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We've already established the basics. Sony's new PlayStation 2 emulation technology for PS4 runs original software with a number of key enhancements: resolution gets a ballpark 4x increase and trophy support is also added. But as we put the final touches to our initial look at the three Star Wars 'classics' revealed so far, one outstanding issue remained: just how much faster can the emulator run PS2 titles compared to original hardware?With a sample of just three somewhat mediocre PS2 titles to experiment with, it's safe to say that we can't draw too many conclusions right now. Regardless, there is a lot of interesting data here - principally because all three titles run with an unlocked frame-rate, and each possesses a wildly variable level of performance running on original hardware. Given enough computational horsepower, all of these games can theoretically run at a completely locked 60 frames per second. PlayStation 4 doesn't quite hit that target, but for much of the duration, it gets very close, and the experience in those titles is transformative.
Two of the titles we have to examine - Jedi Starfighter and Bounty Hunter - run with v-sync enabled, and both are double-buffered. Essentially, what that means is that while one frame is scanned out to your display, the next is being rendered internally - the idea being that when your screen next refreshes, the new frame is swapped in. In optimal conditions, that provides a slick, smooth 60fps. The only problem is that both of these titles often run over their render-time budgets, frequently missing the next display refresh, meaning a sudden, often sustained drop down to 30fps or lower. The end result is some pretty unsightly judder as the performance level switches erratically between very different frame-rates, plus very different levels of response from the controls at any given point.
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