
Sony’s already revisited a number of the classics from PS2’s catalogue on PS4, but the emulator was a bit of a disaster and the platform holder eventually pulled support. Following a successful string of PS1 and PSP re-releases, however, the Japanese giant is now bringing more PS2 titles to both the PS5 and PS4 – and it’s utilising a new emulator to boot.
A leak earlier in the year suggested Star Wars: The Clone Wars was imminent, and that was acknowledged by Sony yesterday as part of its Days of Play update. The game will be available to download from 11th June with PS Plus Premium, alongside legendary platformer Sly Cooper and Thievius Raccoonus and Tomb Raider: Legend.
But the best news is that all of these titles will leverage a new emulator, which will incorporate up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. This should bring some serious quality of life value to all three of these titles, and presumably many more will follow as Sony kicks this initiative into gear.
It’ll be interesting to see whether the Japanese giant goes back and updates previously released PS2 titles, like Twisted Metal Black and Ape Escape 2. We really hope some of the old Rockstar games, like Bully, get revisited as part of this initiative; the boarding school sim is scruffy and difficult to play these days, but it’d benefit enormously from quick save and rewind.
[source News: New PS2 Emulator Appears to Be Imminent on PS5, PS4]
Comments 76
First-party Sony games will likely also have Trophies if the PSP and PS1 games are anything to go by.
This is brilliant news.
SOCOM, Black and Simpsons Hit and Run please stand up.
@itsfoz As much as I'd kill for The Simpsons, I think the license makes it highly unlikely. But let's hope!
So pretty much the same as the ps1 emulator then? That’s fine enough. I do kind of wish for a “speed up” function for those games requiring grinding out battles, for example; I’m sure the PS5 / PS4 could handle it.
Shame I can't play my disc versions good job I still have a PS2 console I suppose currently playing SSX Tricky oh man just listening to that start up video and seeing JPs breakdance spin Super Uber again
Well if anything this shows us the route they’ll go for PS3 emulation when someone and their team get it running smoothly and consistently
@ProfessorNiggle Man, that'd be a dream come true.
@ProfessorNiggle Maybe the real selling point of the PS5 Pro will be PS3 emulation.
I would love to be able to play those PS2 games straight from the disc on PS5, but that is highly unlikely to happen.
Really wish I was able to buy these instead subbing to an expensive subscription.
I always try to support emulation and game preservation. That said some high profile PS2 games have already been re-released. Tomb Raider Legend is cool but in sales you can get it in Steam for 5 € or something. Seems that Sony is genuinely interested or more interested than last time when they released some games in PS2.
Seems that few third parties are supporting the PS classics though, Namco being one of the few examples. Even Sony releases its own games slowly but some were not even that popular back in the day.
I suggest getting a Steam Deck or something similar and rip your own disks, better for preservation and availability.
@itsfoz SOCOM with headset audio and microphone through the DualSense speaker and mic would be cool
@get2sammyb this is why backwards compatibility for physically owned titles is so important to me. As with digital only, licensing will always be in issue under the current court/ economic system.
@Nepp67 You can buy the PS1 and PSP games so I'm sure you'll be able to buy these too.
Meh. The OG PS3’s has the best backwards compatibility. I get it the cell engine was truly unique and more special than the cheap AMD off the shelf SOCs. But it would be nice if Sony spent the money to develop an emulator that can handle the PS3’s cell engine. I won’t buy an older game in digital format when I have many physical copies around. Fortunately my OG 60gb PS3 is still in service.
Will the new emulator support PS2 titles already released? Manhunt is mostly broken on PS5.
@itsfoz
The Dev behind Hit and Run have actually said that they want to do a remaster of it hopefully they do
@get2sammyb I hope so — that's basically a dealbreaker, for me
@Nepp67 you can buy them 😐
@ProfessorNiggle It would be nice but I reckon we might see PS Vita emulation before that. Saying that Im not quite sure on the state of PS Vita emulation at the moment.
It will be intresting to see the prices on the PS2 titles judging that PSP and PS1 titles are £7.99.
Oh boy ! I really hope we can get the PS2 version of the R&C games ! The HD Trilogy ports for the PS3 are mostly great but them being Cloud only really is a bummer. And maybe we could get a more than decent version of Gladiator aswell !
If I pop my original Sly Racoon PS2 disc in the PS5, I'm sure I'll be eligible to download the emulated digital version for free.
Great news, but all i want is a ps3 emulator. The ps3 had the best games and some of it are trapped on thst beauty. Looking at you inFAMOUS1-2, killzone 2-3, PLAYSTATION ALL STARS BATTLE ROYALE!
Can you use your original discs to play them like they do on Xbox, or are you going to have to buy the same game twice ? I see no reason why the PS5 can't just read the disc to check it's genuine.
Great to hear there is new emulator. Now we just need a few more companies, besides Sony and Disney, to allow their games on. Hopefully this has been built in a forward thinking manner to allow it to run on future hardware, PS6 and beyond.
Up to ps1 2D games proper CRT shaders can really improve the image quality, but even with upscaled PS2 3d graphics it can add to the flair.
Just hope there'll also be wide-screen hacks as well.
Do we know what the prices will be for these if you don't subscribe to premium and want to purchase them separately?
Rewind will be a god send for Mz. Ruby's boss fight 😅
@Enigk PS6 more likely. I don't see them restricting any software to a Pro console.
Just need a way to play the discs I already own I'm not buying games again
This is good, but Sony really need to pick up the pace if they want to compete with something like RetroAchievements.
I'm very excited to see more PS2 games getting re-released, but I'm also a little bit disappointed in the PS1 and PSP library. I understand that licensing can be difficult with games like Gran Turismo etc, but it just feels like the most memorable games are nowhere to be seen.
Hoping the existing PS2 games that are already out get switched over to this new emulator.
Primal, Manhunt and The Warriors are borderline unplayable on the PS5 while still "fine" on a PS4/Pro.
Worst of all in the UK they were using the crappy PAL 50hz versions in a 60hz container, which is why I used my secondary US account to buy the PS2 games I wanted like I did with PS1
Sounds promising. Though as mentioned by others,licensing (sadly),&/or a lack of will hasn't seen much third party support.🤔😑
Instead of the mobile ported GTA Trilogy remastered series,imagine the OG PS2 versions with full soundtracks,& LCS/VCS games. Or the Maximo series,(but given the lack of RE2/3,or Dino Crisis 1 & 2). Likewise when EA had games like the SSX series,or NFS Underground 1&2, Wing Commander 3 & 4,Desert/Jungle Strike,Ubisoft's Splinter Cell series to name a few!
But an improved emulation effort will hopefully see wider spread engagement/purchases to test the theory backwards compatibility is "unpopular". Easier to claim when you put a low grade effort & don't chase actual classic titles.
Put the effort in,& chase the less obscure titles, & I'd hope the support would be there.🤞🙏
Praise be. I know it's difficult but id love to see an eventual ps3 emulator.
Glad I hung on to my PS2 and PS3 allowing me to play Outrun 2006 whenever I want.
Don't have a PS5 and a feature that not only doesn't allow me to play my PS2 discs but asks me to buy the games again isn't going to help persuade me to buy one.
Seeing all these people asking for PS3 emulation has me thinking maybe I should try and trade one of my two PS3 for the PS2 I don’t have to play my shelf full of about 3 dozen PS2 discs. 🤷🏻♂️
@get2sammyb Microsoft has the pockets to deal with the licensing, but the question is if they'd let Sony have it when they could rather do it for their own BC stuff along with other Activision stuff.
@get2sammyb So, I'm a little confused (nothing new there!)
When you say "emulator", are you meaning that there's a new firmware update inbound for the PS4/PS5 which has this new emulator in it or is it somehow included in the game that hosts the PS2 data?
@Cry_Zero agreed with you. Im quite interested with most ps3 games.
@Vaako007
I still have my og PS3. I have had to repair it twice but it still works great and have access to my ps1, 2 and 3 library. This sits right next to my PS5, Series X, Switch, Dreamcast. Also just added the new Atari that plays all the 2600 and 5200 cartridges (at least all the ones I own) played Barnstorming and Spider-man this past weekend with my kids!
@get2sammyb 🤞
Wish it was like the Xbox Series X where you could also put a disc copy in for games that are part of the bc program but this is still better than nothing. Hoping to see a good number of Namco games with Tekken 5 at the top of the list.
I want JRPGS and SRPGS.
Hopefully they go back and update PS2 games they’ve already released with this new emulator. Being able to play Jak II with rewind would improve that game immensely.
are we gonna get some old medal of honor and james bond games?
Give me grand theft auto vice city stories.grand theft auto liberty stories.cold fear.maximo.scarface the world is yours.black.etc.and buy them is a must.word up son
I think everything requiring a new licensing deal for IP is a stretch. I would guess 95% of current PS owners won’t touch emulated games from past consoles (there are too many current games to keep up with much less old games and there have been lots of remasters of older classics I.e., resident evil) so there just isn’t much money in it. Sony won’t relicense games at a loss.
Hoping it will also feature some PS2 games.
Heck, if I can play Makai Kingdom & Phantom Brave, then make it happen.
@get2sammyb 2030 we will be there 😎🫡
@TheIronChimp Vita emulation would be nice but it's only a few first party games worth doing it for and the smaller/indie games have all been either ported to mobile, Switch or released on other platforms including PS3 and PS4.
Don't know if they think it's worth doing
@Enigk I think it is too soon for that. I hope it's like a surprise pull from the hat when they announce it but more probable to happening for future generations
@get2sammyb "the (PS2) emulator (on PS4) was a bit of a disaster and the platform holder eventually pulled support"
Can you elaborate? Were the issues mostly performance and bugs on certain / all games?
@jorel262 Mostly graphical glitches, particularly when played on PS5. Some games worse than others. I believe there were performance issues as well.
@ProfessorNiggle I agree - I think Vita emulation would've happened by now if it was going to.
Other problem with the Vita is that back touchpad - wasn't used that much but as the DS4 and DS5 controllers only have one trackpad, some games would be difficult to emulate.
@sanderson72 @GrimWillows
It's not an emulator app that can run just any PS2 game. The way emulation works on consoles is they package each game with a specifically tuned version of the emulator. Similar to how on PC or mobile the emulator settings need to be tweaked to get the best performance out of each game. On consoles that part is already done for the user. Due to this approach, users can't use the emulator to play any games from their library, including games that utilize the old emulator which were released on PS4. Sony would need to update each of those titles to utilize the new improved emulator. There's a good chance they will do this for multiple reasons: 1) They have a responsibility to fix those broken titles that they sold to customers in recent history, 2) They already have those titles available for sale on PS Store, so a portion of the work is already done.
@Orpheus79V That's the only reason I would get a PS5 Pro so I'm out.
@xDD90x Thanks for the response - I assumed it was a PS4-optimised 'shell' (for want of a better word) running the PS2 data.
PS4 and the Fat One can't even read some PS2 discs anyway so I guessed it wasn't a play anything emulator.
@ProfessorNiggle Your probably right on that one but I can see it as easier to achieve than PS3 emulatuon. I could be wrong though.
Rogue Galaxy needs this. I would love to see it with these features added especially higher res.
I only really care if they add trophy support. Only motivation I have to go back to these classics is to walk away with a shiny new platinum.
@get2sammyb Oh I thought it was required to use the sub like the PS Now.
@xDD90x aah, interesting, thanks for the detailed information.
@Dampsponge this.
I dislike digging up and using the PS3 enough to pay for a good version of Sly (and the other two as well) to play on PS5. Not holding my breath, based on previous experiences, but maybe I'll be positively surprised.
@NathanKang I don't see that in the store. All I see for ps2 games is that you can only play them on Premium.
hopefully they update the ps2 games that are already on the store to make them better. also add silent hill 4 , Bouncer , all the onimusha games , medal of honor games , Gran Turismo , ea's fps black
Although the chances might be slim, I hope that they’ll go back and update the PS4 release of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time with these new features and hopefully patch the crashing issues I’ve heard so much about too.
We finally have all 6 mainline Star Ocean games on PS5 and PS4, which I never even dreamed would be possible as a fan of the Star Ocean series. That itself is a miracle, in all honesty, and one that I am very thankful and happy about.
And although I didn’t experience the crashing issues that some people did when I replayed Star Ocean: Till the End of Time on PS4 a few years ago, I have heard from others that they have experienced more frequent crashing of the game when they played it, which concerns me a little.
One of my favorite parts of the Star Ocean series is how each game features a lot of post game content (such as challenging post game secret dungeons) and lots of replay-ability. I feel like every game in the series has done an excellent job at that especially.
But with the frequent crashing issues I’ve heard about from some people regarding the PS4 port of Till the End of Time, I feel like that makes it less ideal for people to take on the fun and challenging post game content.
So hopefully they’ll go back and address that with the PS4 port, since it’s technically labeled as a “PS2 Classic” on the PlayStation Store, albeit one of the ones with their older emulation features.
Even if the chances are slim, I hope that it can be fixed. Regardless, though, I am happy to see them bringing new features like rewinds and save states to PS2 Classics going forward.
I personally look forward to playing the native port of Sly Cooper especially. I’ve only played a little bit of Sly Cooper before, but I’ve always wanted to give it more of a chance because the games look intriguing to me.
I’ll definitely be downloading Sly Cooper and the other PS2 Classics, and maybe it’s about time for me to give Sly Cooper another go, especially since it’s a native port.
I'm holding out slim hope they'll incorporate trophies for the non-1st party games. The PS2 games they had brought over in the past mostly had them, like GTA, Primal, Siren, and more.
@Aniscape nice mate! I’m happy to hear that. It’s why I’m so adamant about physical game preservation. As when my nephews come over I can boot up old PS3 games that they love. Assuming one’s hardware works we won’t loose access to our own games. Great collection by the way!
All of this is meaningless unless I get SSX3 and Burnout 3 with trophies.
@TheIronChimp @sanderson72 that is another thing, I remember how different PS4 Tearaway was compared to Vita with no rear touchpad. Personally I think it would take too much fiddling around with, again proving it's probably not worth it.
Everything that was worth playing on console from Vita has already been ported over in my opinion anyway.
@Vaako007
Thanks! Being as old as I am (first system was the 2600 when I was 8) sometimes you just want to boot up the games you grew up with and those memories start flowing back! Ps3 was a great generation, for me PS2 is my biggest collection especially for JRPGs. Fun fact first game i got for PS2 was Spyhunter and I still pop it in at least once or twice a year to this day. Music from Saliva was great. The sequels were bad but the first was nice and arcady and just fun.
Real PS2 - HDMI converter - Bluetooth adapter + DualShock 4. Better than any emulator.
@Sifi Sony doing something consumer friendly? Good one. This is the same company that tried to backpedal on Dual Entitlement, despite previously stating it would offer free upgrades for its cross-gen launch titles.
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