Software and Hardware Rendering on PCSX2's GSdx
#1
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Ok, I have been using PCSX2 for over a year now, and I have to say that it is really cool. I can play games that I had from when I had my PS2. (I made the mistake of getting a PS3 because it's 'cross compatible.' Well, that was a joke.

Anyways, I can run games at full resolution in hardware mode at over 60fps. But I have noticed that in some games, there are graphical issues that arise from the difference in hardware types and incompatible formats.

Now you're probably thinking that I'm going to ask, why don't you use software mode then?

I do. In fact, it works great. I love how it removes pretty much all graphical glitches and in some cases even corrects a few non-graphical issues. Now, my question is, why can't you simply run a software renderer at a higher resolution, so as to keep the full HD video and have it run with the graphical smoothness of software mode?

Now, rather than simply replying saying 'You can't', I would love to have an explanation as to why it wouldn't work if it couldn't.

Why not make a custom software resolution? Why keep it at the hardware level?
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#2
This question was asked before. I remember Refraction said it was due to a technical difficulty. Just can't find that thread now.

In case that feature was implemented, I don't think it is practical. Software mode itself is slow. Now with upscale resolution. You need a monster CPU to do all the work of both CPU and GPU.

Off topic: AMD will release an APU which can process both CPU and GPU work in 2014.
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#3
software mode will make pcsx2 core handle everything, making your game look pretty much like what the game is on a real PS2.
Glitches may appear in hardware mode because the game will then run at resolutions it wasn't supposed to handle.

To improve software mode a little bit, you can still enable EAA, though...
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#4
(12-18-2012, 07:38 AM)Livy Wrote: You need a monster CPU to do all the work of both CPU and GPU.

It realy depends on the game .. REALY !! But generaly yezz.. cpu takes pretty much an BEATIN Unsure

LIke still shocked to see my cpu crumbles to emule VP2 in Software mode and ONLY at dungeon map (walking mode) owever !!
In city and battle VS enemy (yea in dungeons Blink) i have fullspeed in SWmode however with that system from my sighnature Tongue


Also in R&C i have near fullspeed ingame in SWmode,
bit less then in HWmode but not by much !

iam realy currious what will become of those APU cpu's , FM2 socket is it already now Glare

FM1 socket has lasted 1 year. wOw Closedeyes


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#5
I started trying to show the difference between CPU and GPU... but that's not necessary, let's just say the GPU is specialized in doing such thing and have hundreds if not thousands of dedicated "cores" to do the job.

PS: the software mode works fine just because it doesn't do many things other than the basic. If it was to do the same the hardware mode tries to do it would have the same glitches yet running at let's say 0.0001 FPS. On the other hand, many of the graphics functions on PS2 are made on the VUs and is already done by the CPU. That output already carries the seeds which plagues the attempts of post processing in some games.

It's not that the hardware mode distort things, it is it's input is already out of standard when the glitches appear.

PPS: When a game's developer is doing his/her job he is concerned with that game alone and is relatively free to attempt whatever "solution" to enhance the game looking and performance (the console game developer has an advantage yet he has complete documentation of what the hardware can do, PC game developers need to care of many different rigs). The emulator's developer has not much of that regally, he must deal with whatever game coming into it and "ideally" should have the perfect emulator, one that was actually a "simulator" for the emulated machine.

This is hardly the case, official documentation of hardware capabilities is scarce, besides it's almost impossible to do a perfect simulation of each hardware component and PS2 has many, all them needing a perfect synchronization and then the need for workarounds, optimizations and other things which can compromise accuracy... don't be surprised then if a game implement something that fools the emulator as a whole and then causes all the mess.

Do you know that PS2, more precisely the ganging of EE, VU0, VU1 and GS itself (not counting the interface between EE<->GS) have a lot more "registers" than any modern CPU has? then the need to be liberating x86 registers more times than actually processing the data, what means transfering to memory, getting back, returning execution points... Man, I tell you, any these emulator's devs would have A LOT more easier task creating PS2 itself.
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#6
I have a related question. Is GSDX under any sort of active development? I remember there was that cutie update a few months ago. But so far as I can see, there isn't much work being done on ironing out the significant bugs plaguing video plugin compared to the wider improvements to the core emulator.
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#7
(12-18-2012, 06:53 PM)Ambient_Malice Wrote: I have a related question. Is GSDX under any sort of active development? I remember there was that cutie update a few months ago. But so far as I can see, there isn't much work being done on ironing out the significant bugs plaguing video plugin compared to the wider improvements to the core emulator.
Not every graphic problem is due to GSdx (the previous post tried to show it), still would be good seeing it being updated more frequently, indeed.
Imagination is where we are truly real
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#8
(12-18-2012, 07:03 PM)nosisab Ken Keleh Wrote: Not every graphic problem is due to GSdx (the previous post tried to show it), still would be good seeing it being updated more frequently, indeed.

I appreciate that. With emulation, often bugs which seem obviously caused by plugin X are caused by plugin Y. A bizzare example I personally uncovered was with Perfect Dark's emulation on Project 64. The game has a long-standing freeze bug which occurs between missions. It's generally believed to be a core issue. However, I discovered that the controller plugin's emulation of the optional N64 memory card was causing the freeze. To date, the bug exists in pretty much every emulator which uses that particular plugin.

I'm mainly curious as to who is working on the video plugins for PCSX2, and what we can expect in the near future regarding general compatibility, OPENGL compatibility, (important to Linux folk) ect.
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#9
(12-18-2012, 07:38 AM)Livy Wrote: Off topic: AMD will release an APU which can process both CPU and GPU work in 2014.

AMD released the Llano APUs almost exactly a year ago.
We're already on the second generation 'Trinity'

Also, I know that statement was off-topic, but software mode would run just as slow on a APU
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#10
yeh the APU's as the stand arent exactly the same chip, they share the chip "space" but they are still 2 seperate chips, just next to each other ;p
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