PlayStation 2 Recompilation Project Is Absolutely Incredible

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Current State of Emulation and Handhelds

  • Commenters note that sub‑$300 Android handhelds now emulate most of the PS2 library, often with upscaling, and even some WiiU/Switch titles.
  • Mobile emulators (e.g., AetherSX2) are praised for performance but also used as examples of how toxic communities can burn out solo devs.
  • Some users report eventually losing interest despite “play everything” setups, falling back to a small set of favorite classics.

Was the PS1/PS2 Era “Peak Gaming”?

  • One camp claims N64/PS1/PS2/Xbox were the peak: novel hardware, rapid progress, fewer “rehash” franchises, and more experimental AAA design.
  • Others argue this is mostly age/nostalgia; they cite numerous modern standouts (Souls-likes, Outer Wilds, Hades, Disco Elysium, Minecraft, roguelites, automation and survival games, cozy games).
  • There’s agreement that today’s hit rate feels lower and that AAA is risk‑averse, but many insist modern indie and mid‑budget games are a true golden age.

Storytelling, Design, and Microtransactions

  • One side argues storytelling “died” around 2010–2018: predictable plots, linear task‑rabbit design, and heavy monetization.
  • Counterpoint: strong narrative games still appear regularly, especially in indies; players may simply be more genre‑savvy with age.
  • Microtransactions are criticized as turning games into “addictive revenue machines,” though others note it’s easy to avoid such titles.

Technical Discussion: Static Recompilation

  • Static recompilation is contrasted with JIT emulation:
    • Pros: lower overhead, fewer platform constraints, potential for native‑feeling ports and deep modding.
    • Cons: hard with self‑modifying code, JITs, odd jump patterns, and console‑specific tricks.
  • For PS2, self‑modifying code and custom engines exist but are said to be rarer than pure C/C++ plus scripting. “Big ticket” titles may be the hardest.
  • Commenters link similar efforts: N64 and Xbox 360 recompilers, Zelda64Recomp, and OpenGOAL (Jak & Daxter).

Floating-Point and Vector Unit Challenges

  • PS2’s non‑IEEE floating‑point behavior is called a major emulation headache; some ports on other consoles had to hack around it.
  • Current PS2Recomp code appears to ignore these quirks for now; suggestions include macro‑expanding FP ops to match PS2 behavior.
  • Vector units (VU0/VU1) carried most FP throughput; one developer notes they’re well‑documented and simulatable, though architecturally awkward.

Recompilation, Preservation, and Accuracy

  • Some see native recompilation as huge for preservation and future‑proofing (easier to keep running on new hardware, easier to modify).
  • Others argue “true” preservation prioritizes accurate emulation of original behavior; recompiles are more like enhanced ports.
  • Examples are given where recovered code lets games be optimized or even ported to weaker hardware than the original console.

Hardware, Moore’s Law, and On-Device AI

  • Discussion extends to compute/$ improvements and speculation that phones may eventually run today’s “frontier” AI models locally.
  • Skeptics highlight RAM limits, locked‑down ecosystems, and rising PC build costs; optimists point to cheap older‑node silicon and improving open hardware tooling.
  • Input latency on modern TVs and software stacks is cited as a reason modern games often feel less “twitchy” than NES/SNES titles.

Legal and Industry Dynamics

  • Several expect IP pushback but note Sony has historically been less aggressive than Nintendo and has even shipped products using open‑source emulators.
  • A view emerges that companies tolerate some gray‑area preservation because it maintains franchise mindshare, as long as access isn’t too frictionless.