Post by Ultima on Dec 6, 2007 22:24:57 GMT -5
Because the intervew was down once before, I'm taking the precaution step by mirroring the interview from this mirror of the interview here. Credits to the Emunews 24 Network for the interview and for their forum mirror, and credits to Gamesoul Master for finding that mirror 
:: EmuManiac:
Hello pSX Author, thx for your time. Do you want to introduce yourself a bit? There are no information about you on your homepage or within the emulator, not even a nickname.
:: pSX:
I'd prefer not to reveal my true identity! - on IRC I use the handle pSXAuthor. I am a games developer working in the UK. Thats about as much as I want to say.
:: EmuManiac:
How long are you involved to the emulation scene?
:: pSX:
Well, pSX is the first emulator I've released, so I haven't really been involved in the scene for very long. I have been a fan of emulation for a long time though - pretty much since the first ones started appearing. I am a big fan of emulators like ZSNES, Snes9X, MAME, MagicEngine, etc...
:: EmuManiac:
How long have you been coding and when did you decide to emulate the PSX?
:: pSX:
I've been coding a long long time - pretty much since the early 80s. The first computer I owned was a ZX81, after that I progressed through ZX Spectrum, C64 and Amiga - I did a lot of coding on the last two... fun times.
:: EmuManiac:
Do you have any hints for upcoming coders where to start over?
:: pSX:
If you are just starting out and want to write your first emulator I recommend starting with a simple system, such as NES, or maybe ZX Spectrum. These systems have quite simple hardware and don't really require ultra advanced programming to emulate well - they will give you a gentle introduction into the techniques required for emulation. The NES is particularly well documented, a quick web search will get you all the information you need to know.
I wrote a NES emulator myself before I started pSX - I may release it one of these days (but I'm not sure the world really needs another NES emulator!).
Emulating more modern systems such as PS1, N64, etc... require a lot more work and some fairly advanced techniques (such as dynamic recompilation) - also these systems do not tend to be very well documented so you will need to find out a lot of the information yourself which can be hard. You can still find a lot of useful information on the web though.
:: EmuManiac:
Why did you decide to make another PSX Emulator?
:: pSX:
Well, one thing you have to understand is that pSX is quite old - I have been writing it for about 5 years. I think I started it before ePSXe and most of the other PS1 emulators came out. My main reason for starting it was my dissatisfaction with the PS1 emulators of the time (PSEmuPro and VGS).
This is also the reason pSX was so far advanced at v1.0 - originally I didn't plan to release it, I had been using it to play games for several years before v1.0. Some friends eventually persuaded me to tidy it up and release it though. I'm glad I did because the feedback people have given me has inspired me to make it better - it has come a long way even since the v1.0 release.
:: EmuManiac:
Many ppl outside love the "easy going" without the need of psx plugins (gfx, snd, CD and controller). Is this "all in one" a reason to seperate pSX from all the plugin based emulator?
:: pSX:
I don't really like plugin based emulators - in my opinion the PSEmuPro plugin system causes a lot of problems that have actively held back PS1 emulators (eg. no proper API for async CD access). Also I guess I enjoy reinventing the wheel! - Its a lot of fun to write all of the SPU and GPU emulation code.
Another reason I didn't use plugins is that I wanted to make an emulator that was easy to use, and ready to run straight out of the box (I think pSX manages this quite well - most users will not need to change any configuration options except maybe to configure the pad).
:: EmuManiac:
Are there plans for other ports for e.g. BeOS, MacOS, Linux, handheld (PSP), console (Xbox)?
:: pSX:
I plan to do a Linux port in the near future - once that is done one of my friends wants to do a MacOS port. I have already ported it to Xbox but I will probably not be releasing that (for reasons I don't really want to go into + its not quite full speed, so its not really that useful).
:: EmuManiac:
Beside Playstation Emulation, which system do you prefer? Any favorite retro console or computer or which next-gen favorites do you have?
:: pSX:
My favourite old school computers are C64 and Amiga - I really cut my teeth on these systems, learned assembly, etc.. - I look back fondly on those days! They taught me a lot. If it wasn't for those two systems I don't think I would be programming today.
My favourite retro consoles are SNES, PCEngine, PS1 and N64. My favourite current-gen console is probably PS2, mainly because of the games (I think the Xbox hardware was superior though). PS2 is also a lot of "fun" to code on. Of the next-gen consoles the Xbox360 really impresses me, but I'm really looking forward to seeing the games Nintendo releases for Wii.
:: EmuManiac:
What are your favorite games and genre?
:: pSX:
My faviourite game genre at the moment is RPG. My favourite games of all time are probably Ocarina of Time, Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross and Dragon Warrior VII (but this list changes almost daily!).
:: EmuManiac:
Did you know Emunews 24?
:: pSX:
I have heard of it but since I don't speak german I don't really go there very often (sorry!). It looks good though - thanks a lot for your article on pSX (I translated it with google and it seems to be saying nice things!).
:: EmuManiac:
Which emulation pages do you visit normally?
:: pSX:
I mostly use NGEmu.com for emulation news.
:: EmuManiac:
Any words about the future plans of pSX? Working on ps2 part of the emulator or do you concentrate on psx?
:: pSX:
I will continue with the PS1 emulation for now - there are still many games that have compatibility problems. There are also a lot of features I'd like to add that people have asked for. In the future I will work on PS2 emulation, but it will probably be quite a while before it runs commercial games at any kind of useful speed.
I am also working to make pSX more useful for people working on game translations (this is one of the main reasons pSX has a built in debugger which I am constantly improving).
:: EmuManiac:
Are you thinking about some more gfx options like AA and AF?
:: pSX:
Currently I do not want to do this - my plan for pSX is to emulate the PS1 exactly - it is possible that I will add these sorts of features in the distant future but for now accuracy comes first.
:: EmuManiac:
Thanks for your time to answer the questions. Have a nice weekend!
:: pSX:
No problem, have a nice weekend yourself!
Hello pSX Author, thx for your time. Do you want to introduce yourself a bit? There are no information about you on your homepage or within the emulator, not even a nickname.
:: pSX:
I'd prefer not to reveal my true identity! - on IRC I use the handle pSXAuthor. I am a games developer working in the UK. Thats about as much as I want to say.
:: EmuManiac:
How long are you involved to the emulation scene?
:: pSX:
Well, pSX is the first emulator I've released, so I haven't really been involved in the scene for very long. I have been a fan of emulation for a long time though - pretty much since the first ones started appearing. I am a big fan of emulators like ZSNES, Snes9X, MAME, MagicEngine, etc...
:: EmuManiac:
How long have you been coding and when did you decide to emulate the PSX?
:: pSX:
I've been coding a long long time - pretty much since the early 80s. The first computer I owned was a ZX81, after that I progressed through ZX Spectrum, C64 and Amiga - I did a lot of coding on the last two... fun times.
:: EmuManiac:
Do you have any hints for upcoming coders where to start over?
:: pSX:
If you are just starting out and want to write your first emulator I recommend starting with a simple system, such as NES, or maybe ZX Spectrum. These systems have quite simple hardware and don't really require ultra advanced programming to emulate well - they will give you a gentle introduction into the techniques required for emulation. The NES is particularly well documented, a quick web search will get you all the information you need to know.
I wrote a NES emulator myself before I started pSX - I may release it one of these days (but I'm not sure the world really needs another NES emulator!).
Emulating more modern systems such as PS1, N64, etc... require a lot more work and some fairly advanced techniques (such as dynamic recompilation) - also these systems do not tend to be very well documented so you will need to find out a lot of the information yourself which can be hard. You can still find a lot of useful information on the web though.
:: EmuManiac:
Why did you decide to make another PSX Emulator?
:: pSX:
Well, one thing you have to understand is that pSX is quite old - I have been writing it for about 5 years. I think I started it before ePSXe and most of the other PS1 emulators came out. My main reason for starting it was my dissatisfaction with the PS1 emulators of the time (PSEmuPro and VGS).
This is also the reason pSX was so far advanced at v1.0 - originally I didn't plan to release it, I had been using it to play games for several years before v1.0. Some friends eventually persuaded me to tidy it up and release it though. I'm glad I did because the feedback people have given me has inspired me to make it better - it has come a long way even since the v1.0 release.
:: EmuManiac:
Many ppl outside love the "easy going" without the need of psx plugins (gfx, snd, CD and controller). Is this "all in one" a reason to seperate pSX from all the plugin based emulator?
:: pSX:
I don't really like plugin based emulators - in my opinion the PSEmuPro plugin system causes a lot of problems that have actively held back PS1 emulators (eg. no proper API for async CD access). Also I guess I enjoy reinventing the wheel! - Its a lot of fun to write all of the SPU and GPU emulation code.
Another reason I didn't use plugins is that I wanted to make an emulator that was easy to use, and ready to run straight out of the box (I think pSX manages this quite well - most users will not need to change any configuration options except maybe to configure the pad).
:: EmuManiac:
Are there plans for other ports for e.g. BeOS, MacOS, Linux, handheld (PSP), console (Xbox)?
:: pSX:
I plan to do a Linux port in the near future - once that is done one of my friends wants to do a MacOS port. I have already ported it to Xbox but I will probably not be releasing that (for reasons I don't really want to go into + its not quite full speed, so its not really that useful).
:: EmuManiac:
Beside Playstation Emulation, which system do you prefer? Any favorite retro console or computer or which next-gen favorites do you have?
:: pSX:
My favourite old school computers are C64 and Amiga - I really cut my teeth on these systems, learned assembly, etc.. - I look back fondly on those days! They taught me a lot. If it wasn't for those two systems I don't think I would be programming today.
My favourite retro consoles are SNES, PCEngine, PS1 and N64. My favourite current-gen console is probably PS2, mainly because of the games (I think the Xbox hardware was superior though). PS2 is also a lot of "fun" to code on. Of the next-gen consoles the Xbox360 really impresses me, but I'm really looking forward to seeing the games Nintendo releases for Wii.
:: EmuManiac:
What are your favorite games and genre?
:: pSX:
My faviourite game genre at the moment is RPG. My favourite games of all time are probably Ocarina of Time, Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross and Dragon Warrior VII (but this list changes almost daily!).
:: EmuManiac:
Did you know Emunews 24?
:: pSX:
I have heard of it but since I don't speak german I don't really go there very often (sorry!). It looks good though - thanks a lot for your article on pSX (I translated it with google and it seems to be saying nice things!).
:: EmuManiac:
Which emulation pages do you visit normally?
:: pSX:
I mostly use NGEmu.com for emulation news.
:: EmuManiac:
Any words about the future plans of pSX? Working on ps2 part of the emulator or do you concentrate on psx?
:: pSX:
I will continue with the PS1 emulation for now - there are still many games that have compatibility problems. There are also a lot of features I'd like to add that people have asked for. In the future I will work on PS2 emulation, but it will probably be quite a while before it runs commercial games at any kind of useful speed.
I am also working to make pSX more useful for people working on game translations (this is one of the main reasons pSX has a built in debugger which I am constantly improving).
:: EmuManiac:
Are you thinking about some more gfx options like AA and AF?
:: pSX:
Currently I do not want to do this - my plan for pSX is to emulate the PS1 exactly - it is possible that I will add these sorts of features in the distant future but for now accuracy comes first.
:: EmuManiac:
Thanks for your time to answer the questions. Have a nice weekend!
:: pSX:
No problem, have a nice weekend yourself!