User blog:SlyCooperFan1/Emulation

This page will serve as a guide for emulating the Ace Combat series on home computers.

Please note that these are MY results. Results WILL vary from computer to computer. If you want to research emulation processes on your own and discover the best ways to emulate the games on your own, I'd actually encourage your curiosity. But this guide is here for the average user who is (rightfully so) not sure about touching all of the various settings available.

In general, you should have at least 2 GB of RAM, as well as a dedicated graphics card of at least 1 GB. Integrated graphics card (typically made by Intel and found on laptops) are highly discouraged. I'd also recommend a controller or joystick connected, whichever you prefer; Ace Combat shouldn't work well with mouse controls.

PS2 Emulation: PCSX2
PCSX2 is the most popular and most compatible emulator available. No, they are not paying me to say that. In fact, they probably couldn't afford it; the emulator still isn't perfect, and lots of development is still required. That being said, the latest stable version of the emulator is the best yet, and it's added lots of improvements that have fixed many issues with emulating various PS2 games.

For emulating the "Holy Trinity" of Ace Combat, look no further than PCSX2. It's powerful, it's expansive, and most of all, it's free. However, there is a lot of configuration necessary for a first-time user of this emulator.

''<< PCSX2 Configuration Guide Coming Soon! >>''

PSP Emulation: PPSSPP
Say what you will about the portable Ace Combat games. But in my opinion, they (at least X and Legacy/Cross Rumble) can stand up to the console games sometimes. Maybe not in sheer performance, but definitely in the Ace Combat experience. There's still tunnels and canyons and superweapons!

For emulating PSP games, PPSSPP (as I like to call it, Double PSP) is the name you should be familiar with. Its latest update, 0.9.9, is what made me decide to write up this guide. X was mostly playable, and Joint Assault almost unplayable, but this latest update has taken the cake and fixed any outlying issues in the games at long last! I have not tested all of Joint Assault yet (only on Mission 3), and there is no complete online compatibility yet, but otherwise they work perfectly.

''<< PPSSPP Configuration Guide Coming Soon! >>''

The Future
There are no emulators for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Nintendo 3DS, and there won't be any for quite some time. So anyone who wants to play Ace Combat games on their computer will be restricted to games released prior to Ace Combat 6 (not including the PSP games, which can be played). But hopefully, one day we'll have computers good enough to handle these platforms!