Welcome to PC emulation. This board covers emulation on Windows, Linux and macOS, from lightweight retro setups on an old laptop to demanding sixth and seventh generation systems on a gaming PC or a Steam Deck in desktop mode.
What belongs here
• Standalone emulators such as Dolphin, PCSX2, RPCS3, DuckStation, PPSSPP, Cemu, xemu, Xenia and many others
• RetroArch and its cores on desktop operating systems
• Performance tuning: graphics backends, resolution scaling, shader compilation stutter and frame pacing
• Controllers, light guns and input setup on PC
• Linux-specific setups, Flatpaks and handheld PCs running desktop operating systems
What doesn't
• Organising your library in ES-DE, LaunchBox, Playnite or Pegasus: Frontends & launchers
• MAME, FinalBurn and cabinet builds: Arcade, MAME & cabinets
• CRT shaders and bezels: Shaders, bezels & CRT looks
• Android, iPhone and iPad: Android emulation and iPhone & iPad emulation
• Writing or debugging emulator code: Emulator development
How to ask so people can help
1. Your CPU, GPU, RAM and operating system, including the version
2. The emulator name and version (stable or development build)
3. The graphics backend you are using, such as Vulkan, OpenGL or Direct3D
4. The game, and whether it is a known problem on the emulator's compatibility list
5. Settings you have changed and what you have already tried
6. The exact error message, or the relevant lines from the log
Starter knowledge
• Keep your GPU drivers up to date. A surprising number of crashes and graphical glitches are driver issues rather than emulator bugs.
• Shader compilation stutter is normal in many newer emulators. Most cache shaders as you play, so the first run through an area is usually the worst.
• Each emulator's own documentation and quick-start guide is the best place to begin. Read it before changing advanced settings.
• Raising the internal resolution looks great but costs GPU power. If a game struggles, set it back to native first and work up from there.
• Some emulators need system files such as a BIOS or console firmware. Follow the emulator's official guide, and where files come from a console, use your own.
• Development builds move fast. If something worked yesterday and breaks today, try the previous build before rewriting your configuration.
Legal and safety
Emulators are welcome topics. Piracy is not. Do not link, share or request ROMs, ISOs, BIOS files, firmware, decryption keys or copyrighted games, and do not point people towards where to find them. Dump your own games and system files from hardware you own. No malware, no repacks of emulators with dodgy installers, and no selling or paid services.
The general house rules apply here as everywhere: be kind, English only (other languages are translated automatically), no spam, no keyboard mashing and no self-promotion spam. Use Report on anything that breaks the rules. This thread is locked, so please start your own thread in this board for questions.
Dexter
0 views