mkpsxiso vs ProjectPSX

mkpsxiso builds PlayStation CD images from an XML document, with output in .bin/.cue or .iso formats for emulators or CD burning. File order in the XML sets LBA placement, which the project says can support access-time optimization. The builder handles mixed-mode CD-XA content, including XA audio and STR video, and CDDA tracks sourced from WAV, FLAC, PCM, or MP3 files. Its related tool, dumpsxiso, extracts PlayStation disc images and can generate compatible XML. It supports 2352-sector images and CUE files, and can extract tracks, license data, and raw sectors. Generated XML follows strict LBA order and preserves timestamps and XA attributes. The project targets homebrew development, ROM hacking, and reverse engineering. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and is GPL-2.0 licensed. Documentation covers command-line use, XML structure, track types, ordering, errors, and validation. Users supply their own Sony license data for injection. On ext4 and xfs, absent XML dates prevent 1:1 rebuilding for certain older files; Windows also has a documented directory-browsing issue with some nested structures.

ProjectPSX is a free, open-source C# emulator of the original Sony PlayStation. Its maker describes it as a personal learning project for hardware and emulator development and as work in progress. Implemented parts include a MIPS R3000A CPU with Coprocessor 0 and GTE, a software polygonal rasterizer GPU, common CD-ROM commands, DMA transfers, timers, MDEC video decoding, memory cards, and an SPU without reverb support. It loads BIN or CUE disc images and requires a valid PlayStation BIOS; the README names SCPH1001.BIN as the development default and reports SCPH5501 or SCPH7001 working. Digital controller input is currently hardcoded to a keyboard. The maker says many games boot and reach gameplay, though random problems can occur, and no compatibility list is provided. DMA resumable transfers and proper CD-ROM timings remain unimplemented. The core is a headless library without dependencies, with WinForms and OpenTK projects; the maker says OpenTK runs on Linux. ProjectPSX supports Windows and Linux under the MIT License. The free plan costs nothing, and the releases page lists no releases.