Sony Quietly Releases PS2 Emulation on PlayStation 4 – With a Catch

We’ve learned (via Eurogamer) that Sony has finally, albeit sneakily, released PlayStation 2 emulation on the PlayStation 4.

The classic system has finally seen its capabilities reintroduced on the current-generation console via the release of Super Star Wars, Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter, Star Wars: Racer Revenge, and Star Wars: Bounty Hunter – all three of which are PlayStation Network downloads, and were previously released on the PlayStation 2.

Featured above, you can view a video Eurogamer compiled to show off their analyzing of the emulator.


Eurogamer did some tests and discovered the games were actually running via emulation, pointing out various tell-tale signs of the legendary console’s quirks, like the classic PS2 logo appearing when you boot each game, or how each in-game button prompt is still that of the PS2 – nothing has been remapped to the DualShock 4.

The Start and Select buttons have been mapped to the left and right sides of the DualShock 4’s touchpad – a feature that third parties cannot access currently. There’s also an emulation system now in place for handling PS2 memory cards, just like how the PlayStation 3 emulated the PS2.

Eurogamer also pointed out some improvements made in the new emulator, like how PS2 games are substantially upscaled, for both 2D (unfortunately) and 3D elements. There appears to be a post-process in effect akin to anti-aliasing, making edges less jaggy.

Trophy support is also one of the biggest additions, and while this makes it sound not like an emulator, Sony did file a patent for adding trophies to games which didn’t originally have them (without modifying the source code) back in 2013.

Finally, the games running in this emulator are performing much better, with Jedi Starfighter running at 60FPS (which could never run at this fidelity on the PS2 hardware).

These won’t be the last PS2 games to run on PlayStation 4 via emulation – we reported on PEGI rating Ape Escape 2, Dark Cloud 2, Twisted Metal: Black for the PS4 (all of which are PS2 titles).


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