Following years of fan requests, Sony has finally deployed a revised PS2 emulator to bring classics to PS5, but tech experts over at Digital Foundry say that the effort is disappointing. Tech tests reveal issues like poor video upscaling, notable glitches, and jittery performance.
PS2 emulator on PS5 has issues that unofficial emulators have been able to resolve
Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry says that some of the issues experienced while playing PS2 games on the PS5 have been around for a number of years, so it’s a little baffling that Sony hasn’t addressed them yet.
Video upscaling in Tomb Raider, for example, is so bad that it’s noticeable on the UI. The output is blurry, stretched, and fuzzy. There are also some glaring glitches, which hurt the experience. Digital Foundry pointed out that an entire level in Sly Cooper plays without music on the PS5.
Interestingly, the retro emulation community has resolved much of the problems that PS2 classics face on modern consoles, but the official emulator hasn’t. As an example, Digital Foundry says that RetroTink 4K is a third-party upscaler that makes PS2 games look better even on the PS2 itself, let alone modern consoles.
“It feels like Sony simply doesn’t want to spend the time to present its classic titles at their absolute best,” the scathing analysis concludes.
