The original PlayStation, also known as PSX or PS1, has an incredible range of games. The PS1 has been obsolete for a long time, but games are still a lot of fun to play. Fortunately, if your favorite PS1 games are no longer available, you can still play them on your PC.
A PlayStation 1 emulator brings your favorite PS1 games to life. All you need is an emulator, PS1 BIOS, and your old PS1 games. Here’s how to play PlayStation One (PS1) games on your PC!
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What is the best PS1 emulator?
An emulator is a type of software that you install on your PC. It allows you to reproduce physical hardware in a software environment, all from the comfort of your existing computer. Emulators exist for different types of hardware and platforms.
A gaming emulator mimics a gaming console, allowing you to play anything from a Commodore 64 to an arcade game cabinet, a Nintendo 64 to a PlayStation 1, all without needing the console original.
There are many PS1 emulators. However, ePSXe remains the best option for performance, stability, and additional features. Updates are slow, but ePSXe has over a decade of development under its belt, making it a great option to get back to playing your old PS1 games.
So let’s start with ePSXe.
How to download ePSXe
First of all: you need to download the latest version of ePSXe.
Download: ePSXe for Windows (free)
There is no installation process for ePSXe. You extract the files from the archive and then run ePSXe from the same folder.
Right click on the ePSXe download, select your ZIP program and extract.
When you run ePSXe for the first time, you may come across a dialog box asking you to extract additional files. Extract them, then run ePSXe.
Configuring the ePSXe BIOS
There are several steps that must be taken before you can play a PS1 game in the ePSXe emulator. Before anything can happen, you need a PlayStation 1 BIOS.
A BIOS is low-level software that starts up when you start your computer and is usually associated with your PC. The BIOS used by your PlayStation 1 is slightly different from that used by your PC. Your PS1 BIOS contains information about your PlayStation 1 hardware, such as version, region of manufacture, etc.
ePSXe will not work without an appropriate PS1 BIOS. The PlayStation 1 BIOS also dictates which games you can play, depending on its geographic region (such as Europe, North America, Japan, etc.). There are simulated PS1 BIOS files out there, but they don’t perform as well as the real deal.
Warning: Although there are PS1 BIOS files available online, the only legal method to obtain BIOS files is to extract the BIOS from your existing PS1. Watch the following video to understand exactly how to extract your PS1 BIOS. You rip your PS1 BIOS at your own risk.
Once you have extracted your PS1 BIOS, you need to copy and paste the archive into the BIOS directory. You will find the BIOS directory in the ePSXe folder. The location of your ePSXe BIOS folder depends on where you extracted the emulator. For example, my ePSXe BIOS folder is C: Users Gavin Downloads ePSXe205 bios .
Once you have pasted the BIOS archive into the correct folder, you need to extract the contents. The emulator cannot read the ZIP file, only its contents.
How to configure ePSXe
Once the BIOS is in place, you can continue to configure ePSXe.
EPSXe graphical configuration
You will first come to a menu showing various graphics options and suggestions from the ePSXe development team. If you have an AMD or Nvidia graphics card, select Pete’s OpenGL2 GPU core 2.0.0 and click on Config.
There are many graphics options you can configure. Over time, you can change the settings as you become more familiar with what they do. How you modify your ePSXe experience depends on your graphics card.
Most modern computers exceed the capabilities of the original PS1, which had a 33.0 MHz processor (yes, megahertz – that was the early 90s!), 2MB of RAM, and 1MB of VRAM. This means that your average PC can use the full range of ePSXe graphics configuration options.
I would advise running the PlayStation 1 game you want to play first and then making graphics adjustments later. t visual effects for all games, not just ePSXe.
There is an easy graphical editing option that you can create right now. In the lower right corner of the configuration options are the default options. You can select graphics fast or pleasant . Here are the changes after selecting Nice graphics:
The difference between basic graphics and nice graphics is noticeable, even on game loading screens. For example, here is the Crash Bandicoot loading screen using the default ePSXe graphics settings:
And here is the same Crash Bandicoot loading screen using the Nice graphics options:
You can see the logo, menu letters, background, and game character are much smoother in the second image.
Sound, player and ePSXe controller setup
Now for the sound configuration. It is easier to leave this option at default, as ePSXe handles most PS1 game sounds well.
Next, the CD-ROM plugin. If you’re using Windows 10, select ePSXe CDR WNT / W2K core 2.0.0 , then continue.
Finally, you can configure your controllers for use with ePSXe. ePSXe supports several controllers out of the box. Click the drop-down menu in the upper right corner to choose your entry type. You can choose from a keyboard, keyboard and mouse, direct input, and X input.
If you’re using an Xbox 360 or Xbox One controller, select XInput. It will automatically map your controller and your game should play flawlessly.
How to get PS1 games on Windows 10
Now that the ePSXe is ready, you can choose your favorite PS1 games and launch them. PlayStation 1 games are available for free online. However, MakeUseOf cannot help you find them. Downloading data files for games you don’t own is hack.
ePSXe can run files that use the extensions BIN, ISO, CUE, IMG, CD and a few others. These files are for the disc images that contain the PS1 game data. You can rip your original PS1 games the same way you could rip DVD on your computer. However, you need to make sure that the output file is an ISO image (or one of the other PS1 game file formats accepted by ePSXe), otherwise your PS1 game will not load.
Once your PS1 ISO is ready, you can load it into ePSXe. Head to File> Run ISO , then navigate to the location of the PS1 game. Select the PS1 game file and it will start loading. Here. You are now playing a PS1 game on your PC!
Tips for using ePSXe
From now on, you can play your PS1 games using whatever control scheme you choose. However, here are some tips to help make your ePSXe experience run smoothly.
- To quit ePSXe emulation, press ESCAPE . You will return to the main ePSXe screen. From the main screen, you can adjust emulation settings, controller settings, and more. To return to the game, go to Run> Continue .
- You can save and load games from the main menu. Head to the menu Execute , then Save state or Load state , depending on what you want to do. ePSXe also emulates PlayStation 1 memory cards so you can create a save file in your game.
- If the game you are playing has multiple discs (such as Final Fantasy 7), you can skip to the next one using File> Change Disk , then selecting the next disc.
- Local multiplayer is available. You can use a combination of gamepads and your keyboard to make sure each person has a controller. ePSXe also simulates Multitap, which allows up to four local players in the same game.
You can enhance ePSXe and your PS1 games with additional plugins. Sometimes it is difficult to determine which plugins work best with your setup and with the games you want to play. However, you can consult the recommended list of ePSXe plugins and find out which plugins work with your PC.
READ ALSO: 10 Best Popular PS4 Games You Should Try In 2020
Now you can play the best PS1 games on PC
Now you can relax and play your favorite PS1 games on your PC. The PlayStation 1 offers many classic games that define the genre. It’s hard not to look at the aging console with emotion.
Still, the PlayStation 1 isn’t the only older console you can emulate. When you’re done with ePSXe, here is how to emulate your favorite PlayStation 2 games . Alternatively, if you prefer mobile games, you can also emulate Android on your PC .
