DuckStation vs ScePSX
DuckStation
duckstation.orgScePSX
github.comSide by side
| Figure | DuckStation | ScePSX |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 0 |
| Spec score · PlayStation Emulators | 9.1 (#1) | 7.3 (#13) |
| Graphics | Its hardware renderer supports D3D11, D3D12, OpenGL, Vulkan, and Metal, with upscaling, texture filtering, and 24-bit color. | It supports PGXP geometry enhancement and D2D, D3D, OpenGL, and Vulkan rendering backends. |
| License | The maker describes the project as distributed under CC-BY-NC-ND terms and says modified versions may not be published. | The project identifies itself as MIT open source. |
| Purpose | DuckStation emulates the Sony PlayStation console, focusing on playability, speed, and long-term maintainability. | ScePSX is a lightweight PlayStation 1 emulator written entirely in C#. |
| What it does | DuckStation emulates the Sony PlayStation 1/PSX console, prioritizing accuracy, compatibility, speed and maintainability. | ScePSX is a lightweight PlayStation 1 emulator written in C#. |
Plans
In their own words
DuckStation
DuckStation is a free emulator for Sony PlayStation games, available for Android, Linux, macOS and Windows. Its hardware renderer supports D3D11, D3D12, OpenGL, Vulkan and Metal, with upscaling, texture filtering and 24-bit color among the graphics options. Enhancements include PGXP geometry precision, texture replacement, adaptive downsampling and post-processing shader chains. Play options include save states, rewind, runahead, CPU overclocking and multi-disc support, along with memory-card editing and save importing. DuckStation supports RetroAchievements and Discord Rich Presence. It accepts digital and analog controllers, rumble, and up to eight devices through multitap; GunCon and Justifier lightguns can be simulated with a mouse. Supported formats include bin/cue, MAME CHD, single-track ECM, MDS/MDF, CCD and unencrypted PBP. A PS1 or PS2 BIOS image is required but not supplied, and games are not provided. The maker says users should dump a BIOS from their own console. Desktop requirements include Windows 10/11 and macOS 13.3 or newer.
ScePSX
ScePSX is a free, MIT-licensed PlayStation 1 emulator written in C#. It runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android; Android requires version 5.0 or later, with 9.0 or later recommended. Users can save and load progress, manage multiple save files, use cheats, edit and search memory, and play online multiplayer. Supported game image formats include .bin/.cue, .img/.cue, .iso, and .chd. The emulator supports D2D, D3D, OpenGL, and Vulkan renderers, which can be switched dynamically. Hardware backends support output up to 4K, while the software backend offers xBR and JINC upscaling. PGXP geometry enhancement works on software and hardware backends and can be adjusted without restarting; ReShade effects work on D3D, OpenGL, and Vulkan. Controllers are described as plug-and-play, and keyboard bindings can be customized. ScePSX does not include BIOS files, so users must provide one. Optional GameDB and ControllerDB downloads are listed, and the project accepts bug reports, suggestions, and contributions through GitHub.