Emulators Guide
- Date: Apr 17,2008
What is an emulator?
An Emulator (or “Emu”) is “hardware and/or Software that allows a computer or other device to act as if it was another type of machine. For example Emulators are used on computers to emulate Games consoles such as the N64, MegaDrive and PlayStation.”
Can I have multiple emus/programs on my memory stick(s)?
Yes, just create separate identical folders on both memory sticks for each emulator or program.
Is running emulators at 333mhz safe?
This isn’t necessarily overclocking the PSP since the CPU *IS* a 333mhz CPU. However it will be quite a drain on your battery, which is why the current PSP UMD games do not utilize this CPU speed. So far there have been NO reports of 333mhz harming the PSP, but this option is relatively new so still use at your own risk.
There are so many different emulators, which ones are the best?
Most systems now have multiple emulators for them on PSP, below are my personal recommendations for each system I have tried:
NES: NesterJ is definitely the best NES emulator.
Mega Drive / Genesis: This goes to Megadrive for PSP in my opinion.
Snes: This goes to the “Y” series of Snes9x (Snes9XY##)
GameBoy: There is only one but it is excellent and that is RIN.
PC Engine / Turbo Grafx 16: PCE for PSP for its great speed and wealth of features.
Why is the emulator game playing so slow?
First, they are running purely on the PSP’s processor. There is no graphics acceleration like on the official UMD games for PSP. Second, these emulators are new and hence not fully living up to their potential and some have quite a few bugs. However, most emus have settings which can compensate for the slowdown. Enabling Frameskip (3-4 frames), increasing the CPU speed (266-333mhz), and turning off the sound or lowering the quality of sound is sometimes necessary in order for some games to run at a decent speed. It will vary game to game - experiment and see what works best for you!!
Where can I find game ROMs for these emulators?
First, its important to note that not all ROMs are legal. Some are commercial ROMs and illegal to have unless you own a copy of that game.
When will an emulator for a certain game system will come out?
Unfortunately, we’re not psychic, so your guess is probably as good as ours. If you want to jump into porting or making an emulator, you can get started on PSDev Forums . Currently there are no emulators for many systems. There is no point in posting threads requesting emulators such as Nintendo64, GBA, or PSX. When 16-bit emulators such as SNES get running at full speed, than you can expect to see emulators for the following generation of consoles.
Emulators List
There are many Emulators out there for PSP, and they are being updated extremely fast. Here is a little summary of many of the popular ones.
Also check this dcemu forum for complete reviews.
1) GameBoy/GameBoy Color
RIN: This is a GameBoy/GameBoy Color Emulator for PSP by Mr. Mirakichi.
Folder: PSP/GAME/*ANY*
ROM File Extension: .GB, .GBC
Zip Support: YES
Menu Button: L Trigger
Additional Information: Putting ROMs in subfolder ROMS works well
2) GBA
VBA: This is a GameBoy Advance Emulator for PSP.
Folder: PSP/GAME/VBAPSP
ROM File Extension: .GBA
Zip Support: NO
Menu Button:
Additional Information: Your folders must be named VBAPSP% and VBAPSP (just VBAPSP with 1.0).Rename your UNZIPPED (not compressed) ROM to ROM.GBA and place it into the VBAPSP folder.A seperate file selector with instructions can be found in our files section.
3) MAME
M.A.M.E.: This is a MAME Emulator for PSP by TMK.
Folder: PSP/GAME/MAME
ROM File Extension: .ZIP
Zip Support: YES
Menu Button:
Additional Information: Zipped ROMs go in “ROMS” subfolder, not KXploit friendly. For more info see this thread.
xMAME: This is a MAME Emulator for PSP.
Folder: PSP/GAME/MAME/
ROM File Extension: .ZIP
Zip Support: MUST be ZIPPED
Menu Button:
Additional Information: Operating Details, Not KXploit friendly
4) MSX
fMSX: This is a MSX Emulator for PSP by Osakana.
Folder: PSP/GAME/MSX
ROM File Extension: .ROM for Cartridge, .DSK for Disks
Zip Support: YES
Menu Button: L Trigger
Additional Information: Place Bios files in the PSP/GAME/MSX/BIOS/
HITBIT: This is a MSX Emulator for PSP by Mariko.
Folder: PSP/GAME/
ROM File Extension:
Zip Support:
Menu Button:
Additional Information:
5) Neo Geo
ngPSP: This is a Neo Geo Emulator for PSP by NeXis2600
Folder: PSP/GAME/NGPSP
ROM File Extension: .NGP
Zip Support: NO
Menu Button:
Additional Information: Additional needed folders: “Battery”, “State”, “Roms”. Select button for Menu.
Neo Geo CD: This is a Neo Geo CD Emulator for PSP by Matinez Fabrice and Fosters
Folder: PSP/GAME/NEOCD
ROM File Extension:
Zip Support:
Menu Button: L Trigger
Additional Information: Left trigger = Exit, Archive all files in your NEOGEO CD to zip file named “neocd.zip”. Get NEOGEO CD BIOS.
/PSP/GAME/NEOCD
+ EBOOT.PBP
+ STARTUP.BIN
+ loading.bmp
+ NEOCD.BIN (BIOS)
+ NEOCD.ZIP (CD contents)
6) NES
NesterJ: This is a Nintendo Emulator for PSP by Ruka.
Folder: PSP/GAME/*ANY*
Accepted ROM File Extensions: .NES
Zip Support: YES
Menu Button: L Trigger
Additional Information: ROMs can go anywhere in the NesterJ folder or sub folders.
7) PC Engine (Turbo Grafx 16)
PCEP: This is a Turbo Grafx 16 Emulator for PSP.
Folder: PSP/GAME/*ANY*
Accepted ROM File Extensions: .PCE
Zip Support: YES
Menu Button: L Trigger
Additional Information: Supports TG-16/PCE and 2-disk roms like street fighter 2
PSPE (PSP on PC)
PSPE: This is a PSP v1.0 Emulator for the PC. This Emulates a PSP with v1.0 Firmware on the PC. Developers use it to test their code.
9) Sega Genesis/Megadrive
PSPGenesis: This is a Genesis Emulator for PSP by Sougen
Folder: PSP/GAME/PSPGenesis
Accepted ROM File Extensions: .BIN and .SMD
Zip Support: NO
Menu Button: Select
Additional Information: Place ROMs anywhere, You’ll not be able to use this emulator if you don’t add the ’system.fnt’ file on the memory stick with the EBOOT.
Generator: This is a Genesis Emulator for PSP by Osakana.
Folder: PSP/GAME/*ANY*
Accepted ROM File Extensions: must be GEN.BIN
Zip Support: NO
Menu Button: No Menu
Additional Information: To exit back to PSP menu press start+select
Megadrive: This is a Genesis Emulator for PSP by Kamisama
Folder: PSP/GAME/*ANY*
Accepted ROM File Extensions: .SMD and .BIN (only when inside a .ZIP)
Zip Support: YES
Menu Button: Select
Additional Information:
10) SMS
SMS This is a Sega Master System Emulator for PSP by Yoshihiro.
Folder: PSP/GAME/SMS
Accepted ROM File Extensions: .SMS, .GG
Zip Support: NO
Menu Button: Triangle
Additional Information: SELECT: Sound toggle, L&R: Quit. ROms must go in a folder named “ROMS” inside the SMS folder.
11) SNES
Snes9x: This is a Super Nintendo Emulator for PSP by Bifuteki, Yoshihiro, “Y”, and “J”.
Folder: PSP/GAME/*ANY*
Accepted ROM File Extensions: .SMC and .SFC
Zip Support: YES
Menu Button: Stick Left
Additional Information:
12) Wonderswan
Cygne: This is a Wonderswan Emulator for PSP by REi
Folder: PSP/GAME/*ANY*
Accepted ROM File Extensions: .WS and .WSC
Zip Support: YES
Menu Button: Select
Additional Information: has fullscreen and key config options
PSwan: This is another Wonderswan Emulator for PSP
Folder: PSP/GAME/*ANY*
Accepted ROM File Extensions: .ws, .wsc
Zip Support: No
Menu Button: R Trigger
Notes: Only options are for sound on/off.
13) Amiga 500
UAE: Amiga 500 Emulator for PSP
Folder: PSP/GAME/PSPUAE
Accepted ROM File Extensions: .ROM
Zip Support: NO
Menu Button:
Notes: Copy an amiga ADF disk file as /PSP/GAME/PSPUAE/DF0.ADF
Then, you need to put the Amiga Kickstart 1.3 KICK.ROM file into /PSP/GAME/PSPUAE (Make sure the filename is KICK.ROM)
