Hi,
New here so I hope this is the right sub. Anyway, I've got this rather complex problem, I'll try to break down.
PCSX2 on Debian
- Versions 1.5 and up are broken on Debian. Specifically, the HW rendering doesn't work (software works). It uses OpenGL. However, if I install the dependencies and then manually install version 1.4, I get few problems other than minor performance issues.
- This makes no sense other than upstream problems...right? Except here's the thing, version 1.6 from the developers actually works as well as 1.4.
PCSX2 on Manjaro
- Using versions 1.6 I had about the same performance as on Debian with 1.4. Now I'm getting better performance with 1.7 (obviously).
- I tried grabbing the source for Arch and building it on Debian and after much annoyance with deps, I found someone else had succeeded. Problem: I think they messed up the sound.
Not the Cause:
- BIOS. I have a clean dump of my own bios PS2 (Slim) so that is cannot be the issue. A mate did the actual dumping, but he checked it against the same version online and it's correct.
- ISOs. I've ripped second-hand PS1 CDs of mine that were heavily scratched and played fine on Mednafen. My PS2 DVDs were mostly brand new, so they were in great condition when I ripped them and archived the originals a few years back (and the files are not corrupted over the years, the hashes still check out).
- Upstream, since their builds work fine.
- Hardware, since it works on Manjaro.
- i386 libs, since Debian is running multi-arch just fine.
Most likely cause: Debian-specific packages.
I sent a bug report to the Debian package maintainers regarding PCSX2 1.5 being broken and having to use the outdated 1.4, but nothing has been done in somewhere closing on 2 years. I also sought help from the PCSX2 team with about as much luck.
TL;DR*: I don't want to move from Debian, even though I can, so is there a solution whereby I can get the kinda performance I get on Manjaro with Debian? Debian should be the lighter-weight and more stable system. I'm out of ideas, myself.
*Long reasoning if interested:
Thanks in advance.
New here so I hope this is the right sub. Anyway, I've got this rather complex problem, I'll try to break down.
PCSX2 on Debian
- Versions 1.5 and up are broken on Debian. Specifically, the HW rendering doesn't work (software works). It uses OpenGL. However, if I install the dependencies and then manually install version 1.4, I get few problems other than minor performance issues.
- This makes no sense other than upstream problems...right? Except here's the thing, version 1.6 from the developers actually works as well as 1.4.
PCSX2 on Manjaro
- Using versions 1.6 I had about the same performance as on Debian with 1.4. Now I'm getting better performance with 1.7 (obviously).
- I tried grabbing the source for Arch and building it on Debian and after much annoyance with deps, I found someone else had succeeded. Problem: I think they messed up the sound.
Not the Cause:
- BIOS. I have a clean dump of my own bios PS2 (Slim) so that is cannot be the issue. A mate did the actual dumping, but he checked it against the same version online and it's correct.
- ISOs. I've ripped second-hand PS1 CDs of mine that were heavily scratched and played fine on Mednafen. My PS2 DVDs were mostly brand new, so they were in great condition when I ripped them and archived the originals a few years back (and the files are not corrupted over the years, the hashes still check out).
- Upstream, since their builds work fine.
- Hardware, since it works on Manjaro.
- i386 libs, since Debian is running multi-arch just fine.
Most likely cause: Debian-specific packages.
I sent a bug report to the Debian package maintainers regarding PCSX2 1.5 being broken and having to use the outdated 1.4, but nothing has been done in somewhere closing on 2 years. I also sought help from the PCSX2 team with about as much luck.
TL;DR*: I don't want to move from Debian, even though I can, so is there a solution whereby I can get the kinda performance I get on Manjaro with Debian? Debian should be the lighter-weight and more stable system. I'm out of ideas, myself.
*Long reasoning if interested:
So, here's my problem: I love Debian and have been using it for years (I started experimenting on 6 and changed all my systems to Debian by 7 because I love the stability and simplicity). I know that the stable branch not exactly a desktop OS (if you use testing + sid, you may as well use Ubuntu/Mint/Antix/etc.), but I like it. I like stability, security, simplicity. On the other hand, it seems things relating to gaming, especially emulators, fall short horribly. Now I don't play games a lot, and when I do I, it's mainly emulation and a few indie/free games. So my PC is definitely more a production machine for my creative endeavors and some of my remote work that I can't do on my laptop. And therein lies another problem switching, Debian is the only OS I've felt 100% secure and stable with, but more importantly, in control with (UI isn't an issue, I use XFCE desktop which is default in Manjaro, sxhkd for my keyboard shortcuts, and a dozen scripts to make myself at home almost anywhere). But since this is my work machine, I need the security, stability, simplicity, and in-control-ness factors. That is, many distros, like Manjaro/Ubuntu/etc. tend to automagically configure things. I like being in control because it makes me feel safe. I like feeling I know what everything is up to. It took me a lot of courage just to use the proprietary nVidia drivers (I was willing to pay more for an AMD card to avoid it, but between scalpers and BTC miners, they sold out while still on pre-order and I was lucky to even get this card at this price). So, there's the problem for me.
Thanks in advance.