AC3E Emulation Options

The first PlayStation has been dead for a long time now. It's been 12 years since I've last played a game on my PS1, which I trashed when I had to move (for the umpteenth time) and the effort of keeping it and getting it to work in a place with a different TV standard just wasn't worth the time, patience or investment.

So if, like me, your only way to play AC3E is via an emulator, then here are my recommendations if you want to get the best out of it.

ePSXe

Get the latest version here: http://www.epsxe.com/

This is a plugin-based emulator whose output depends on the plugins and settings used.

In February of 2016 the development team added their own video plugin ("ePSXe Core GPU 2.0.0") and HLE BIOS.

This is my go-to emulator when it comes to AC3E. Easy to set-up and use, it emulates the game's graphics correctly and has vibration support.

My configuration for ePSXe Core GPU 2.0.0 is 1, 0, 1, 2, 0 with "Use FPS limit" and "Vsync" enabled. Everything else default.

XEBRA

Get the latest version here: http://drhell.web.fc2.com/ps1/

This is an emulator that aims to reproduce the PS1's original graphics. It works right out of the box as it does not use plugins.

This is another very good choice to emulate AC3E with, and this one runs even on toasters. Here are my settings.

For analog input, use this axis configuration: X, Y, U and R (no need to change any numbers). To my knowledge, there is still no vibration support.

XEBRA can also be a little hard to set-up at first due to its interface, so configure it like this: in my Video Output settings I have "Use OpenGL", "Stretch with GDI" and "Progressive" checked while both "Drawing Skip" and "Display Skip" are set to 0.

Comparison

Default: correct water reflection
Mouse-over: incorrect water reflection

Nighttime: accurate, enhanced

(last updated: 20171221)