This may be Kevin's greatest video. These in depth guides to not only installing emulators which can be tricky, but it tells you what games to play, why they are important, and what it means to him. Kevin you're a great storyteller please do more things like this.
Sunday evening, new Basement Gamer video... pretty much can't get better than this nowadays. Please don't ever stop making videos, man! This channel is overly underrated (is that a thing even?)
Lotte-CRT in the Graphics, Post processing, shader drop down menu of PCSX2. Gives it the natural 3d feeling from TVs of that era. Well worth it. These games are so nostalgic. Remember playing a game and not being asked consent to collect your information when you start up? Being upsold in menus or the end of rounds? Amazing to see game elements from this generation make its way into shitty mobile games, because the loop mechanic is so satisfying. So many bangers.
As the most common point of failure I've found on PS2s is the optical drive, I'd say it depends on the console. Personally even on original hardware I use Free McBoot and a drive in the expansion bay - I have a 3.5" 500GB IDE drive in there but more modern SATA adapter exist now, allowing you to easily run an SSD instead. Faster, quieter, more reliable. Or if you don't mind the potential reliability issues or the cost of a Frankenstein mod when the GPU finally pops, you can get a fully backwards compatible PS3 and run PS2 games that way, from disc or SSD too. PS2 on PS4 is possible as well, although I'd recommend compiling your own builds from source files so you can tweak the emulators for best performance. Depends how far you wanna go with it, but it's possible to keep a PC out of the picture and stick with PlayStation hardware for PS2 games.
Nah. Region locks would force me to play PAL versions and as the other guy mentioned, the optical drives for ancient hardware are starting to get rough. And then there is OPL for those who wish to run from an internal hard drive but the program is such a janky mess you unironically can play better on PCSX2 than OPL these days.
I've been using the PCSX2 emulator on my laptop for over two years now. I have over 200 roms for that emulator. The ones I play the most are Black, NHL Hitz Pro, God of War, Burnout Revenge, Friends, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Urban Chaos Riot Response. The gamepad I use for playing is a shock blue Xbox controller. It's the only controller I use to play my games.
Glad to hear you've been dabbling more into the PCSX emulator. It most definitely breathes a new life into a lot of games and enhances them. Speaking of enhances... I HIGHLY recommend looking into the GTA San Andreas enhanced for the PC. Youll still need to patch in the mods yourself. But once you do...oh man. It looks absolutely breathtaking! And that to me, I think is the "definitive" way to play it. Heck, it even has a custom radio channel to where you can drop your very own music files into there and you can jam out to your favorite early 90s classics and such.
I have no issues when using Vulkan as the renderer for racing games. Also good choice on the Nova lite, a very quality and versatile controller at a great price.
Is not nostalgia. I never played NFS Most Wanted 05 before 2024 and I love it more than any recent NFS. Games on the PS2 were just a better package than most of current games. Most of the current gaming marked needs updates, DLCs and extended editions to feel like complete games.
@kellhound8645 i also run it on my TV via dex dock, I had a program called multistar to run dex in 4k, but it wouldn't sync right with my tv, I'm guessing that's why dex only allows 1080p by default, even nes and snes emulators wouldn't run full speed no matter what I put the resolution and settings at, so I un-installed multistar, which is on the Samsung store, and now everything is running beautifully again
@@douglasscott7551 I usually use a generic USB hub with 4k HDMI out with my games stored on a micro SD card. I can go up to 4K on a few android emulators but I rarely do. My middle age eyes can't really tell the difference. As for as RPCS3 I actually tried it using Winlator to run the emulator when I first got my phone. The results were not pretty I managed to finally get 1 game to run at a blazing 8 fps, hahaha. The SD 8 gen 3 with adreno 750 IGPU is powerful but I think PS3 emulation is a bit much.
I just got into emulators in last 2 week . The ps2 one is the best one. There basically remastered and the games are easy find . Lot of them. I don't if you mentioned since I didn't watch all of the video. Some games need pressure sensitive buttons like the original ps 2 and 3. The ps4 the trigger buttons are. Was playing Psi ops the mindgate conspiracy with a xbox 360 controller original but couldn't get past a tutorial for a power because need pressure sensitive trigger . Changed to ps4 worked great.
True, but at the same time, wired controllers (fixes some input latency) and connecting a cheap PC to a CRT/older TV just for emulators are possible as well
I would agree when PCSX2 was a mediocre emulator with a outdated UI and lack of per game settings Nowadays? I think "original hardware will always be best way" is just nostalgia bias at this point
I curated some top 100 rom lists lately, and I had problems with two systems. Those systems were the Playstation and PS2. There's just... SO MUCH. SO MANY GAMES. AND GOOD ONES. It's so hard to cut games off the list. So screw it. I got 150 or so of each.
i was getting a blur effect when i was started, but this video inspired me to tinker with it. the games look great now, but theyre locked at 30fps? ill keep tinkering.
I was on a PCSX 2 kick. I just hate going back and fourth with graphics setting between some games like the Baulders gate snowblind engine games run a specific setting and I was trying to replay Tony Hawk but man I am Trash at those games. I wanna blame the emulation input. Some of these old games are like seeing an old friend.
Random fact about these guys that made it, if you go into their Discord and ask them why their server picture is still pride themed on November, they'll ban you. These guys are nuts.
Bro, I wanted to not even watch the video and just say something like “Nah man, playing on a real PS2 is just the best” but I’m glad I didn’t do that. That would have also heen hypocritical because I replayed Kingdom Hearts II on the same emulator and I liked it. You said something about an Xbox360 emulator? 👀
in case your country block access, you need to use vpn or proxy to make it searchable. But if you hesitant on the research, I suggest you just stick to PC gaming, because some of the PS2 classics are just pure nostalgia with no other merit, you'll ended up only spending 5-30hrs max on it, I can guarantee... It is just better to play some indies, especially if you have handheld
I respectfully disagree with the entire video. Pcsx2 is the worst emulator it is a buggy laggy mess. Best way to play ps2 games is on original hardware. The paper emulator was better than the ps2 emulator.
umm, many people doesn't have the hardware, in case you didn't notice. And majority of games are unavailable physically. If this wasn't clear enough factor to tell.
@nickochioneantony9288 I have been able to get working copies of ps2 games and even though the fat boy model is expensive the ps2 slim isn't that bad. Also too instead of wasting the money for newer consoles buy the old ones or get a fair trade. The options are open and you don't need to waste 700 dollars for a console.
@@videogamemadness1582emulators & its ROM is free, and you must expect some drawback on using free product, it's just how it is. And why opt for spending comparison if you can get the alternative for free? If you don't feel emulators are justifiable, just watch some rant on piracy or Louis Rossmann. But anyhow, I don't think any normal gamers would spend their time on old product aside from the nostalgia factor... I played PS and GBA games just for reminding myself of good old times, but never spend more than 30hrs realistically. Newer games has better innovation and better mechanics (unless you play AAA). Some hit indies like Hades, Satisfactory, Dead Cells, and any Bethesda games from 2017 & older can be played on integrated graphics. That is much better spending instead of an old Console, a controller, a memory card, and video adapter.
PCSX2 has improved a whole lot that I don't agree with that sentiment anymore, I would probably give worst emulator title so far to Xenia that needs a frontend (Xenia Manager) to be usable
@@speed3414 He has probably not updated since v1.4. Since the emulator back then didn't have auto updates for the dev builds, people just kept 1.4 or 1.6 installed until now.
For real: I could listen to you tallkng about retrogaming for hours. One of the most selfironic youtubers😆 Greeting from germany One day i will play shadow of collosus or the god of war ps2 titles on PC. For the first time 🫡
This may be Kevin's greatest video. These in depth guides to not only installing emulators which can be tricky, but it tells you what games to play, why they are important, and what it means to him.
Kevin you're a great storyteller please do more things like this.
Sunday evening, new Basement Gamer video... pretty much can't get better than this nowadays. Please don't ever stop making videos, man! This channel is overly underrated (is that a thing even?)
It’s underexposed not underrated, I rate it highly and I’d imagine those who subscribe do too
@Mrbigsaks Indeed, you found the right word: underexposed! 💪🏻
👊🏻
Sunday evening is also a new Basement Brothers video for me ! (not related to our friend right here :p )
Life's good
Couldn’t agree more, such chill laid back videos. Calm background music, love it.
PCSX2 is fantastic
I love emulation a lot .it brought me so much joy over the years
PS2 is at almost 160M, Nintendo DS is second with 154M and Switch is 3rd with 144M sold till end of October.
Lotte-CRT in the Graphics, Post processing, shader drop down menu of PCSX2. Gives it the natural 3d feeling from TVs of that era. Well worth it. These games are so nostalgic. Remember playing a game and not being asked consent to collect your information when you start up? Being upsold in menus or the end of rounds? Amazing to see game elements from this generation make its way into shitty mobile games, because the loop mechanic is so satisfying. So many bangers.
Honestly going back to older games is never a problem for me. Im 45 and I still have fun with games like Space Invaders and Centipede.
A actual physical ps2 console and games are the best way to go. Get your beloved nostalgic physical media
As the most common point of failure I've found on PS2s is the optical drive, I'd say it depends on the console.
Personally even on original hardware I use Free McBoot and a drive in the expansion bay - I have a 3.5" 500GB IDE drive in there but more modern SATA adapter exist now, allowing you to easily run an SSD instead. Faster, quieter, more reliable.
Or if you don't mind the potential reliability issues or the cost of a Frankenstein mod when the GPU finally pops, you can get a fully backwards compatible PS3 and run PS2 games that way, from disc or SSD too.
PS2 on PS4 is possible as well, although I'd recommend compiling your own builds from source files so you can tweak the emulators for best performance. Depends how far you wanna go with it, but it's possible to keep a PC out of the picture and stick with PlayStation hardware for PS2 games.
Modded PS2 with OpenPS2Loader is better so you can run your backed up copies and keep your physical copies safe
Nah. Region locks would force me to play PAL versions and as the other guy mentioned, the optical drives for ancient hardware are starting to get rough.
And then there is OPL for those who wish to run from an internal hard drive but the program is such a janky mess you unironically can play better on PCSX2 than OPL these days.
I've been using the PCSX2 emulator on my laptop for over two years now. I have over 200 roms for that emulator. The ones I play the most are Black, NHL Hitz Pro, God of War, Burnout Revenge, Friends, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Urban Chaos Riot Response. The gamepad I use for playing is a shock blue Xbox controller. It's the only controller I use to play my games.
I thought you were holding a Stadia controller in the thumbnail. I was genuinely concerned for your mental state for a second.
I just got a Founders Edition for $5 and it's honestly not bad lol
It is Gamesir Nova Lite
the best parts of pcsx2 are you can download HD textures and then apply it, and also 60fps patch
One tip get a PS2 to PC USB adapter so you can play with a real PS2 controller on your pc. It works great!
Or just get a Dualshock 3/SixAxis. It has the pressure sensitive buttons too so it's like using an original controller.
Glad to hear you've been dabbling more into the PCSX emulator. It most definitely breathes a new life into a lot of games and enhances them. Speaking of enhances... I HIGHLY
recommend looking into the GTA San Andreas enhanced for the PC. Youll still need to patch in the mods yourself. But once you do...oh man. It looks absolutely breathtaking! And that to me, I think is the "definitive" way to play it. Heck, it even has a custom radio channel to where you can drop your very own music files into there and you can jam out to your favorite early 90s classics and such.
The best way to play is on a PS2 hooked up to a nice CRT, preferably with an RGB connection.
You’d be right, the next best selling home console is the Switch but it’s actually the DS right behind the PS2
PCSX2 and PPSSPP are my two favorite emulators 👍
I use PCSX2 on my Steam Deck. Works great 👍
oh yes, this inspires me to finish jak 2 and ratchet and clank 3 love your channel, keep it up
I modded most of my consoles to play digital roms but I find myself just playing everything on my PC.
Basement gamer💯
you’re channel is going to go up for sure bro
I use a CFW PS3 slim with overclocked GPU - it uses a different emulator called ps2netemu
Kevin has now opened himself up to so much more just now
Fantastic video, loved it!🤣🤣
Love your videos man. Keep up the good work!
I have no issues when using Vulkan as the renderer for racing games. Also good choice on the Nova lite, a very quality and versatile controller at a great price.
Hey thanks for yours videos ❤
Jump into the RetroAchievements addin to bring even more fun to replaying the old favorites.
Dude! I literately have the same Doom Eternal image as my PC Desktop Wallpaper! crazy coincidence lol
Is not nostalgia. I never played NFS Most Wanted 05 before 2024 and I love it more than any recent NFS. Games on the PS2 were just a better package than most of current games. Most of the current gaming marked needs updates, DLCs and extended editions to feel like complete games.
Runs great on my s24, most games 3x resolution with some minor tweaks here and there
Same here, I sometimes hook my S24+ to my TV and BAM, i have a 1440p multi-platform gaming setup.
@kellhound8645 it works unbelievably good, wish rpcs3 would get an android port, would run great, rpcs3 is 95% cpu bound
@kellhound8645 i also run it on my TV via dex dock, I had a program called multistar to run dex in 4k, but it wouldn't sync right with my tv, I'm guessing that's why dex only allows 1080p by default, even nes and snes emulators wouldn't run full speed no matter what I put the resolution and settings at, so I un-installed multistar, which is on the Samsung store, and now everything is running beautifully again
@@douglasscott7551 I usually use a generic USB hub with 4k HDMI out with my games stored on a micro SD card. I can go up to 4K on a few android emulators but I rarely do. My middle age eyes can't really tell the difference. As for as RPCS3 I actually tried it using Winlator to run the emulator when I first got my phone. The results were not pretty I managed to finally get 1 game to run at a blazing 8 fps, hahaha. The SD 8 gen 3 with adreno 750 IGPU is powerful but I think PS3 emulation is a bit much.
I just got into emulators in last 2 week . The ps2 one is the best one. There basically remastered and the games are easy find . Lot of them. I don't if you mentioned since I didn't watch all of the video. Some games need pressure sensitive buttons like the original ps 2 and 3. The ps4 the trigger buttons are. Was playing Psi ops the mindgate conspiracy with a xbox 360 controller original but couldn't get past a tutorial for a power because need pressure sensitive trigger . Changed to ps4 worked great.
A while ago I was playing kingdom hearts 1 on pcsx2 and it ran great
I play on my laptop as well on my bed with wireless controller it’s so fun
Even tho I own a PS2, Once I get a PC I would love to see what PCSX2 is like.
Last time I used PCSX2 for Area 51, it unfortunately had a black artefacts on NPCs.
I have pscx2 on my series x and I run games at 4k no problem. Only one game I've ever encountered had minor graphical issues
Best way will always be original hardware.....
Facts. Emulation does open up doors though
I feel you on this one but at the same time the image and feel is just crazy when you have the PC to run PCSX2 at Max settings
True, but at the same time, wired controllers (fixes some input latency) and connecting a cheap PC to a CRT/older TV just for emulators are possible as well
I would agree when PCSX2 was a mediocre emulator with a outdated UI and lack of per game settings
Nowadays? I think "original hardware will always be best way" is just nostalgia bias at this point
I curated some top 100 rom lists lately, and I had problems with two systems.
Those systems were the Playstation and PS2.
There's just... SO MUCH.
SO MANY GAMES.
AND GOOD ONES.
It's so hard to cut games off the list.
So screw it. I got 150 or so of each.
whats the diffrence between this and emulator on ps3?
Try doing this on a steamdeck oled 😢😢😢😢 omg a match made in heaven
I do not know the joys of mango juice
i was getting a blur effect when i was started, but this video inspired me to tinker with it. the games look great now, but theyre locked at 30fps? ill keep tinkering.
12:10 is a rough statement 😂
Living the dream
I was on a PCSX 2 kick. I just hate going back and fourth with graphics setting between some games like the Baulders gate snowblind engine games run a specific setting and I was trying to replay Tony Hawk but man I am Trash at those games. I wanna blame the emulation input. Some of these old games are like seeing an old friend.
I have steam deck and I do play PCSX2 half of the time, considering the steam library that's big claim.
Random fact about these guys that made it, if you go into their Discord and ask them why their server picture is still pride themed on November, they'll ban you. These guys are nuts.
I play PS2 Games on my PC 4:3 not streatch out
Black is on gamepass looks pretty good on series x
I need a "Damn" counter for this damn video
happy birthday to meee
almost bought aa PS2 a
6
it still ps2 best
100% nostalgia. All these games were impressive at the time but we are not in the past its almost 2025
Dumb comment. A game's age doesn't equate quality
Or something.
I think you watch corn, I know this look
Dude you look so high 😂
Add hyper Street fighter 2
Bro, I wanted to not even watch the video and just say something like “Nah man, playing on a real PS2 is just the best” but I’m glad I didn’t do that. That would have also heen hypocritical because I replayed Kingdom Hearts II on the same emulator and I liked it. You said something about an Xbox360 emulator? 👀
Been watching your videos for ages, love them you always make me laugh, I'm interested in the PCSX2 Emulator where can I find it please, thank you
in case your country block access, you need to use vpn or proxy to make it searchable.
But if you hesitant on the research, I suggest you just stick to PC gaming, because some of the PS2 classics are just pure nostalgia with no other merit, you'll ended up only spending 5-30hrs max on it, I can guarantee... It is just better to play some indies, especially if you have handheld
@@nickochioneantony9288 Thank you for your advice, very much appreciated
@@nickochioneantony9288 Thank you for the advice, very much appreciated
What
PS2 fat cost $10, HDMI adapter $2, HDD adapter $15, HDD $5-10, FMBC card $3, controller $10-15 - this is the best way.
No way I'm paying all that
You literally used a bunch of mods and filters so its not a ps2 anymore its a pc. Original hardware runs and looks like dog water.
@@Slycoomer56 ur existence is a bugs life bro burning up from the 480p light like a vampire
I respectfully disagree with the entire video. Pcsx2 is the worst emulator it is a buggy laggy mess. Best way to play ps2 games is on original hardware. The paper emulator was better than the ps2 emulator.
umm, many people doesn't have the hardware, in case you didn't notice. And majority of games are unavailable physically.
If this wasn't clear enough factor to tell.
@nickochioneantony9288 I have been able to get working copies of ps2 games and even though the fat boy model is expensive the ps2 slim isn't that bad. Also too instead of wasting the money for newer consoles buy the old ones or get a fair trade. The options are open and you don't need to waste 700 dollars for a console.
@@videogamemadness1582emulators & its ROM is free, and you must expect some drawback on using free product, it's just how it is.
And why opt for spending comparison if you can get the alternative for free? If you don't feel emulators are justifiable, just watch some rant on piracy or Louis Rossmann.
But anyhow, I don't think any normal gamers would spend their time on old product aside from the nostalgia factor... I played PS and GBA games just for reminding myself of good old times, but never spend more than 30hrs realistically.
Newer games has better innovation and better mechanics (unless you play AAA). Some hit indies like Hades, Satisfactory, Dead Cells, and any Bethesda games from 2017 & older can be played on integrated graphics. That is much better spending instead of an old Console, a controller, a memory card, and video adapter.
PCSX2 has improved a whole lot that I don't agree with that sentiment anymore, I would probably give worst emulator title so far to Xenia that needs a frontend (Xenia Manager) to be usable
@@speed3414 He has probably not updated since v1.4. Since the emulator back then didn't have auto updates for the dev builds, people just kept 1.4 or 1.6 installed until now.
The best way to play ps2 games - buy an actual ps2
nah my setup is better
For real:
I could listen to you tallkng about retrogaming for hours. One of the most selfironic youtubers😆
Greeting from germany
One day i will play shadow of collosus or the god of war ps2 titles on PC. For the first time 🫡