The XrossMediaBar (XMB in short) was first used for the PSX. At the moment it’s the user interface system for both the PSP and the PlayStation 3. Although we’re still far away from the customizability we have on the PSP, it’s a big step forward, coming from the PlayStation 2.

This accessibility is really demonstrated when we’re copying to or from the PlayStation 3. Not only movies or pictures, but savegames as well.

Some of you might remember the hassle of copying or backing up a savefile on the PlayStation 2. This was possible, but only from and to other memory cards. If you wanted to use these savefiles through a computer, additional products had to be purchased. Special Memory Cards, Memory Card to USB converters, and so on.

With the PlayStation 3 this becomes much easier. Not only can we make swift backups to various storage media, it’s also easy to share, or download savefiles using the internet.

Method 1: Full Backup

Of course there’s no easier way to secure your save-files than by doing a full fledged back-up.

One of the downsides is that it really is a one-click-backup, meaning you can’t select specific parts or use it for anything other than to put it back later, which then erases all the other content.

Doing it is pretty simple though. Just make sure you’ve got a flash drive, external hard disk or one of the supported memory cards at hand. Make sure you’ve got enough room on it before you try backing up your entire HD film collection.

If you want to do a more specific backup, or learn how to place downloaded savefiles on your PlayStation 3, check Method 2 below.

1. Navigate to Settings -> System Settings

   

2. Scroll down and select Backup Utility and choose Backup.
3. You will see two warnings, one will tell you that you can’t backup Trophies, the other one is a regular affirmation form. Confirm both times.
4. Next, you’ll be prompted for the destination. You can use any flash drive or external hard disk, just make sure you’ve got enough space available.

   

5. Wait for the process to finish, and you’re done. Once you’ve put the backup somewhere safe, you can sleep soundly.

Note: If you want to restore the backup, go back to Settings -> System Settings -> Backup Utility and select “restore”. Once you’ve told your PlayStation where to look, your files will magically fall into place, but know that all the other files on the PlayStation 3 will be deleted!

Method 2: Manual Backup

If you want to have a bigger say in the backup process, you can always try doing it manually. The method described below will work for all files (videos and pictures alike), but we’re going to look specifically at the save files.

The process is pretty simple. Just insert your storage drive and follow the steps below.

1. Go to Game -> Saved Data Utility. This is where all your saves are stored.
2. Browse to the right savegame and press triangle ( ). And select Copy in the newly opened sidebar.



3. You’ll be prompted for the destination. Any external storage drive will do (like a USB stick or a memory card), save games aren’t so very big. Additionally, you can also transfer the save game to another user account.



4. Wait for the copying to finish, and you’re done!

Note: These savegames can be easily transfered from and to other media. You can store them on your PC, mail them to friends, and so on. The posibilities are endless.

Putting The PS3 Game Saves Back In Place

If you want to copy a savegame to your PlayStation 3, you’ll need to do the following:

1. Go to Game -> Saved Data Utility.
2. Way at the top you’ll see your storage drives. Click on the one you need.



3. Just like before, select the desired savegame and press triangle ( ). Then select Copy in the sidebar and choose to copy to your PlayStation 3’s hard drive.
4. Wait for it to finish copying, and you’re done!

Download PS 3 Save Games Online

There are a lot of good sources for PlayStation 3 save games. Most of these saves are 80 to 100 percent completed and some have various unlocked extra’s. These can be downloaded and copied to your PlayStation 3 with the method described above.

GameFaqs is a great website for all kinds of video game info. This is the place to go if you want release dates, cheats or walkthroughs. Even savegames!

PS3BREW, part of the Brewology network, hosts a wide range of PlayStation 3 savefiles. It’s definately worth checking out.

Do you know any other cool sites? Another slick savegame trick perhaps? Or do you have a question regarding this article?

Just drop a comment below.

You might also want to check out ps3maven.com – it provides Playstation 3 updates, news and everything related to the cool ps3 game console

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

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Many of you told me (in the comments here and on Digg.com) how the first PlayStation was too outdated, and thus not interesting. ‘Passé’, one might say.

Because of that and because it was planned anyway, we’ll raise the stakes a bit. This time, we’ll be discussing emulation of PlayStation 2 games.

How to Playstation 2 Games on PC

First of all a warning. Many of you will not be able to run these games properly. They’ll lag on a lot of PC’s. On some of them they’ll lag even more. When emulating PlayStation 2 and Xbox games, you always have to keep in mind the next equasion:

To remove the above mentioned ‘-1‘ factor, you can pay more attention to the specific type of game you’re trying to play. Naturally, visually simple games like ‘Disgaea’ will run smoother than 3D, over the top graphical shooters, like ‘Black’. In short, your computer will never completely be a PlayStation 2.

We’ll be guiding you through this process in a few simple steps.

Step 1 – Download and install PCSX2

PCSX2 comes in two packages. A binary package (which you have to un7zip) and an installation file. Just install or extract it to the folder of your choice.

Step 2 – Getting the BIOS files

Contrary to the first PlayStation, the PlayStation 2 uses several BIOS files. Basically, these are the hardest to find. Because they are copyrighted material, you are only allowed to own these files if you also own a PlayStation 2. MakeUseOf does NOT encourage piracy! This is also the reason why it’s illegal to host these files online. If you actually own a PlayStation 2 though, it’s not illegal to download them (laws may differ in your country).

So now you basically have two options layed out for you. You can either dump them from your PlayStation 2 yourself, or find someone else who dumped them and who put the files online. On this last website you can find the ROM1, eROM and the SECAM-, NTSC- and PAL BIOS files you’ll need. Again, you must’nt download them if you don’t have a PlayStation 2. You can put these files in a folder of you’re choice.

Step 3 – Running PCSX2 and configuring BIOS, video and controller input

The program comes in two different versions. One version uses TLB (pcsx2t.exe), the other one Virtual Memory (pcsx2.exe). First of all, try running the VM version. The program will try to reallocate the memory, after which you have to log off and on again. If it fails to do so, you’ll have to use the TLB version. This one is somewhat slower, but according to the developers the speed difference is not that great.

After you’ve started up, select ‘Config’ -> ‘Configure’.

First, we’re going to configure our BIOS. Press ‘Set Bios Directory’ and select the folder where you’ve put your BIOS files. Back in the Configuration screen, select the correct region from the Bios drop-down menu. You might want to change this now and then, depending on your games.

Next, the video plug-ins. PCSX2 comes with ZeroGS KOSMOS and GSdx9 plug-ins. A ‘Ps2 Output’ window (which looks similar to the command screen) normally opened when you started PCSX2. Else, temporarily close the Configuration screen, select ‘Misc’ -> ‘Enable Console’ and restart the program. In this Ps2 Output screen, look if ‘Detected SSE2′ is stated under Features. If not, you might want to choose the ‘no SSE2′ video plug-in.

If you press the ‘Configure…’ button under the video drop-down menu, you can tweak graphic related options like screen size, toggle full-screen, anti-aliasing and more.

As for the controller, I highly recommend LilyPad. This is one of the most adjustable plug-ins. You can use keyboard, mouse and controller input. There even is a setting so you can use your Guitar Hero guitar.
Just download it here, and drop it in the plugins directory. If you’ve used the installer, that would be C:\Program Files\Pcsx2_0.9.4\plugins .
Re-open the Configuration screen, select LilyPad from the drop-down menu and press configure. In the ‘General’ tab, you can tweak various settings. Select the ‘Pad 1′ or ‘Pad 2′ tab to configure the keys.

Step 4 – Test-driving and alternative plug-ins

With everything set up, it’s about time for a test-drive. We’re going to look if everything works as it should, and look which points need more improvement.

We can boot the games, depending on the plug-in we use, either by CD/DVD or by using an image file. The standard configuration uses Linuzappz, which is able to boot ISO’s and other image files. To do this, just select ‘File’ -> ‘Run CD/DVD’.

If you want to boot from a disc instead, go back to the configuration screen and select the P.E.Op.S driver from the Cdvdrom dropdown menu. Press configure to select an interface (based on your operating system) and the drive you want to use. Confirm your configuration and you’re ready to roll. Select ‘File’ -> ‘Run CD/DVD’ to boot from the chosen drive.

At this point you’ll be prompted for a date and a timezone, after which the game will start. If you’ve got problems with the graphics or sound, try using one of the the other plug-ins. You can get more additional plug-ins here.

If you’re still having problems, check the compatibility status of your game here.

Have fun!

About the (would-be) next article

Some of you might also remember that I had the intention of also publishing an article concerning Xbox emulation. We are, however, going to postpone this subject until it is in a somewhat more stable form.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

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Wikipedia says that “an emulator duplicates the functions of one system, using a different system, so that the second system behaves like (and appears to be) the first system.” This means that we can make our PC mimic a specific system, which thereby enables us to run those system-specific games on our computers.

In this series, we’ll take a closer look at the software needed to run PSX, PS2 and Xbox games on your PC. This time we’ll discuss Sony’s Playstation (PSX) and the ePSXe emulation software.

Part One – PlayStation 1

A lot of people had fun with the first PlayStation, including me, and we can’t seem to get rid of it (in a good way). All of the original PlayStation games were playable on the PlayStation 2, and most of them on the PLAYSTATION 3. These days you can even play them on your PSP, so why not on our PC as well?

To play Playstation 1 games on your PC, you need to download a program called ePSXe.

Step 1 – Download and install ePSXe

The latest version can always be found here.

As there’s no installer, you just have to unzip it in the folder of your choice. You’ll also want some shortcuts, so right-click on the ‘ePSXe.exe’, ‘send to’ and choose ‘desktop’.

Step 2 – Getting the PSX’s BIOS

The installation is far from complete though, as this is only the base of the emulator. Among the other things we’re going to need are the PSX’s BIOS files. These are essential for the emulation, but there is a catch.

You are only allowed to own these files if you also own a PSX. Make Use Of does NOT encourage piracy!

You can obtain the BIOS in two ways. You can dump it from your PSX, but that is the long route. You can also download it somewhere (direct link here), but again, only if you actually own a PSX.

We’ll extract these files in the \bios directory (you can also delete the ‘erase.me’ file)

Step 3 – Getting image

Again, we are not ready yet. Next we need the video plug-in.

There’s a wide variety of video plug-ins available, and (depending on your graphics card) some might work better for you than others, so I can’t tell you which one to use. I can point you in the right direction though, as Pete’s and P.E.Op.S. plug-ins have made a good name for themselves. If these do not work (well), try out a few and see which works best (all Linux plug-ins are at the bottom of the page).

We’re going to extract the downloaded package(s) into the \plugins directory. You might need to overwrite the ‘gpu.dat’ file.

Step 4 – Make some noise (optional)

The ePSXe core has built in sound plug-ins, but in case they didn’t work for you, check here for alternatives (scroll down a bit). You can put these plug-ins in the \plugins directory.

Step 5 – Disk driver plug-ins (optional)

The ePSXe core also has built in plug-ins for your disk drive, but in case they didn’t work for you, check here for alternatives (about halfway down the page). You can put these plug-ins in the \plugins directory.

Step 6 – adding zlib1.dll

In their haste to please us, the developers of ePSXe forgot to add zlib.dll to the latest release (v 1.70). You can get it here (just drop it in the same directory as ePSXe.exe).

Step 7 – configuring ePSXe

You’ve got all the files you need now and are just a few steps away from playing your games. Upon opening ePSXe.exe, or the shortcut you made to it on your desktop, you will encounter a configuration wizard.

First you select the correct BIOS for your region (PAL being Europe, Australia and a part of Asia). You’ll notice that there are different alternatives for your region, but all should work.

Next, select your video driver. When you press ‘Config’, you can change the video settings (like screen resolution, FPS limit, and so on. Apart from the resolution, only change these settings if you know what you’re doing.

Press next and select your sound plug-in and CD-ROM plug-in.

Last but not (at all!) least, you can configure your controller settings. First press on the controller you want to configure. In my opinion, the two best options here are either using a gamepad (USB, or an original one with a converter), or your keyboard (‘Digital’ in the menu).

Step 8 – Boot and play

Finally, in the ‘file’ menu, either choose ‘run CDROM’ or ‘run ISO’ to start playing!

You can make ISO’s of your PSX games without special procedures. Just use Nero, or another CD burning suite.

Be sure to look out for the next articles in this series, where we’ll take a closer look at PlayStation 2 and Xbox emulation.

You might also want to check out ps3maven.com – it provides Playstation 3 updates, news and everything related to the cool ps3 game console

(By) Simon is a student from Belgium who wastes his time relaxing, watching anime and surfing the net. He would tell you to check out his blog, only he doesn’t have one yet!

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

• How to play Sony PlayStation 2 Games on your PC (124)
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• Run Windows Applications on Linux (or Mac) with WINE (15)
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