Emulation Guide #2 - Sony PlayStation
I remember the first time I saw a PlayStation in action, at friends house (he had rented it for the weekend from Blockbuster Video....... those days are truly gone!) and I remember being absolutely blown away by the graphics and sound!
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Ridge Racer was the game I'd seen, for the first time it felt like you could have Arcade quality sound and graphics on your home TV. And the controller and responsiveness were like nothing I had ever experienced on a home console before. It was ABSOLUTELY MIND BLOWING!
By all accounts Sony had set out working for/with Nintendo on their follow up to the SNES, Sony's expertise in disc players at that time would have made them an ideal partner for the soon to become default for game and video media. There was also some conversations with Sega of America - but the mother company in Japan put the kibosh on that.
At some point in 1993 Nintendo pulled the plug on this nascent partnership and went it alone, Sony forged ahead with the PlayStation releasing it in Japan in December 1994. Given how Nintendo and Sega slipped in the triple AAA console standings since their early 90's heyday you've got to think that they both missed a trick on this one!
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The PlayStation has some of the standout games of the 90s, really pushing the boundaries of immersive role playing with FFIIV, racing games with Gran Turismo or engaging third person action games like Tomb Raider and Metal Gear Solid. If you're old enough to have had one of these you know there are games you want to play again, if your too young to have seen this then you should check out the forefathers of the games your playing today - and if you think the graphic might look a bit blocky then read on.
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By utilising the Beetle PSX HW core in Retro-Arch we are able to enhance the graphics up from 240p/270p (depending on widescreen hacks) to 1080p or even 4K! I have a love hate relationship with Retro-Arch, preferring standalone emulators in some cases, but for me this approach is easier than utilising the ePSXE standalone emulator.
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The accompanying YouTube video for this is a long one, as I walk you through setting up Retro-Arch for the first time as well as the different settings to enhance the graphics. But well worth it if you've longed to spend time with Lara Croft in 4K! Do leave comments below the video - I always strive to answer them and all feedback, positive or negative, is welcome as I'm keen to make these video guides as useful as possible.
'til the next one - Go Well!