DuckStation – New only best PlayStation 1 emulator for PC and Android

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DuckStation is a free and open-source Sony PlayStation (PS/PS1/PSX/PSone/ PS One) game console emulator for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android platforms, developed primarily by Connor McLaughlin (stenzek) from Australia – who is also one of the more active developers of Dolphin (Nintendo’s NGC/Wii emulator) in recent years. It can be regarded as the best successor to ePSXe. That is, ePSXe is no longer the #1 PS emulator, it is now.

DuckStation provies a fully-featured frontend built with Qt, as well as a fullscreen/TV UI based on Dear ImGui. It features PGXP, upscaling, texture filtering, overclocking, advanced “cheat” code support, CHD support, and a graphical interface. And, it focuses on playability, speed, and long-term maintainability. Its goal is to achieve as high emulation accuracy as possible on relatively low-end devices.

DuckStation can automatically detect the game ROM (.bin, .iso and other formats need to have the corresponding .cue file) and BIOS file information, no manual setup is required; supports two-player split-screen gaming; supports touch-screen virtual keys, keyboard input and external gamepads, and the gamepad supports SDL and XInput; can adjust resolution and MSAA anti-aliasing; provides a multi-language user interface; supports PGXP and xRB texture enhancement features; supports instant, multiple game saves; supports game acceleration, pause, frame progress; supports goldfinger cheating, etc.

Compared with the classic ePSXe, DuckStation runs more smoothly and stably, its picture is clearer, has more games that can be perfectly emulated, and it is easier to use. Also, it can directly change various configurations while the game is running, especially the image quality enhancement options can be switched on/off instantly. In addition, DuckStation generates a separate memory card file for each game based on the game’s ID, so you won’t run out of the storage space of memory card. BTW, according to the official data from RetroArch, DuckStation’s execution efficiency is better than Beetle PSX HW.

In addition, DuckStation’s PGXP feature can optimize the situation of picture distortion and jitter previously seen in emulators such as ePSXe (which is especially true at high resolution). Due to the insufficient function of PS 1 machine, its modeling accuracy and texture perspective are problematic when dealing with 3D graphics. PGXP is a hack feature that provides more accurate modeling and corrected texture. It makes the texture of PlayStation games no longer distorted or deformed, and greatly reduces the problem of image jitter.

// Key Features //

  • CPU Recompiler/JIT (x86-64, armv7/AArch32 and AArch64)
  • Hardware (D3D11, OpenGL, Vulkan) and software rendering
  • Upscaling, texture filtering, and true colour (24-bit) in hardware renderers
  • PGXP for geometry precision, texture correction, and depth buffer emulation
  • Adaptive downsampling filter
  • Post processing shader chains
  • “Fast boot” for skipping BIOS splash/intro
  • Save state support
  • Windows, Linux, highly experimental macOS support
  • Supports bin/cue images, raw bin/img files, and MAME CHD formats.
  • Direct booting of homebrew executables
  • Direct loading of Portable Sound Format (psf) files
  • Digital and analog controllers for input (rumble is forwarded to host)
  • Namco GunCon lightgun support (simulated with mouse)
  • NeGcon support
  • Qt and NoGUI frontends for desktop
  • Automatic updates for Windows builds
  • Automatic content scanning – game titles/hashes are provided by redump.org
  • Optional automatic switching of memory cards for each game
  • Supports loading cheats from libretro or PCSXR format lists
  • Memory card editor and save importer
  • Emulated CPU overclocking
  • Integrated and remote debugging
  • Multitap controllers (up to 8 devices)
  • RetroAchievements
  • Automatic loading/applying of PPF patches

// Default Controls //

Controller Hotkeys
  • D-Pad: W/A/S/D
  • Triangle/Square/Circle/Cross: Numpad8/Numpad4/Numpad6/Numpad2
  • L1/R1: Q/E
  • L2/R2: 1/3
  • Start: Enter
  • Select: Backspace
  • Escape: Power off console
  • ALT+ENTER: Toggle fullscreen
  • Tab: Temporarily disable speed limiter
  • Space: Pause/resume emulation

// Fan Made Demo Videos //

// System Requirements //

  • Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable Packages
  • PlayStation BIOS files

// Prompts //

  • The default folders for DuckStation to find are all under Documents. It is recommended to set them in the program directory!
  • The memory card file of DuckStation and ePSXe is universal. You just need to change the file name to transfer ePSXe’s memory card file to DuckStation.
  • DuckStation requires very low hardware configuration, and can run on almost any CPU. But the CPU must be 64-bit, otherwise the recompilation process will be slow.
  • In terms of graphics card, it requires your GPU to support OpenGL 3.0/OpenGL ES 3.0, D3D11 and above, or Vulkan. Basically, graphics cards of the last 10 years can meet this requirement.
  • DuckStation has been integrated into RetroArch, a universal emulator. Players can download it via RetroArch’s Online Updater feature.
  • The PGXP function can be enabled in 3D games normally, but that can be problematic in 2D games. Some games work better when the CPU mode is turned on in advanced settings. Anyway, you can always turn off the PGXP feature with one click if you find problems while playing some game.
  • To switch to landscape mode in Android Emulator: App Settings – General – Emulation Screen Orientation…

// Tips //

  • To get both best graphics quality and best performance, you can try my settings for low-configuration computers:
    1. Enter “Setting/Enhancement Settings
    2. Change “Internal Resolution Scale” to “5x
    3. Change “Texture Filtering” to “Bilinear
    4. Check “True Color Rendering (24-bit, disables dithering)
    5. Check “Widescreen Hack (render 3D in display aspect ratio)
    6. Check “Chroma Smoothing For 24-Bit Display (reduce FMV color blockyness
    7. Check “Geometry Correction
    8. Check “Culling Correction
    9. Check “Texture Correction
    10. Check “Preserve Projection Precision

// Related Links //

// Download URLs //

License Version Download Size
for Windows/Mac/Linux
Freeware Latest n/a
for Android
Freeware Latest (mir) n/a

*** v0.1-5624 is the final version that supports Windows 8.1-.

(Homepage | GitHub)

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