1 Mac, I'd strongly suggest checking out AetherSX2: https://aethersx2.com/ . It's a port of PCSX2 and both projects actively share code with each other, so they're both on similar levels of compatibility.

P.P.S Upcoming Retroachievements support too of course

172050162-41a7d94e-88be-4686-b96a-4b12383f1379.png
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Cool to hear that retro achievement support is on the horizon. I saw this discussed at the retro achievements site but they were waiting on PCSX2 (and the Android emulator that shares its codebase) to support it before building usable sets.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Neat, very Dolphin-like. Already encountered an issue, the auto updater fetches a new version but doesn't find an updater.exe in it and fails. Something like that. Dolphin got similar issues occasionally (and actually doesn't even seem to sync up with the latest nightlies these days, gotta dl manually).
unknown.png

Still get low fps in MGS2 motion blurred scenes and other issues, I guess I need a better PC.
 
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Teslerum

Member
Neat, very Dolphin-like. Already encountered an issue, the auto updater fetches a new version but doesn't find an updater.exe in it and fails. Something like that. Dolphin got similar issues occasionally (and actually doesn't even seem to sync up with the latest nighlties these days, gotta dl manually).
unknown.png
It's fixed. Try to update now.
 
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Teslerum

Member
An early pic of the Fullscreen UI (which again is basically like Duckstation) running in UWP/eventual XBOX version.
Minus Fat Chocobo of course, he just takes the role of placeholder.

FTTlAkxWIAI3gqT
 
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nocsi

Member
As of today the new QT GUI, courtesy of Stenzek (though others are contributing as well) has been released on the PCSX2 nightlies. The UI itself is kind of a port of Duckstation's and offers many similiar features.

[/URL]

2022-02-02-5.png


Among these features are a game library, per-game settings, auto updater, auto save state on close, a Fullscreen GUI (in development), Retroachievement support (Ditto), on the fly settings change and all those other nifty features.

To give an overview of some *flashier* changes since 1.6

- Linux and Mac Builds both make their return and an UWP (XBOX) port is upcoming
- DX12, Vulkan and Metal renderers
- A GameDB that automatically applies the best settings for games. (With a few exceptions like extensive use of Skipdraw). Anyone can contribute!
- Switch to 64bit only
- Complete Removal of Plugin-System
- Texture Replacement
- Various improvements in accuracy and speed.
- Overhauled website: https://pcsx2.net/

These improvements are partly in consequence of having sorted out a lot of the code debt PCSX2 accumulated over its now 20 years of development. The PS2 still remains kind of a insane project though, both from the complexity of its hardware to how developers approached (and were allowed to approach) developing games for it. Here's for future improvements in the upcoming years!

P.S If you're on an ARM Device, be it an Android phone or a M1 Mac, I'd strongly suggest checking out AetherSX2: https://aethersx2.com/ . It's a port of PCSX2 and both projects actively share code with each other, so they're both on similar levels of compatibility.
Wow they really delivered on vulkan/metal support. Yuzu needs to do the same then iPad can become a native emulation machine
 

Teslerum

Member
NICE!
Now if we can nightly updates through the menu we'll be set.
Do you mean auto updates? They are already in as mentioned above. Works like Dolphin and Duckstation, you get automatically informed about new updates at start-up or/and you can manually do it via the menu.
 
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Larxia

Member
Per game setting is a big improvement. I used to make a new folder with a different portable installation of PCSX2 for every new game I played, since they all use different settings and I didn't want to mess everything and ruin settings for other games.

I just hope one day the weird stuttering in this emulator will be fixed. I don't know if it's caused by it not having exclusive fullscreen, but I always experienced something that felt like bad framepacing with PCSX2. Even when games stay at 60fps, it feels like it's dropping, it's inconsistent.
 

01011001

Banned
- Linux and Mac Builds both make their return and an UWP (XBOX) port is upcoming

a stable standalone build of the emulator should do wonders to the compatibility and speed on Xbox. many games already run almost perfectly, but I think the Retroarch core is not up to date at all
 

sachos

Member
Some new Texture Replacement mods have also sprung up, some have become more mature.

Example Gran Turismo 4:


This is the quality of emulation i expect from the new PS Plus service, they need to go all out and really enhance those classic games. We know its possible. DuckStation, PCSX2, PPSSPP, all those emulators look amazing on PC.
On topic now, finally official support for game cover based UI plus per game config file support, really important for PCSX2! Amazing news!
 
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Furball

Member
will this new Emulator run those like Valkyrie profile 2 or Radiata stories without graphic glitch and problem
 
Let me know when it's stable?
That depends on how game and config interact with the current ver. Been playing Silent Hill: Origins on the latest Nightly and wow... the shadow glitch is fixed and I saw no noticeable bugs or glitches.
Playing at max scaled resolution (8x Native) and no crashes or anything. FPS has been solid as well. Running on Vulkan. Haven't tested Metal or DX12.
 

Teslerum

Member
That depends on how game and config interact with the current ver. Been playing Silent Hill: Origins on the latest Nightly and wow... the shadow glitch is fixed and I saw no noticeable bugs or glitches.
Playing at max scaled resolution (8x Native) and no crashes or anything. FPS has been solid as well. Running on Vulkan. Haven't tested Metal or DX12.
Metal should be on par with other renderers. DX12 currently has the compatibility of 11, mostly because of worse blending. It will in the future use ROV's to make up for it though.
 

Teslerum

Member
will this new Emulator run those like Valkyrie profile 2 or Radiata stories without graphic glitch and problem
Radiata Stories works fine now, Valkyrie Profile still has a few of its quirks (like the lost forest bug), but there's a *Remastered* pack that takes care of them via a .pnach file/cheat.



The pack comes with an older build of PCSX2. To transfer it to the new GUI, just do this:

The package that I have uploaded includes the PCSX2 build with everything already set up and ready to go. You don't need to move on to a newer or a different one.

If you want to move to a newer build, just remember to use the same settings in the build that I uploaded and remember to enable Cheats and copy the cheat file in your new PCSX2 cheats directory. That will fix the Lost Forest bug.

Note: Use the per-game settings if you do it for advanced graphic settings as to not mess up other games.
 

Teslerum

Member
I just hope one day the weird stuttering in this emulator will be fixed. I don't know if it's caused by it not having exclusive fullscreen, but I always experienced something that felt like bad framepacing with PCSX2. Even when games stay at 60fps, it feels like it's dropping, it's inconsistent.
Is it still a thing on QT for you? There have been some improvements in the last year on this.

I'd also suggest activating *Optimal Frame Pacing* in the Emulation settings.
 
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Radiata Stories works fine now, Valkyrie Profile still has a few of its quirks (like the lost forest bug), but there's a *Remastered* pack that takes care of them via a .pnach file/cheat.



The pack comes with an older build of PCSX2. To transfer it to the new GUI, just do this:



Note: Use the per-game settings if you do it for advanced graphic settings as to not mess up other games.

Frankly, to me the Vanilla version is much better looking than the one w,th the 4K AI upscaled textures, wich look flatter, often failing to resemble whatv the original suggested
Edit ; for example in https://imgsli.com/MTA1NTcx/2/3, the stone work in the Vanilla image is quite convincing, while is utterly weird in 4k images, with brick that looks like metal, loss of details and misinterpretation of carvings
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Couple of questions for those who've been using the new interface/update.


1. Is there no covers repository where it can search for covers ? I gotta upload each of them manually ? Kind of a bummer

and

2. The "cheats" drop down is showing blank for me, any fix for this ?

14kjiu.png
 

Teslerum

Member
Couple of questions for those who've been using the new interface/update.


1. Is there no covers repository where it can search for covers ? I gotta upload each of them manually ? Kind of a bummer

and

2. The "cheats" drop down is showing blank for me, any fix for this ?
1. Stenzek himself won't add auto-covers himself because of potential legal issues. That said it scans your cover folder automatically so if you have a bunch of covers you can just drop them in there and as long as they are named the same as your isos they should be picked up automatically. It wouldn't surprise me though if someone makes an easy script/downloader to automate that process.

2. That's a leftover from Duckstation and has been already removed today. It's not quite clear yet how Cheats are going to be handled in the UI in the future.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
1. Stenzek himself won't add auto-covers himself because of potential legal issues. That said it scans your cover folder automatically so if you have a bunch of covers you can just drop them in there and as long as they are named the same as your isos they should be picked up automatically. It wouldn't surprise me though if someone makes an easy script/downloader to automate that process.

2. That's a leftover from Duckstation and has been already removed today. It's not quite clear yet how Cheats are going to be handled in the UI in the future.

Thank you kindly !

Loving the new interface.

Missing one more thing though, I remember in the older versions you could use Lilypad controller config to set things like auto fire. I don't see that in the new controller setup anymore.

Any way to do that in the new version ?
 

Teslerum

Member
Thank you kindly !

Loving the new interface.

Missing one more thing though, I remember in the older versions you could use Lilypad controller config to set things like auto fire. I don't see that in the new controller setup anymore.

Any way to do that in the new version ?
Not yet. Input itself has been pretty much remade and currently is still a bit basic. But, its coming, just takes a bit.
 
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peronmls

Member
I'm really annoyed most of the setting descriptions still haven't been updated or brought over from the old UI.
 

Teslerum

Member
No-Interlacing codes have now been integrated into the new UI as well and can be activated in the Settings.

They've also taken the opportunity to open a Github sponsorship if you want to support the project. https://github.com/sponsors/PCSX2 .

Reason

  • By funding the project you will be mainly helping pay our server costs, since advertisement on the website is not really feasible any more due to the fact it's difficult to fit ads in without destroying our great website look, and we don't want to do that.
  • Additionally new versions will have an auto updater, and so less people will have reason to visit our website.
These two things mean that we need alternative funding methods to help fund everything. Any additional money will be split between the developers for their hard work and go towards helping them financially or funding game purchases for debugging.

They previously had some Paypal link hidden away on their old website IIRC. That's gone with the new one as well.
 
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01011001

Banned
Is it possible to Play mgs2 on series x?

Fucking Konami removed hd collection from the store...

pretty sure MGS2 even ran really well when playing on Retroarch, which has a severely outdated version of PCSX2 included.

so with this version it should run even better
 

Killer8

Member
not really, the pressure sensitive actions are mostly not needed

You can completely unequip the handguns instead of lowering them as a workaround, but the fully automatic weapons will be basically useless without the pressure sensitivity.

The Xbox 360 version solved the issue by having a button dedicated to readying and lowering the weapon.
 
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