If you are reading this article, you are one of those admirers of immortal Sony PlayStation. We are sure that some of your pals are boasting of playing legendary console games, still not on an old physical console (which is quite difficult to get), but on their personal computers. Have you ever wonder how it is possible to run retro games on a comp or any other device. We bet you have, which means that you are not a complete ignoramus in the matters of emulation. Those who want to play PS1 games avail themselves of special programs that act as a physical console and PS1 ROMs, which, as you might have guessed, are copies of games.
- Despite the common opinion that using emulators is an unseemly practice, we should inform you that emulators themselves are not considered illegal as long as you are not using them for making profit. So, there is nothing criminal about you getting a similar program from the Web and running it on your machine.
- The use of ROMs, in its turn, arouses heated discussions within the circles of PS1 fans. The naked truth is that using ROMs are illegal. You might have knows that all the rights to a certain game belong to those who developed this game. That’s it. So, technically, we have no right to take advantage of copies of the games that we didn’t acquire legally. Therefore, if you decide to download the ROMs of your favorite PG games, you should be aware of the fact that your actions may be deemed illegal. Still, this fact doesn’t prevent slews of PS fans from downloading tons of ROMs from the Internet daily.
Now when you know about the legal subtleties of using emulator and ROMs, you are ready to get acquainted with the list of the most popular and effective emulators that can help you run PS1 games on your machine.
Mednafen
If you are to get an all-in-one emulator, then, Mednafen is just for you. This program is perfectly compatible not only with PS1 we are talking now, but also with such cult systems as Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and Gameboy Advance. Thus, by downloading this emulator you will be able to kill several birds with one stone. Still, there is one thing you should know prior to taking advantage of this emulator. If you are planning on using Mednafen for playing PSX games, you should be prepared for ripping the BIOS files of the aforenamed system all by yourself. So, if you are not eager to tinker with the BIOS, you may want to explore some other options.
RetroArch
You must have heard about good old RetroArch, the emulator that gets alone with such popular operating systems as Windows, Linux, and Mac. This emulator can be used for running games on Android devices, as well. RetroArch can support almost all popular PS1 games. The developers of this emulator provide you with a chance to configure the keys, rewind your game in real time, use shedders, add smoothing effects, and use a gamepad. There is one more thing! With the help of Netplay, you will be able to play online and get even more pleasure from the gameplay.
PlayStation Portable Emulator: PPSSPP
PlayStation Portable Emulator: PPSSPP also compatible with various operating systems. PPSSPP can be used with different types of controllers. It allows users to save the in-game progress and resume playing from the point where they left off. The emulator incorporates visual enhancements, which makes your game look more “old-school-ish.” PPSSPP also can boast of save/load states and supports for game pads.
