PCSX2

Assuming you’re familiar with the PlayStation 2 video game console and assuming that you know what an emulator is, all there’s left for me to say is this: PCSX2 is a PlayStation 2 emulator. Get PCSX2, configure it, and you’ll be able to enjoy PlayStation 2 games on your desktop computer.

PCSX2 is available for multiple platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux. Instructions on how to get started with PCSX2 are available online, on the application’s official website. I bring this up because PCSX2 is a fairly complex program and you may need help getting started.

The Quick Look video that accompanies this article present’s the setup wizard that will help you install PCSX2 on a Windows PC. Once you’re done with the installation, a First Time Configuration prompt will show up. It will guide you though picking a favorite language, configuring the plugins, and picking a PS2 BIOS.

Without a PS2 BIOS copy, you won’t be able to complete the First Time Configuration and get PCSX2 up and running. On PCSX2’s interface it is clearly stated that you must have a legal copy of the PS2 BIOS in order to run games; it’s also stated that you cannot use a copy obtained from a friend or a copy that you downloaded from the web. What you have to do is dump the BIOS from your own PS2 console.

Once you get PCSX2 up and running, you’ll be able to: play PS2 games; set a custom game resolution; use cheats; use the built-in frame-limited to increase or decrease game speed; play games using any controller that works on Windows; use the built-in video recorder.

PCSX2 is free software released under a GNU GPL (General Public License). If you want to get the PCSX2 source code, you can do that as well. The source code for each PCSX2 release is available on the application’s official website.

Get PCSX2, get it up and running, and enjoy PS2 games on your PC (or Mac, or Linux machine).