Sony PlayStation

• Folder: roms/psx/
• BIOS required? Optional, some games require one.

The BIOS files aren't strictly required for emulation, but can dramatically improve compatibility and accuracy. As a replacement for any of the first 3 BIOS files mentioned above, it is also possible to use the PSXONPSP660.bin BIOS. This BIOS comes from the PSP, is region-free and can sometimes offer better performance. Their md5 checksums and expected paths are as follows:

PlayStation ROMs typically come in the modern .cue/.bin format. The .cue sheets contain the metadata of where the 'data tracks' on the disc are physically located, and the .bin files are the actual data. They must retain the same filename (the .cue file is just a text file that points to the .bin file) and be in the same directory to function together. When loading PSX ROMs, be sure to select the .cue file, not the .bin file. Some games may work (with glitches) with just the .bin file loaded, but most don't. Refer to CD image formats for more info.

Older PlayStation ROMs may have been ripped in .iso image format (which may also use the .img extension), which is a direct representation of the data on the disc. Some emulators are incompatible with this format. This format typically only allows loading the first .bin file, and no others. In order to properly use the ROM like this, get the .iso/.img file and pair it with its CUE sheet. There are tools that can do this automatically for you.

.pbp is a proprietary format made by Sony to store PlayStation games (even multi-disc ones) in a compressed format for their PS1-on-PSP downloadable content games. There are tools to convert to and from this format. Using this format is not recommended as it can cause issues with certain games.

The .cue and .bin files are combined when compressed into a CHD file, so only the .chd file needs to be present and loaded. This is the recommended format.

Place your Sony PlayStation ROMs in /userdata/roms/psx/.

PAL copy protected games need a SBI subchannel file next to the .bin/.cue/.chd files in order to get past the copy-protection. For example:

Game (Europe).bin
Game (Europe).cue
Game (Europe).sbi

To automatically load the next disc of a game, you can use a .m3u playlist file. To make one, simply create a text file with the same filename as your intended game name (it could be anything, really). Within that text file, write the names of the .cue sheets or .chd files for your game discs. For instance, if your game's .cue sheets were structured like

roms/
└─ psx/
   ├─ Final Fantasy VII (Disc 1).cue
   ├─ Final Fantasy VII (Disc 1).bin
   ├─ Final Fantasy VII (Disc 2).cue
   ├─ Final Fantasy VII (Disc 2).bin
   ├─ Final Fantasy VII (Disc 3).cue
   └─ Final Fantasy VII (Disc 3).bin

you would put the following as text into the Final Fantasy VII.m3u text file:

Final Fantasy VII.m3u

Final Fantasy VII (Disc 1).cue
Final Fantasy VII (Disc 2).cue
Final Fantasy VII (Disc 3).cue

Save the text file with the file extension .m3u and place it in the roms/psx/ folder along with the game's discs. When you get to the end of that disc, the next disc will be automatically loaded. If this fails, you can utilize Retroarch's 'Disc Control' menu in the Quick Menu ( [HOTKEY] + in-game) to eject a disc and insert another (Swap Disc is for legacy purposes and should not be used). Refer to multi-disc games for more info.

DuckStation is focused on playability, speed, and long-term maintainability. The goal of the emulator is to be as accurate as possible while maintaining performance on a broad range of devices. “Hack” options are discouraged, and the default configuration should support all playable games with only some of the enhancements having compatibility issues. 64-bit CPUs are required for recompiler support for maximum performance.

Batocera uses the latest standalone version of Duckstation. Performs well on lower end x86_64 systems.

Standardized features available to all cores of this emulator: psx.videomode, psx.ratio

Other configuration settings must be configured from within DuckStation's standalone emu-config ([F1] on the systems list → Applications).

DuckStation's Quick Menu can be opened up with [HOTKEY] + .

RetroArch has its own page.

PCSX ReARMed is an optimized PCSX fork for ARM based systems like the Raspberry Pi, but also works on x86.

Standardized features for this core: psx.autosave, psx.use_guns, psx.cheevos

Other configuration settings must be configured from RetroArch's Quick Menu (Hotkey+).

SwanStation is a port of an older version of DuckStation to a libretro core. This version does not receive the same upstream patches that DuckStation currently does, so as time goes on the feature set between this and DuckStation will diverge further.

SwanStation shares its configuration with Duckstation, but omits threaded_presentation, vsync, frameskip, region, custom_textures, rumble, digital_mode and multitap.

Standardized features for this core: psx.autosave, psx.cheevos

In older Batocera versions, these settings can only be adjusted with RetroArch's Quick Menu ([HOTKEY] + ).

A port of DuckStation as a libretro core. Is mostly the same as DuckStation standalone but conforms to the limitations of being a libretro core.

Old libretro: DuckStation configuration (for older Batocera versions which still had it)

Standardized features for this core: psx.autosave, psx.cheevos

ES setting name batocera.conf key	Description ⇒ ES option key value
SHOW BIOS BOOTLOGO psx.duckstation_PatchFastBoot	Enhancement. Skips the BIOS boot animation. Some games require the animation to function correctly, most can skip it fine. Duckstation uses the official BIOS, some games look for this specific animation before booting so turn it on for those games. ⇒ Off true, On false.
USE SOFTWARE RENDERING psx.gpu_software	More accurate emulation, but slower. ⇒ Off False, On True.
RENDERING RESOLUTION psx.duckstation_resolution_scale	Enhancement. Multiplies the internal rendering resolution. Improves the clarity of 3D objects. Do note that some games would run at their own unique but similar resolutions. Therefore, the listed resolutions may not be 100% accurate. Extreme performance cost. ⇒ 1x (native) 1, 2x 2, 3x (720p) 3, 4x 4, 5x (1080p) 5, 6x (1440p) 6, 7x 7, 8x 8, 9x 9.
ANTI-ALIASING (MSAA/SSAA) psx.duckstation_antialiasing	Enhancement. Applies MSAA or SSAA to smooth out jagged edges on 3D object polygons. Most noticeable at lower resolutions. Does not affect textures. The sharp edges of polygons are usually masked by the blurry video output of the PSX, but digital displays may feature them more prominently. This can alleviate that. The PSX does not have any native anti-aliasing. Enabling this can cause rendering errors. Cheaper than multiplying the rendering resolution, but not by much. ⇒ Off 1, 2x MSAA 2, 4x MSAA 4, 8x MSAA 8, 16x MSAA 16, 32x MSAA 32, 2x SSAA 2-ssaa, 4x SSAA 4-ssaa, 8x SSAA 8-ssaa, 16x SSAA 16-ssaa, 32x SSAA 32-ssaa.
TEXTURE FILTERING psx.duckstation_texture_filtering	Enhancement. Applies texture filtering to all textures. Minimal performance cost. Nearest for an authentic experience, Bilinear for a “neutral” improvement (think N64), xBR/Jinc2 for smart upscaling (subjective improvement). ⇒ Nearest Nearest, Bilinear Bilinear, JINC2 JINC2, xBR xBR.
WIDESCREEN HACK psx.duckstation_widescreen_hack	Enhancement. Widescreen hack. Very glitchy. Only works when using a 16:9 video mode and with bezels (decorations) disabled. Recommended to use game patches where possible instead. Some games natively support 16:9 in their in-game options. ⇒ Off false, On true.
CROP MODE psx.duckstation_CropMode	Zooms in the display to hide black borders. Not all PSX games have the same sized black borders. ⇒ Off None, Only Overscan Area Overscan, All Borders Borders.
CONTROLLER 1 TYPE psx.duckstation_Controller1	Refer to Controls. ⇒ None None, Digital Controller 1, Analog Controller (DualShock) 5, Analog Stick 517, Namco GunCon 260, PlayStation Mouse 258, NeGcon 773.
CONTROLLER 2 TYPE psx.duckstation_Controller2	Same as above but for port 2. ⇒ None None, Digital Controller 1, Analog Controller (DualShock) 5, Analog Stick 517, Namco GunCon 260, PlayStation Mouse 258, NeGcon 773.

Beetle PSX is a standalone fork of Mednafen PSX core to the libretro API. Offers a lot of options to enhance graphics and geometry. Highly recommended for x86_64 systems with a decent GPU.

Standardized features for this core: psx.autosave, psx.cheevos

Other configuration settings must be configured from RetroArch's Quick Menu ( [HOTKEY] + ).

The PlayStation had many types of controllers throughout its life, starting with the digital controller which only had a D-pad, face buttons and shoulder buttons, then the Analog controller which added two joysticks to the center and finally the DualShock which added vibration. A game needs to explicitly support a controller to function with it, most supported at least the digital controller. The Analog and Dualshock controller had an “Analog” button to switch between being its native self or a virtual digital controller so it could function with older games; this is generally not emulated yet so the best recommendation is to stick with digital controllers unless you know your game explicitly supports a later one. By default, Batocera will enable Joystick to D-pad so that the joystick will function as a virtual D-pad.

The PlayStation also had alternative controllers such as the dance mat (same as the digital controller) or the analog joystick (same as the analog controller). Other controllers such as the Namco GunCon, the neGcon or the PlayStation Mouse would use their own interface, requiring the game to specifically support it.

The default button mapping to the PSX controller is as follows: