DuckStation (Windows) Tutorial
DuckStation (Windows) Tutorial
DuckStation Tutorial
Article source: https://fantasyanime.com/emuhelp/duckstation
Contents
1. About DuckStation (p.1)
2. Download & installation (p.2)
3. Error: MSVCP140_1.dll is missing (p.43
4. Setting up the BIOS (p.4)
5. Where DuckStation saves everything (p.6)
6. Showing the toolbar (p.6)
7. Setting up the keyboard or gamepad (p.7)
8. Loading a PSX ISO (p.8)
9. Q: My games aren't showing in the game list! (p.12)
10. Full screen (p.12)
11. Boosting performance (p.13)
12. Upscaling graphics (p.14)
13. Enabling PGXP corrections (p.15)
14. Disc swapping for multiple-CD games (p.17)
15. Save states (p.17)
16. Switching memory to shared memory (p.19)
17. Memory card: copying/moving/deleting saves (p.20)
18. Fast forward (p.22)
19. Capturing screenshots (p.23)
20. Using cheats (p.25)
21. Transferring MCR or GME saves to DuckStation (p.25)
22. Q: Can I transfer my memory card to another PSX emulator? (p.26)
23. Q: DuckStation crashes during gameplay! (p.26)
24. Dumping your PSX games to ISO (p.28)
25. Finding PSX ISOs (p.32)
About DuckStation
This tutorial is to help you with DuckStation for Windows. DuckStation is
considered a top PlayStation 1 emulator. All games emulate flawlessly. In
addition to upscaling 3D graphics (a staple feature in all PS1 emulators),
DuckStation comes equipped with all the modern PGXP correction features.
These corrections fix the inaccuracies that are evident when PlayStation 1
graphics are enhanced.
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DuckStation itself is very easy to use. As someone who's been making emulator tutorials for
over two decades, I'm thoroughly impressed with how user-friendly DuckStation is. Unlike
ePSXe, it doesn't use plug-ins. Setting up DuckStation takes less than a minute! Best of all,
DuckStation auto-updates ! So you never need to worry about going out of your way to keep
DuckStation up-to-date. This is a valuable feature that video game emulators rarely offer.
*If you would like to download DuckStation, you can grab it from its homepage:
https://github.com/stenzek/duckstation
● DuckStation's homepage:
https://www.duckstation.org/
● DuckStation's Github:
https://github.com/stenzek/duckstation/releases
● duckstation-mac-release.zip
● duckstation-windows-arm64-release-symbols.zip
● duckstation-windows-arm64-release.zip
● duckstation-windows-x64-release-symbols.zip
● duckstation-windows-x64-release.zip < download this one (most likely)
● DuckStation-x64.AppImage
DuckStation is a standalone program, so it does not have an install wizard. Installation is simple:
just extract DuckStation from its zip file. Not sure how to extract zip files? Here's a video tutorial
showing you how: how to unzip files on Windows. It doesn't matter where you decide to place
DuckStation on your computer, whether in Documents, Downloads, a folder on your desktop, or
somewhere else.
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If you're using Google Chrome, it might 'warn' you about downloading DuckStation (see below).
People typically don't download emulators, so this type of warning is a precaution Chrome gives
for any EXE download. There's no cause for alarm here. I assure you, DuckStation is a safe
emulator. Click the chevron and select Keep to allow DuckStation to download to your device.
The program can't start because MSVCP140_1.dll is missing from your computer. Try
reinstalling the program to fix this problem.
That's coming up because you're using an older version of Windows. Fortunately, this has an
easy fix! All you need to do is download the latest Visual Studio:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-160
After downloading Visual Studio, install it. You don't need to restart your computer after the
install. Then try DuckStation again.
● PlayStation 1 BIOS (236 KB). Visit the source URL of this article for the download link.
2. After opening up DuckStation for the first time, it will create its directories in Documents.
Go ahead and open up Documents.
a. Don't know how to access Documents? First, open Windows File Explorer.
The easiest way to open it is to click the folder icon in your home row of apps:
If a folder icon isn't present, you can also do this: in the “Type here to search“
area type “file“ and you'll see a File Explorer app appear at the top of the search
results:
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4. Place the bios in the bios folderPlace the bios in the bios folderInside DuckStation's
folder, you'll find a folder called “bios”. Inside this bios folder is where you need to place
inside “Scph1001.bin”.
5. That's it! Once “Scph1001.bin” is in the bios folder, the next time you open DuckStation
it'll detect it and you'll be able to boot up games.
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This is important so I wanted to highlight this. As mentioned above, DuckStation will create its
directories in the Documents folder. And then inside DuckStation's folder you'll see such folders
as:
● memcards - When you save at a save point within a game, this is where that save file is
stored.
● savestates - When you use DuckStation to save a state, this is where those save files
are stored.
● screenshots - When you snap a screenshot, this is where DuckStation will save it.
You can enable the toolbar by going to View > Toolbar, as shown below.
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The direction keys are W, S, A, and D and the rest of the buttons are in the numeric pad. If this
is weird for you, you can reconfigure these keys.
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2. To reconfigure a key or set it to a gamepad button, simply click it and press the new
keyboard key or gamepad button.
I'm going to go over both ways. But first, I need to walk you through extracting PlayStation 1
games:
1. Downloaded PlayStation 1 ISO's typically come in a ZIP, RAR, 7Z, or ECM file. The first
step is to extract it. To extract a RAR or 7Z file you can use 7-Zip (it's free)
[http://www.7-zip.org].
2. Using 7-Zip is easy. Just right-click the RAR or 7Z file and go to 7-Zip > Extract Here,
as shown here:
3. Once the ISO is extracted, now take notice of the file format of the ISO. DuckStation only
supports ISO files that are in BIN (BIN/CUE), IMG, ISO, CHD, MDS, PBP, or ECM
format. Here's a visual example of how they look like (the icons will look differently):
If the PSX game you downloaded came in a weird format such as NRG, UIF, DAA, CDI,
XBX, B51, BWI, etc. - they are not supported. I recommend trying to find your game(s) in
CHD or BIN/CUE format.
2. Look through your computer for your ISO and load it as if you were loading a
ROM. If your game is in BIN/CUE format, select the CUE file. That's it! The game
may not load immediately so give it a minute.
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2. From here it's easy: just select Add Game Directory to add a new folder.
DuckStation will ask you if you want to scan recursively. This is only necessary if
you have folders within your ISOs folder.
3. The game list is immediately populated in DuckStation (or might take a few
minutes if you have hundreds of games). The list will look something like this:
To load a game, simply double-click it. The game may not load immediately so
give it a minute.
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a. Tip: DuckStation lets you load a game directly from a save state!
Right-click the game and go to Load State, as shown here:
4. And then if you want to make changes to your game list, go to Settings then
Game List. In Game List Settings you can add/remove folders, enable/disable
recursive scanning, exclusive folders, and scan folders.
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If you followed these steps and DuckStation isn't showing your games in the game list or it's
only showing some of your games in the game list, keep reading.
Firstly, this section is assuming you've already read through “Loading a PSX ISO”. You've tried
and failed at making a game list after following my directions. Well, if your PlayStation 1 ISOs
are not valid ISOs, that's the reason why they're not showing up. To confirm that a PlayStation 1
ISO is valid, it needs to successfully run when you click on to load a game.
So if you're absolutely sure your PlayStation 1 ISOs are valid and they're still not showing in the
game list, then your ISOs are probably 'old'. DuckStation can be a bit quirky with old ISOs.
Resolving the issue is simple: you need to download new ISOs.
What I recommend is downloading PlayStation 1 ISOs in “CHD” format. CHD is a relatively new
format that has become the new standard for CD-based games. You can find them on Google
by searching “archive.org playstation 1 chd”.
Full screen
To enter full screen mode, simply press Alt+Enter. When you wish to go back to window mode,
press Alt+Enter again.
Stretch to fill
In full screen, DuckStation defaults the screen ratio to the normal 4:3 size. However, if
you wish you can stretch it to fill the screen.
Boosting performance
By default, DuckStation uses “OpenGL” to process the video output (a standard method with
Windows). However, if you have a good video card you can set DuckStation to use that instead,
resulting in a boost in performance.
If you don't have a good video card, selecting it here may not do anything to boost
performance.
Upscaling graphics
You can set the resolution in the settings by going to Settings > Enhancement > Internal
Resolution Scale, as shown here:
During gameplay, press the Page Up key to have DuckStation jump in resolution: 2x, 3x,
4x, etc. “3x” is equivalent to 720p. If you have a fast computer, you'd probably be able to
handle “5x” (1080p) or “9x” (4K). To go back to a resolution, press the Page Down key.
Expect to be pressing Page Up & Page Down a few times to find out what your
computer can handle.
mapping. The GIF animation to the right shows PGXP (Left) Normal, (Right) PGXP Mode
correcting jittery animation (you need to visit the URL
to this article to see the GIF animate). Pretty cool,
huh? Here's how to enable these features:
When you reach the point of a multiple-CD game when you need to swap discs, click on the
Change Disc icon. You're given a few options:
● From File - You can manually navigate your computer to select the next ISO file.
● From Game List - If you set up a game list (explained in “Loading a PSX ISO”), you can
select the next disc from the game list.
● From Playlist - If you set up an M3U file for the game's ISO files, the discs would
appear here in a list. In my RetroArch tutorial, I explain how to create an M3U file for
disc-swapping
[https://fantasyanime.com/emuhelp/retroarch-windows#disc-swapping-for-multiple-cd-ga
mes]. Having an M3U file is convenient, but if you're not too computer savvy I don't
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recommend going through the trouble because the process can be a hassle. I
recommend the File or Game List options above.
Once you've selected the ISO for the next disc, press Start or whatever other buttons the game
wants you to press to proceed.
Save states
Save states is a feature that saves the exact spot you are in any game. You can recall your save
state at any time. Here, take a look at the save state menu:
You can collect up to 10 different save states per game. The menu also offers 10 different global
save states, but I think you should ignore these.
You can even set specific keys for saving/loading specific save states. If you mess up
and want to delete a set shortcut, right-click on it.
New to emulation? If you're new to video game emulation, I don't want to confuse you into
thinking that save states are what you're supposed to use as the only means to save your
progress with DuckStation. Save states are an optional feature. You can still save your game at
save points as you would on a real PlayStation 1. In-game saves are loaded at the game's title
screen (like on a real PS1) - they're not loaded via the System menu.
Pro Tip: If you're playing a game that has in-game saving (such as an RPG) I recommend that
you use both save states and in-game saving to save your progress. That way you'll always
have a backup.
2. Look under “Memory Card 1”. In the Memory Card Type dropdown, select Shared
Between All Games - as shown below:
2. OR if you set up a game list (explained in “Loading a PSX ISO”), you can
right-click a game and go to Edit Memory Cards, as shown here:
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This will pre-select the game's memory card, as opposed to Step 1 where you
need to manually select the memory card file.
a. When you select a save file, you can 1 Delete it, or 2 Export it into its
own separate memory card.
b. You can 3 select a different memory card file to copy save files to/from it.
This is the screen where you can manage your memory card saves. You would
do so exactly as you would on the real PlayStation 1 system.
Fast forward
There are two ways to enable fast forward:
2. At the Hotkey Settings, you'll find the shortcut slots for fast forward:
Set a keyboard key or gamepad button to Toggle Fast Forward. If you mess up
and want to delete a set shortcut, right-click on it.
Capturing screenshots
Press the F10 key to capture a screenshot. DuckStation will capture it as a PNG image and toss
it in the “screenshots” folder. Remember, this screenshots folder is located in Documents then
DuckStation:
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I think the F10 shortcut is the most convenient, but know you can also capture screenshots via
the System menu and the Screenshot icon:
Using cheats
DuckStation auto-downloads cheats! Enabling cheats takes mere seconds. All you do is load a
game and then go to Settings > Cheat Manager or click the Cheats icon:
That's it! You'll see a list of cheats ready for you to enable:
If you want to add your own Gameshark codes, click Add Code:
1. If your save is a GME file, you need to rename it to MCD or MCR. For example, if it's
called “finalfantasyvii.gme”, rename it to “finalfantasyvii.mcd”. Otherwise, if your save is
an MCR file then jump to the next step.
2. Open the Memory Card Editor. Click on Tools > Memory Card Editor.
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Select the memory card file for the game you want saves transferred to. Then click the
icon to select the memory card file you want to copy saves from. In my example
picture, I selected a memory card file from ePSXe.
4. With both memory card files open, select the save slot you want to copy over, then click
the '<<' icon.
If you did all the above and DuckStation is still crashing, I would guess either DuckStation isn't
fully compatible with the given game or DuckStation isn't fully compatible with your computer.
There would be no fix for this. You can try RetroArch with the Beetle PSX core. If you're using
an old computer or an older version of Windows, try ePSXe or pSX.
4. On the next screen, select your CD-ROM drive (the first option, most likely).
5. You're going to see this progress bar appear on the lower-left of the screen:
Depending on the speed of your CD-ROM drive, this will probably take 5-20 minutes to
finish.
6. When RetroArch finishes dumping your game CD, the progress bar will disappear. It
doesn't prompt you with an alert sound or anything. If your CD-ROM was humming
during the dumping, you'll know RetroArch finished when your CD-ROM's humming
sound stops.
7. RetroArch dumps the ISO of your game CD in its Downloads folder. So the next step is
locating the Downloads folder. This is why in step #1 I noted to install RetroArch in an
easy-to-find location. If you installed RetroArch in, say, your Documents folder, go to
Documents > RetroArch > Downloads to find your game CD's ISO file. Otherwise,
RetroArch is in the AppData folder. Here's how to find it:
a. Open the Windows File Explorer. The easiest way to open it is to click the folder
icon in your home row of apps:
If a folder icon isn't present, you can also do this: in the “Type here to search“
area type “file“ and you'll see a File Explorer app appear at the top of the search
results:
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b. In the left panel, look for Local Disc (C:). Click on it, then in the main panel click
Users:
c. Next, double-click on the folder for the user you are currently signed in as.
Then click the View tab then click the radio bullet for Show hidden files, folders
and drives:
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8. Now we're in the Downloads folder! You should see a BIN file and a CUE file with a
weird filename like “cdrom-200000-1000000” - as shown below:
Double-click on the CUE file and choose to open it in Notepad. You'll see the text that's
shown in my picture.
9. Next, rename the CUE file and BIN file to the name of your game. Open the CUE file in
Notepad to rename the ISO as well. You can name these files to any name you want.
The only requirement is that both files & the name in the CUE file must be the same
exact name. Look here:
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10. That's it! You've successfully dumped your PlayStation 1 game. You can use it in any
PlayStation 1 emulator or any multi-system emulator that supports PlayStation 1
Thank you for reading my tutorial! If you have questions you can email me or message me on
social media [http://fantasyanime.com/contact].