nuPSX is an experimental PlayStation 1 emulator and debugger written in Zig, built as a learning exercise to explore Zig's capabilities and PSX hardware architecture. Still in early development with no intention of becoming usable by the general public. If you are looking for the emulator to play games, check out DuckStation.
Can boot and play a few commercial games (notably Crash Bandicoot and MGS) and homebrew demos. Lots of things are still missing or incomplete. Tested 2D games are mostly fine, 3D games have minor graphical glitches. Sound system is not complete but functional enough to play music and most of sound effects in tested games.
| Game | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Battle Arena Toshinden | 🟢 Playable | |
| Colin McRae Rally 2.0 | 🔴 Crashes | |
| Crash Bandicoot | 🟢 Playable | |
| Crash Team Racing | 🟢 Playable | Sound issues (no voice) |
| Tekken 3 | 🟠 In game | Wrong screen resolution |
| Earthworm Jim 2 | 🟢 Playable | |
| Metal Gear Solid | 🟢 Playable | Cutscene glitches |
| Mortal Kombat 2 | 🟢 Playable | |
| Ridge Racer | 🟢 Playable | |
| Spyro the Dragon | 🟠 In game | Sound issues |
| Tomb Raider | 🔴 Crashes |
git clone https://github.com/maxpoletaev/nupsx.git
cd nupsx
zig build --release=safe
./zig-out/bin/nupsx --bios SCPH1001.bin
nuPSX - A PlayStation emulator
Usage: nupsx --bios <path> [options]
Options:
--bios <path> Path to BIOS file (required)
--exe <path> Path to executable file to run
--cdrom <path> Path to CD-ROM image file (.cue)
--debug Enable debug user interface
--disasm Enable disassembly output
--breakpoint <addr> Set a breakpoint at the specified address (hexadecimal)
-h, --help Show this help message
[ Q ] [ O ]
_/[ E ]\_ ┆┆ _/[ U ]\_
/ \--------------/ \
| [W] | | [I] |
| [A] [D] | | [J] [L] |
| [S] | SHFT ENTR⟩ | [K] |
|\_________/--------------\_________/|
| / \ |
| / \ |
\____/ \____/
↑ = W △ = I [START] = Enter
← = A ◻ = J [SELECT] = R-Shift
↓ = S × = K [L1] = E [R1] = U
→ = D ◯ = L [L2] = Q [R2] = O
nuPSX relies on zig-gamedev libraries for graphics, audio and ImGui bindings.
Special thanks to guys in EmuDev Discord for sharing tons of undocumented knowledge and getting me unstuck countless times.
Readings:
- PSX-SPX Playstation Specifications by Martin "nocash" Korth
- PlayStation Emulation blog post series by James Groth
- PlayStation Emulation Guide (PDF) by Lionel "simias" Flandrin
- The PS1 GPU texture pipeline and how to emulate it reddit post by an unknown author
Tests and Demos:
- https://psx.amidog.se/doku.php
- https://github.com/PeterLemon/PSX
- https://github.com/JaCzekanski/ps1-tests
Referenced Projects: