Difference between revisions of "Emulator problems FAQ"

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==Common Questions==
+
==General==
 +
===BIOS===
 +
Depending on the emulator, BIOSes can be either necessary or an added novelty.  Generally, emulators of more modern/complex consoles will require BIOS files in order to operate.
 +
{{Main|Emulator Files}}
 +
 
 
===New systems emulated===
 
===New systems emulated===
'''Is there an emulator for the 3DS, VITA, PS3, Xbox360, Wii U, PS4, Xbox One?'''
+
'''Are there emulators for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, or Nintendo Switch?'''
  
No.
+
Yes! See the following pages for more information:
  
===Specs===
+
*[[PlayStation 4 emulators]]
 +
*[[PlayStation Vita emulators]]
 +
*[[Xbox 360 emulators]]
 +
*[[Nintendo Switch emulators]]
  
'''Can I run [insert emulator here]?'''
+
Note that all emulators are very early in their development and though they're always getting better by the day, they are not stable.
  
See: [http://emulation-general.wikia.com/wiki/Computer_specs Computer specs]
+
'''Are there emulators for the Xbox One yet?'''
  
===Blurry PS2 ===
+
No. <u>Many that you come across on YouTube videos and the like are scams or malware.</u>
  
'''Why is my PS2 game blurry?'''
+
===Save states===
 +
'''My save states do not work in the new version of the emulator I downloaded. Why?'''
  
It's either interlacing or a filter in the game itself. For the former, switching the de-interlacing mode with F5 may help, and may cause flicker or screen shaking. For the latter, hacks are required. Either Aggressive-CRC if the game is listed there, or skipdraw (toy with the number, 1-100) might work otherwise.
+
Save states are not compatible between different versions of emulators, or between different emulators. Don't rely on them. Use real/battery saves which typically can be transferred, even if they need to be converted first.
  
===ECM format===
+
==Performance==
 +
'''Can I run this emulator?'''
  
'''I downloaded a PSX game from emuparadise. It's in .ecm format and won't open in an emulator. Why?'''
+
See [[Computer specs]].
  
ECM is a compressed format. You need to decompress using PakkISO or ECM Tools (both provided on the emuparadise download page). It'll output as a .bin usually, which is what the [[.cue]] uses to load the game. Note that recent SVN builds of [[PCSX-R]] DO allow loading of ECM files, however it's recommended to unpack them anyway.
+
'''I got a new version of this emulator, and now it's slower! Can this be fixed?'''
  
===Keybinds in lilypad===
+
Well, there can be a number of reasons why it can slow down.
  
'''I use PCSX-R with LilyPad, but the esc key and various others don't work!'''
+
*Try closing other programs first. While CPU usage is one factor, games are not the only thing that could be using the <u>disk</u>, especially if you're not using a solid state drive.
 +
*It could have been reset to the default CPU priority, which you could have set to max on the old version.
 +
*The new version didn't detect the previous settings that sped up the games.
 +
*The new version may have lost support entirely for settings that sped up the games, probably in favor of [[Emulation_Accuracy|accuracy]].
  
In the keyboard Input API (radio buttons in the top left of the LilyPad options), choose raw input.
+
'''My PC is a toaster. Are there any emulators I can run?'''
  
===Archives===
+
Most emulators of the 16-bit era (fourth generation) and earlier consoles (e.g., Sega Genesis, NES, Atari 2600, etc.) can be run on any PC, even one with a CPU clock speed of below 1 GHz. higan is the only exception because it's highly accurate and requires a 3 GHz CPU for optimal performance. Other emulators such as Snes9x, Kega Fusion, Mesen, etc. can be run on any PC that can run Windows.
  
'''I downloaded a file in a zip/rar/7z format, and inside it are a lot of files labelled either r00/r01 etc, part1/part2 etc or 001/002 etc files. What are these?'''
+
However, emulators of the fifth generation and later consoles are a different story. While fourth generation and earlier consoles could only display pixel art and, in some cases, very primitive 3D graphics, the move to fifth generation consoles saw a massive jump in consoles' graphical capabilities, with full 3D polygon graphics with texture mapping, lighting and shadows, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, etc. The consoles required much more complex CPUs and GPUs with multiple cores to be able to display these types of graphics. Because of this, emulators of the fifth generation and later consoles require a mid- to high-end gaming PC for optimal performance, with a 3 ~ 3.5 GHz or faster CPU clock speed and at least a mid-range AMD / Nvidia graphics card.
  
It's a split archive, usually RAR. Make sure you have [http://www.7-zip.org/ 7-Zip] installed. Do not use WinRAR. Extract all those files somewhere. Then, right click on the first in the sequence (e.g. r00/part1/etc) and, depending on the program used, should have an "Extract Here" command. Use it; it'll output the files you're looking for. You can then proceed to delete all those r0x/partx/etc files if you want.
+
==Filetypes==
 +
'''What does this file extension mean?'''
  
===PS3 controller===
+
We have a [[list of filetypes]] for information on what's what, and where to use it.
  
'''How do I connect my PS3 controller to my computer?'''
+
===Archives===
 +
'''I downloaded a compressed archive (zip/rar/7z), but it has a lot of files starting with r00/r01, or part1/part2, or 001/002. What are these?'''
  
Use [[XInput Wrapper SCP]].
+
It's a split archive in a full archive. Why that happens is beyond us, but all you need to do to use it is to unpack it with whatever software you have, which means WinRAR, WinZip, et cetera. If you do not have either of those and don't have a way to decompress split archives, get [http://www.7-zip.org/ 7-Zip] and extract all the files to a folder nearby. Then, using your software, select the first archive and extract it (some programs insert shell extensions that allow you to extract files straight from the right-click menu), and you should have all the expected files. You can then delete the archives.
  
===Save states===
+
===Filenames===
 +
'''What does [!] or (NTSC) refer to?'''
  
'''My save states do not work in the new version of the emulator I downloaded. Why?'''
+
[[GoodTools#Good_codes|Codes]]. They mean different things, and we've provided a list telling you their meanings.
 +
==[[Controllers|'''Controllers''']]==
 +
===[[DualShock 3]]===
 +
'''I have connected my DualShock 3 controller to the computer. Why doesn't it work?'''
  
Save states are not compatible between different versions of emulators, or between different emulators. Don't rely on them. Use real/battery saves which typically can be transfered, even if they need converted first.
+
If you're using Windows, that's because there are no official drivers for it.
  
===Mednafen save states===
+
Some developers have taken it upon themselves to make these drivers. The first one that ever went public was called [[MotioninJoy|MalwareohJoy]], but it was plagued with issues, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170715032648/http://betterds3.ciebiera.net/why/ as the author of BetterDS3 wrote in 2013].
  
'''Save states do not work in [[Mednafen]] PSX. '''
+
So we recommend the [[SCP Driver Package]], and we've written up a bit on using it.
 +
===DualShock 4===
 +
{{Main|DualShock 4}}
  
Save states are not enabled in Mednafen PSX, and will not be added until the developer feels that the emulator is mostly finished.
+
==PS1 emulators==
 +
===ECM format===
 +
'''I downloaded a PS1 game. It's in .ecm format and won't open in an emulator. Why?'''
  
===Multi track games===
+
ECM is a compressed format. You need to decompress using PakkISO or ECM Tools (both provided on the emuparadise download page). It'll output as a .bin usually, which is what the [[Cue sheet (.cue)|.cue]] uses to load the game. Note that recent SVN builds of [[PCSX-Reloaded]] DO allow loading of ECM files, however, it's recommended to unpack them anyway. Linux users can use the ECM Tools which should be included in your repository, which is explained on [https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1472552 Ubuntu Forums]. You then need to use the 'ECM-uncompress' command in terminal.
  
'''The PlayStation 1 game that I downloaded came with a lot of tracks. How do I play it?'''
+
===Keybinds in lilypad===
 +
'''I use PCSX-R with LilyPad, but the ESC key and various others don't work!'''
  
You need to create/run the [[cue sheet (.cue)]]. Support for multi-track games can be found in [[Mednafen]], [[RetroArch]], and [[PCSX-Reloaded|PCSX-R]]. [[ePSXe]] does not support such features and should not be used.
+
In the keyboard Input API (radio buttons in the top left of the LilyPad options), choose raw input.
  
===PSP audio===
+
===Multi track games===
 +
'''The PlayStation 1 game that I downloaded came with a lot of tracks. How do I play it?'''
  
'''PSP emulation has no audio. '''
+
You need to create/run the [[cue sheet (.cue)]]. Support for multi-track games can be found in [[Mednafen]], [[RetroArch]], [[PCSX-Reloaded|PCSX-R]] and [[ePSXe]].  
  
See: http://emulation-general.wikia.com/wiki/PPSSPP#Common_problems_and_fixes:
+
These multi-track games are often compressed, the first track is usually ecm'd, the audio files are often converted to the .ape format, to easily extract all of these, use [http://www.theisozone.com/downloads/playstation/tools/pakkiso PakkISO]. Using [http://www.monkeysaudio.com/download.html Monkey's Audio] to decode the ape files sometimes result in files that don't match redump's md5 sum.
===Filetypes===
 
'''Help, I've downloaded a file and I don't know what it is? What's the difference between these files?'''
 
  
Check out the [[List of filetypes]] for information on what's what, and where to use it.
 
 
===Mednafen memory cards===
 
===Mednafen memory cards===
 +
{{Main|Using RetroArch#Transfer PS1 Memory Card Files]}}
 
To transfer memory cards, follow this guide. Also, in games with multiple discs with saves that carry over, you have to follow the same procedure.
 
To transfer memory cards, follow this guide. Also, in games with multiple discs with saves that carry over, you have to follow the same procedure.
  
[[Using RetroArch#Transfer_PS1_Memory_Card_Files]]
+
==PS2 emulators==
 +
===Blurry PS2 ===
 +
'''Why is my PS2 game blurry?'''
  
===New version is slower===
+
It's either interlacing or a filter in the game itself. For the former, switching the de-interlacing mode with F5 may help, and may cause flicker or screen shaking. For the latter, hacks are required. Either Aggressive-CRC if the game is listed there, or skipdraw (toy with the number, 1-100) might work otherwise.
  
'''The new version of an emulator is slower than the previous version. Why?'''
+
Simply sitting farther back from the screen (similar to how one would normally sit away from a CRT TV) can also reduce the noticeability of the blur filter.
  
As emulators develop, they generally become more [http://emulation-general.wikia.com/wiki/Emulation_Accuracy accurate], emulating more of the system's functions. This results in greater compatibility, and fewer glitches but at the expense of speed. More CPU power is needed. It may make sense to use an older version that works well for a specific game if your system is not able to handle the modern version. But newer versions may also be optimized or perform more efficiently as well.
+
===Black lines in PS2 games===
 +
Those lines are caused by scaling to a non-integer internal resolution (anything other than XxNative), texture filtering (Check that shit off or to half at most), improperly offset textures(TC offset hack, Wild Arms hack), or improperly handled texture edges(Sprite hack). Native resolution, for the most part, fixes those. But software rendering may be required as well.
  
===Black lines in PS2 games===
+
==PSP emulators==
Generally speaking of PCSX2, not game specific. Those lines are caused by scaling to a non-integer internal resolution (anything other than XxNative), texture filtering (Check that shit off or to half at most), improperly offset textures(TC offset hack, Wild Arms hack), or improperly handled texture edges(Sprite hack). Native resolution for the most part fixes those. But software rendering may be required as well.
+
===PSP audio===
 +
 
 +
'''PSP emulation has no audio. '''
  
 +
See: [[PPSSPP#Common_problems_and_fixes:|PPSSPP common problems and fixes]]
 
==Specific games==
 
==Specific games==
 
{{Main|Game problems FAQ}}
 
{{Main|Game problems FAQ}}

Revision as of 18:43, 24 October 2019

General

BIOS

Depending on the emulator, BIOSes can be either necessary or an added novelty. Generally, emulators of more modern/complex consoles will require BIOS files in order to operate.

Main article: Emulator Files

New systems emulated

Are there emulators for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, or Nintendo Switch?

Yes! See the following pages for more information:

Note that all emulators are very early in their development and though they're always getting better by the day, they are not stable.

Are there emulators for the Xbox One yet?

No. Many that you come across on YouTube videos and the like are scams or malware.

Save states

My save states do not work in the new version of the emulator I downloaded. Why?

Save states are not compatible between different versions of emulators, or between different emulators. Don't rely on them. Use real/battery saves which typically can be transferred, even if they need to be converted first.

Performance

Can I run this emulator?

See Computer specs.

I got a new version of this emulator, and now it's slower! Can this be fixed?

Well, there can be a number of reasons why it can slow down.

  • Try closing other programs first. While CPU usage is one factor, games are not the only thing that could be using the disk, especially if you're not using a solid state drive.
  • It could have been reset to the default CPU priority, which you could have set to max on the old version.
  • The new version didn't detect the previous settings that sped up the games.
  • The new version may have lost support entirely for settings that sped up the games, probably in favor of accuracy.

My PC is a toaster. Are there any emulators I can run?

Most emulators of the 16-bit era (fourth generation) and earlier consoles (e.g., Sega Genesis, NES, Atari 2600, etc.) can be run on any PC, even one with a CPU clock speed of below 1 GHz. higan is the only exception because it's highly accurate and requires a 3 GHz CPU for optimal performance. Other emulators such as Snes9x, Kega Fusion, Mesen, etc. can be run on any PC that can run Windows.

However, emulators of the fifth generation and later consoles are a different story. While fourth generation and earlier consoles could only display pixel art and, in some cases, very primitive 3D graphics, the move to fifth generation consoles saw a massive jump in consoles' graphical capabilities, with full 3D polygon graphics with texture mapping, lighting and shadows, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, etc. The consoles required much more complex CPUs and GPUs with multiple cores to be able to display these types of graphics. Because of this, emulators of the fifth generation and later consoles require a mid- to high-end gaming PC for optimal performance, with a 3 ~ 3.5 GHz or faster CPU clock speed and at least a mid-range AMD / Nvidia graphics card.

Filetypes

What does this file extension mean?

We have a list of filetypes for information on what's what, and where to use it.

Archives

I downloaded a compressed archive (zip/rar/7z), but it has a lot of files starting with r00/r01, or part1/part2, or 001/002. What are these?

It's a split archive in a full archive. Why that happens is beyond us, but all you need to do to use it is to unpack it with whatever software you have, which means WinRAR, WinZip, et cetera. If you do not have either of those and don't have a way to decompress split archives, get 7-Zip and extract all the files to a folder nearby. Then, using your software, select the first archive and extract it (some programs insert shell extensions that allow you to extract files straight from the right-click menu), and you should have all the expected files. You can then delete the archives.

Filenames

What does [!] or (NTSC) refer to?

Codes. They mean different things, and we've provided a list telling you their meanings.

Controllers

DualShock 3

I have connected my DualShock 3 controller to the computer. Why doesn't it work?

If you're using Windows, that's because there are no official drivers for it.

Some developers have taken it upon themselves to make these drivers. The first one that ever went public was called MalwareohJoy, but it was plagued with issues, as the author of BetterDS3 wrote in 2013.

So we recommend the SCP Driver Package, and we've written up a bit on using it.

DualShock 4

Main article: DualShock 4

PS1 emulators

ECM format

I downloaded a PS1 game. It's in .ecm format and won't open in an emulator. Why?

ECM is a compressed format. You need to decompress using PakkISO or ECM Tools (both provided on the emuparadise download page). It'll output as a .bin usually, which is what the .cue uses to load the game. Note that recent SVN builds of PCSX-Reloaded DO allow loading of ECM files, however, it's recommended to unpack them anyway. Linux users can use the ECM Tools which should be included in your repository, which is explained on Ubuntu Forums. You then need to use the 'ECM-uncompress' command in terminal.

Keybinds in lilypad

I use PCSX-R with LilyPad, but the ESC key and various others don't work!

In the keyboard Input API (radio buttons in the top left of the LilyPad options), choose raw input.

Multi track games

The PlayStation 1 game that I downloaded came with a lot of tracks. How do I play it?

You need to create/run the cue sheet (.cue). Support for multi-track games can be found in Mednafen, RetroArch, PCSX-R and ePSXe.

These multi-track games are often compressed, the first track is usually ecm'd, the audio files are often converted to the .ape format, to easily extract all of these, use PakkISO. Using Monkey's Audio to decode the ape files sometimes result in files that don't match redump's md5 sum.

Mednafen memory cards

Main article: Using RetroArch#Transfer PS1 Memory Card Files]

To transfer memory cards, follow this guide. Also, in games with multiple discs with saves that carry over, you have to follow the same procedure.

PS2 emulators

Blurry PS2

Why is my PS2 game blurry?

It's either interlacing or a filter in the game itself. For the former, switching the de-interlacing mode with F5 may help, and may cause flicker or screen shaking. For the latter, hacks are required. Either Aggressive-CRC if the game is listed there, or skipdraw (toy with the number, 1-100) might work otherwise.

Simply sitting farther back from the screen (similar to how one would normally sit away from a CRT TV) can also reduce the noticeability of the blur filter.

Black lines in PS2 games

Those lines are caused by scaling to a non-integer internal resolution (anything other than XxNative), texture filtering (Check that shit off or to half at most), improperly offset textures(TC offset hack, Wild Arms hack), or improperly handled texture edges(Sprite hack). Native resolution, for the most part, fixes those. But software rendering may be required as well.

PSP emulators

PSP audio

PSP emulation has no audio.

See: PPSSPP common problems and fixes

Specific games

Main article: Game problems FAQ

See this article for problems with specific games.