NetherSX2 v2.2n Net Dev Build

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year everyone!

This update adds experimental Online Multiplayer to NetherSX2 along with the usual updates!
Thanks to IamLupo for adding it to ARMSX2, and zakilj3 for discovering the same settings work with NetherSX2!

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How to use Online Multiplayer

1. Go to your App Settings --> Settings and toggle on Enable DEV9 Ethernet
2. Set API to Sockets, and Device to how you want to connect online with the default being WiFi. Set this to VPN if your phone uses a VPN, and to one of the two SIM DATA options if you want to use your Mobile Data Plan instead
3. That should be enough to get you online using a guide like this by LogicalMacrochip

You can use the Official List of PlayStation 2 Online Games (2024) to figure out what games work, get their DNAS bypass codes if needed and which private server you should be using

For more advanced options (or you want to use the second method from the guide by LogicalMacrochip), you can do the following:

1. Set DNS1 Mode to Manual
2. Under DNS1 select either PS2 Online (called Cristian in the Official list) or PSRewired
   Note: This can also be changed on a Per Game Settings and more servers will be added soon
   To turn it off just set DNS1 Mode to Auto and DNS1 to 0.0.0.0

zakilj3 created a more comprehensive guide to make it easier for people

Changelog

• Bumped version to v2.2n
• Added Networking section to System Settings

GameDB (converted from PCSX2)

• All-Star Fighters - Fixed inverted or broken character textures
• Battle Gear 3 - Fixed broken splitscreen mode
• Blokus Club with Bumpy Trot - Fixed channel shuffles, menu graphics, motion blur, aligned effects and improved post effects
• Bomberman Kart DX - Fixed specific level infinite load screen
• Castlevania: Curse of Darkness - Fixed post-processing alignment
• Cool Girl - Fixed post-processing alignment
• Coraline - Fixed post-processing alignment
• Cy Girls - Fixed post-processing alignment
• Final Fantasy X-2 - Fixed broken FMVs
• George of the Jungle - Fixed post-processing alignment
• George of the Jungle and the Search for the Secret - Fixed post-processing alignment
• Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits - Fixed broken rainbow rendering, edge garbage, shadow definition and aligns post-processing
• Harley-Davidson: Race to the Rally - Fixed post-processing alignment
• Heatseeker - Fixed misalignment issues and lens flares going through objects
• Iris no Atelier: Eternal Mana - Fixed horizontal lines in FMV and character portraits when upscaling
• Killzone - Fixed internal FPS detection
• Next Generation Tennis - Fixed broken pause menu graphics and image alignment
• Ore no Shita de Agake - Fixed incorrect rendering and some missing text
• PachiPara 13 & 14 - Fixed channel shuffles, menu graphics, motion blur, aligned effects and improved post effects
• Raw Danger - Fixed menu graphics, channel shuffles and improved post-processing effects
• Red Ninja: End of Honor - Fixed post-processing alignment
• Silent Hill 3 - Fixed brightness menu transparency effects and text
• Steambot Chronicles - Fixed menu graphics, channel shuffles and improved post-processing effect
• TimeSplitters: Future Perfect - Aligned bloom of distant objects
• US OPEN 2002: A USTA EVENT - Fixed broken pause menu graphics
• Wacky Races - Fixed interlace wobble
• Yakuza 1 & 2 - Improved brightness and banding

ControllerDB (from SDL_GameControllerDB)

• 8BitDo Pro 3
• 8BitDo Ultimate 2C
• icedragon.io STAC Dance Pad
• Logitech Cordless RumblePad
• PlayStation VR2 Sense Controllers
• Ultimate Atari Fight Stick
• XinMo Dual Arcade
• ZhiXu GuliKit D

No interlacing and Widescreen Patches (Thanks Saramagrean!)

No Interlacing

• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
• Hot Shots Golf 3
• Mystic Nights
• Shadow Hearts
• Tales of Destiny - Director's Cut

Widescreen

• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
• Jackie Chan Adventures
• Metal Gear Solid 2 - Substance
• Mystic Nights
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2014
• The Great Escape
• Tales Of The Abyss

NetherSX2 v2.2b Dev Build

Small update with the latest PCSX2 GameDB changes

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Changelog:

• Bumped version to v2.2b
• Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga - Aligns shadows better to prevent artefacts
  • known as Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner in some regions
• This Is Football 2004 - Fixed boot videos screen size
• Wild Arms 5 & The Vth Vanguard - Fixed SPS on shell worm enemies
• World Tour Soccer 2005 - Fixed boot videos screen size
• Worms Forts: Under Siege - Fixed internal FPS detection and centered game output

NetherSX2 v2.2a Dev Build

Putting dev builds back on their respective repositories for ease of access

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Changelog:

• Bumped version to v2.2a
• Removed the unneeded Debug files from the APKs
• Fixed weird sun issue in Ace Combat 04
• Fixed vu separation issues for:
  • Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2
  • Ultimate Spider-Man

Via PCSX2's GameDB Updates:

• Dynasty Warriors 3 + 4 - Fixed missing graphics
• Hot Wheels: Beat That! - Fixed various car physics issues
• Jeopardy! - Fixed Menus
• Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Fixed tutorial crash
• UEFA Champions League 2005 - Fixed player uniform rendering

NetherSX2 v2.1

This release should correct any performance loss and visual regressions found with the NetherSX2 2.0 release while coming with a nice performance boost and several bug fixes on top of that

A huge thank you to Retro Handheld Guides, Alexwpi Game, reddit and the bug testers for pointing out these issues

Update Notice

I've updated the APK to fix the following bugs:

• Several visual glitches in GTA: SA
• Broken FMVs in MGS3: Subsistence
• The odd blue filter applied over MGS3: Subsistence

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Changelog:

Patched

• All Jak games now receive OI_JakGames which fixes some visual issues
• Brought back partialTargetInvalidation in 4248 to see if the 310 extra instances of it helps fix games
• recommendedBlendingLevel has been removed from 4248 to be more inline with 3668 (most people ignore the message anyway)
  • It only displayed a warning. We have minimumBlendingLevel and maximumBlendingLevel for setting the Blending Level automatically
• Added estimateTextureRegion to the Tales games to see if it helps with their performance issues
• Rebuilt the PartialTargetInvalidation configuration file with the better InstantDMAHack fixes implemented

General

• Bumped version to v2.1
• Hardcore RetroAchievements support has been fixed - it was temporarily broken with the v2.0.6 test build
• Setting inheritance doesn't transfer over autoFlush and cpuSpriteRenderBW since they break more than they fix
  • This fixes the fog wall in Wrath of Cortex and the black eye textures in the Jak games
• Restored the FullVU0SyncHack setting since it DOES exist in both versions
  • Should fix the performance loss with the games that use it
• Fixed the issue where the Cover Downloader didn't download the link provided by the user
• Removed InstantDMAHack from inheritance and we prefer DMABusyHack over it. This should fix the MGS games
• Implemented common fixes into the conversion script, which fixes:
  • The Atelier Iris games' FMVs
  • The Godfather's broken fullscreen colour filter
  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' performance
  • The Jak games' shadow issues using Vulkan
  • Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence's performance drop when camouflaged
  • The Digital Devil Saga games issue with texture alignment and lights shining through walls
  • The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers' FMVs
  • Timesplitters' light shining through walls
• Implemented an inheritance exclusion feature that can exclude games from being changed. This avoids over-tuning games (like Driv3r) that has had a lot of settings changes over the years
• Added a fix for Hitman Blood Money
• The Conversion script now output files with more descriptive names
• Implemented the ability to insert multiple hardware fixes using the game's serial
• Implemented the ability to insert multiple game fixes using the game's serial
• Better Resolution Scaling list values to help pick the best resolution for your device without sacrificing performance
• Updated widescreen and no-interlacing patches to latest provided by Saramagrean
• Updated the Controller DB to latest from SDL_GameControllerDB

Known Issues

• Google Play Protect may give you a warning when installing the APK due to us using test keys to sign the application
• SAVE STATES ARE NOT COMPATIBLE BETWEEN 3668 AND 4248! Please use memcard/in-game saves if you plan to jump between Patch and Classic
• NASCAR and Colin McRae Rally games have graphical issues with 4248 - use 3668 if you plan to play them
• Older Mali devices may have rendering issues and/or crashes on Vulkan with certain games (like Dark Cloud 2). Generally this just requires the use of OpenGL to get past the problematic parts of the game before switching back to Vulkan. The latest Mali chipsets do not have this issue. Using 3668 is also a viable solution for these games
• CHD files made with createdvd will not work with the emulator unless you use the flag -c zlib. Since createcd chd files are generally smaller, it may be preferable to use them when space is a concern
• Newer texture packs (made in or after 2024) will not work. This is due to PCSX2 changing how dumped textures are named. PCSX2 will also automatically rename the files to the new naming scheme when older packs are used with it - breaking their compatibility with NetherSX2 in the process. Hopefully the ability to dump textures with NetherSX2 will help mitigate this issue
• Newer RetroAchievements that uses the Remember and Recall functions within RA - so achievement sets made in the last year and half may not work with NetherSX2

Special Thanks

• A Huge Thank You to Miguel, WZi, McThor, protokoul, PrinceP14 and two private sponsors for their support on my Ko-fi and Github Sponsors pages! Your combined generosity makes it possible for me to work on this and many other projects!
• MrSujano, Retro Game Corps, Joey's Retro Handhelds, TechDweed, Retro Ryan, Adin Walls, Alexwpi Game, Retro Handheld Guides and many other YouTube channels for spreading awareness of and creating guides for NetherSX2

Test Devices & Huge Thanks to

• AYANEO for providing me with the powerhouse known as the AYANEO Pocket S2 Pro
• Retroid for providing me with a RP Mini and RP5

NetherSX2 v2.0

First full release of the year and it comes with an APK!
NetherSX2 1.9a, NetherSX2-Classic 2.0a and the new NetherSX2-Classic 2.0 releases can be updated with this file

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Changelog:

NetherSX2 Changes

• First APK build for 4248!
• Bumped version to 2.0
• Added Texture Dumping - thanks Saramagrean!
• Updated the Widescreen & No-Interlacing patches - thanks again Saramagrean!
• Updated the Russian translation - thanks b1ack_mage!
• Covers now appear larger in the Game List Grid View - thanks b1ack_mage
• New On-Screen Controls:
  
  Credits:
  AetherSX2/Duckstation basis by Stenzek
  Better L2 and R2 buttons by k6stor
  Colored face buttons by b1ack_mage
  Reworked for better consistency by me

GameDB Changes

• Updated the GameDB via the upgraded conversion script (see below)

The conversion script has been overhauled and now produces GameDB files that has the original settings dynamically mixed with the latest fixes provided by PCSX2, with an option to override any of them for better Android or core compatibility. This gives us the stability provided by the original settings with the added benefits that come with the newer ones - which include better performance for several games

Controller DB Changes

• Updated to the latest ControllerDB from SDL_GameControllerDB

Known Issues

• Google Play Protect may give you a warning when installing the APK due to us using test keys to sign the application
• SAVE STATES ARE NOT COMPATIBLE BETWEEN 3668 AND 4248! Please use memcard/ingame saves if you plan to jump between them
• NASCAR and Colin McRae Rally games have graphical issues with 4248 - use 3668 if you plan to play them
• Older Mali devices may have rendering issues and/or crashes on Vulkan with certain games (like Dark Cloud 2). Generally this just requires the use of OpenGL to get past the problematic parts of the game before switching back to Vulkan. The latest Mali chipsets do not have this issue. Using 3668 is also a viable solution for these games
• CHD files made with createdvd will not work with the emulator unless you use the flag -c zlib. Since createcd chd files are generally smaller, it may be preferable to use them when space is a concern
• Newer texture packs (made in or after 2024) will not work. This is due to PCSX2 changing how dumped textures are named. PCSX2 will also automatically rename the files to the new naming scheme when older packs are used with it - breaking their compatibility with NetherSX2 in the process. Hopefully the ability to dump textures with NetherSX2 will help mitigate this issue
• Newer RetroAchievements that uses the Remember and Recall functions within RA (generally achievement sets made in the last year and half) will not work with NetherSX2. Some efforts are being made to fix this

Special Thanks

• A Huge Thank You to Miguel, WZi, McThor and protokoul for their support on my Ko-fi and Github Sponsors pages! Your combined generosity helped me more than any of you'll ever know and makes it possible for me to work on NetherSX2 and EtherealSX2!
• EZOnTheEyes and the Ozone Modification Group Community for giving us a home, and providing support and bug testing for NetherSX2
• MrSujano, Retro Game Corps, Joey's Retro Handhelds, TechDweed, Retro Ryan, Adin Walls (a fellow South African) and countless other YouTube channels for spreading awareness and creating guides for NetherSX2
• Retroid for providing an unknown developer like me with a RP Mini and RP5 that gave me the ability to test NetherSX2 and EtherealSX2 with Snapdragon devices when no other company was interested. You guys actively helped make both emulators better!

NetherSX2-Patch + Builder + Xdelta patch v1.9-dev

First Dev build that took a bit longer due to a regression in the GameDB that took me 4 hours to track down.
This is a test build to help squish any bugs before we do a proper 1.9 release
Please test your games against it and let me know about any bugs that may come up

Changelog:

NetherSX2 Changes

• Bump version up to 1.9
• Using cmd instead of bat for the script's extension to fit modern standards
• Including msvcp120.dll in lib folder to stop terminal colours breaking the scripts
• All scripts should now properly rename the APK to the correct NetherSX2 version number
• Stopped adding extended settings to the NetherSX2 1.0 apk builds to avoid breaking NetherSX2 1.7+
• Cover Downloader now comes with a default URL List already entered to make grabbing the Covers much easier
• Updated the Widescreen and No-Interlacing patches to be more in line with PCSX2's ones - Thanks Saramagrean!
• The FPS Control setting is now intergated into the emulator - Thanks again Saramagrean!

GameDB Changes

Way too many to list, and probably not the final version we'll use with a full release
Please test with your game collection and report any new problems that crop up

Controller DB Changes

Attempting to use our own Controller DB taken directly from the SDL_GameControllerDB Github
Hopefully it provides us with better support than the base file PCSX2 creates for it's needs

This release contains the following files:

NetherSX2-builder.zip - You can use this to generate your own copy NetherSX2 on Windows with the patches already applied. It works by downloading a copy of AetherSX2 4248 and applying an xdelta patch to it. This can be used with the scripts below to update it's contents

NetherSX2-patch.zip - This contains the files in the repository and can be used to patch (and update) an existing copy of NetherSX2

nethersx2.xdelta - The xdelta file used in NetherSX2-builder above. This can be used with UniPatcher (on Android), YADP or Delta Patcher to apply the patch changes to a copy of AetherSX2 4248 on systems others than Windows

Note: No APK is provided in any of these files. Due to licensing issues, you need to build NetherSX2 for yourself using the various methods provided

NetherSX2-Patch + Builder + Xdelta patches v1.8

This is a small update released as my gift to everyone for my birthday (16 Feb)!
Dev builds will also rollout after this release, so look out for that

Changelog:

NetherSX2 Changes

• Changed apk naming convention to clear up confusion about which version of NetherSX2 is being used
• The script will now correctly use any copy of the 4248 apk dropped in the folder regardless of what it's named
• The OSD and Show Version options correctly show that you're running NetherSX2
• Restored the Create Launcher Shortcut functionality (Thanks Arjoe!)
• Added the ability to restore the original AetherSX2 buttons by dropping a file in the main directory
• Updated the FAQ to include some more commonly asked questions
• Using a new keystore for better VirusTotal scores
  • Removed most of the "Interesting Links" found by VirusTotal too

GameDB Changes

• Fixed the Black Squares on the Ground in Area 51
• Fixed the Shadows in Destroy All Humans
• Added HPO and other fixes to Drakengard
• Fixed the lightning when using Vulkan with Star Wars - Battlefront II
• Fixed WRC 4's TLB patch regression
• Fixed the black eyes in Jak and Daxter games

Controller DB Changes

• Added Backbone one
• Added Clockwork Pi DevTerm
• Added iCode Retro Adapter
• Added NYKO Airflo EX
• Added PDP Wired PS3 Controller
• Added PS5 Access Controller
• Added Taito Egret II Mini Control Panel
• Added Taito Egret II Mini Controller
• Fixed Shanwan Gamepad Configuration
• Fixed Shanwan Gioteck PS3 Controller Configuration

This release contains the following files:

NetherSX2-builder.zip - You can use this to generate your own copy NetherSX2 on Windows with the patches already applied. It works by downloading a copy of AetherSX2 4248 and applying an xdelta patch to it. This can be used with the scripts below to update it's contents

NetherSX2-patch.zip - This contains the files in the repository and can be used to patch (and update) an existing copy of NetherSX2

nethersx2.xdelta - The xdelta file used in NetherSX2-builder above. This can be used with UniPatcher (on Android), YADP or Delta Patcher to apply the patch changes to a copy of AetherSX2 4248 on systems others than Windows

nethersx2-oldui.xdelta - Same as the above, but using the classic AetherSX2 buttons

Note: No APK is provided in any of these files. Due to licensing issues, you need to build NetherSX2 for yourself using the various methods provided

Resources

This contains an unmodified copy of AetherSX2 4248 to be used by the the scripts. This is allowed under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license

NetherSX2-Patch + Builder v1.7

Rewrote script to give it the ability to patch a user provided AetherSX2 4248 apk into NetherSX2
The script now also works like builder, and can download, create and update a copy of NetherSX2 for you just by running patch-apk.bat
Added in a New UI theme, although I'd prefer we make our own. Any artists out there willing to help?

Changelog:

GameDB Changes

• minimumBlendingLevel is now set to recommendedBlendingLevel since it's better to warn than force a setting, especially on mobile
• Added Settings:
  • Brian Lara International Cricket 2007
  • Battlefield 2
  • Club Football
  • Dark Chronicle\Dark Cloud 2
  • Delta Force - Black Hawk Down
  • Destruction Derby Arenas
  • Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat
  • EX Jinsei Game II
  • Formula One 2003
  • Freaky Flyers
  • Gran Turismo Special Edition 2004 Geneva Version
  • Gun
  • Kazoku Keikaku - Kokoro no Kizuna
  • Maxxed Out Racing Nitro
  • Minna no Tennis
  • MVP '06 - NCAA Baseball
  • Nascar 2005
  • Ratchet & Clank 3 (J)
  • Ricky Ponting International Cricket 2007
  • Rogue Trooper
  • Taito Memories games
  • Tekken 5 (Demo)
  • The Cat in the Hat
  • Tokimeki Memorial 3
  • Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2
  • Tom & Jerry - War of the Whiskers
  • Tomb Raider - Legend
  • Total Immersion Racing
  • Sakura Taisen - Atsuki Chishio Ni
  • WRC 3 - The Official Game of the FIA World Rally Championship
• Removed Settings:
  • Gran Turismo CRC hack
  • InstantDMAHack from Metal Gear Solid 3 - Subsistence due to it causing startup crashes
  • Progressive scan and deinterlacing CRC hacks from Devil May Cry 3
  • Several instances of autoflush that is unneeded
• Reverted Settings:
  • Metal Gear Solid Games
  • Need for Speed games

Controller DB Changes

• Added Retrode Adapter
• Added Mobapad Chitu
• Added Xiaomi Black Shark
• Added more Razer Kishi, Xbox 360, Xbox Series S and Xbox One S Controller versions

This release contains the following files:

NetherSX2-builder.zip - You can use this to generate your own copy NetherSX2 on Windows with the patches already applied. It works by downloading a copy of AetherSX2 4248 and applying an xdelta patch to it. This can be used with the scripts below to update it's contents

NetherSX2-patch.zip - This contains the files in the repository and can be used to patch (and update) an existing copy of NetherSX2

nethersx2.xdelta - The xdelta file used in NetherSX2-builder above. This can be used with UniPatcher (on Android), YADP or Delta Patcher to apply the patch changes to a copy of AetherSX2 4248 on systems others than Windows

Note: No APK is provided in any of these files. Due to licensing issues, you need to build NetherSX2 for yourself using the various methods provided

NetherSX2 Patch + Builder v1.6

Note: Fixed the line endings for the Linux scripts in NetherSX2-patch.zip (caused when I edited the Linux scripts on Windows to changed the version number)

Changelog:

GameDB Changes

• General perfomance and bug fixes
• Removed unneeded settings for:
  • Ace Combat 4
  • Armored Core 3 + Silent Line
  • BigMuthaTruckers games
  • Dog's Life
  • God Hand
  • Onimusha
  • Okami
  • Red Dead Revolver
  • SkyGunner
  • XenoSaga 3
  • Yakuza games (again...)
• Rebased to current GameDB, adding settings for:
  • Axel Impact - The Extreme Racing
  • DT Racer
  • DT Carnage
  • Kaidou Battle 1 + 2
  • King's Field IV
  • Tomb Raider: Legend
  • Racing Battle
  • Shutokou Battle
  • Special Forces - Fire for Effect
  • Star Wars - Battlefront
  • Twisted Metal - Head-On

Controller DB Changes

• Minor fix to the Razer Kishi's button configuration

Community Fixes

• Added (K)Android_Gaming's Mali patches to Devil May Cry 3 USA versions

This release contains the following files:

NetherSX2-builder.zip - You can use this to generate your own copy NetherSX2 on Windows with the patches already applied. It works by downloading a copy of AetherSX2 4248 and applying an xdelta patch to it. This can be used with the scripts below to update it's contents

NetherSX2-patch.zip - This contains the files in the repository and can be used to patch (and update) an existing copy of NetherSX2

nethersx2.xdelta - The xdelta file used in the patcher above. This can be used with UniPatcher (on Android), YADP or Delta Patcher to apply the patch changes to a copy of AetherSX2 4248 on systems others than Windows

Note: No APK is provided in any of these files. Due to licensing issues, you need to build NetherSX2 for yourself using the various methods provided