Now, let’s get to the juicy stuff: installing the emulation core.
Some games may work without a BIOS, but for full compatibility we highly recommend one. If you’ve followed up to to this point, your controller is ready to use, and you’ve acquired the PS1 bios file(s) that you’ll need to play your games. I recommend setting 元 + R3 as your shortcut. Now, use Left/Right on your D-Pad to select a Menu Toggle Gamepad Combo. However, there are a few things you’re going to want to tweak for an optimal experience. A Few Settings to TweakĪs long as you have an XInput-enabled gamepad, you won’t need to do too much to have a good RetroArch PS1 emulation experience. Note that the BIOS file names are case-sensitive, so need to be written without caps, and suffixed with ‘.bin’. You can check the default directory that Retroarch scans for BIOS files under “Settings -> Directory -> System/BIOS”. What we can tell you is that the most common bios files are:
Related: How to Set Up RetroArch, The Open-Source Cross-Platform Retro Game Emulator PS1 BIOS, Gamepad, and Other Things You Needįor optimal RetroArch PS1 emulation, you’ll want the following:
This is the case for leading RetroArch PS1 core, Beetle PSX, which we’ll be teaching you how to install and use in this article. Some emulators, however, are actually made just for RetroArch, and because of this they may even be better than modern standalone emulators on the scene.
RetroArch’s emulators, called “cores,” are generally ported emulators from other developers in the scene. Emulating games on PC usually means a full emulator and different program per platform, but RetroArch can actually emulate quite a large number of systems, all within a single program. RetroArch isn’t an emulator in and of itself – think of it as a hub for emulators and media accessible under a single, unified interface. Using RetroArch PS1 emulation, you can upscale and tweak these games to something that looks a lot closer to what you remember – and better. Going back to play an old game – especially from the PS1 era – can often shock those who are surprised at how much better these titles look through nostalgia glasses. Not only does it allow you to relive the glory days of retro titles on your PC, it also often allows you to enhance your experiences with those games.