PlayStation 2 – Message Board

Hello all! I've come here with hope someone could help me with something, I've decided that I want to record playthroughs of my favourite ps2 games to leave for posterity, you know, to watch them when I'm old along with my grandsons and all, games such as Devil May Cry, Onimusha, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Dynasty Warriors. So, how should I go about it, what is the best way to make the best quality possible recordings of ps2 gameplay? I there any method to do so without input lag? What kind of cables should I be using with my ps2 to do such a thing, component cables or is the standard av cable that comes with the console good enough?

I currently don't have the means to buy anything expensive but I really would like to know what is the best device for such a thing, so I will know what I have to work for, oh, and in case it matters, I use a CRT for my ps2 gaming.

Thanks for any insights.

I think most people record PS2 games through an emulator on a PC.

If you want a good way while using actual hardware, use a good upscaler like the framemeister and a HDMI splitter that goes to your TV and capture device. Otherwise, use an emulator. I'm all about using actual hardware though.

I used to use a DVD recorder then edit the videos using Windows Movie Maker. It was the easiest way of doing it that was guaranteed to work.

I used to use an internal video capture card with S-Video input on my desktop computer, and an S-Video splitter so I could play on my TV screen while my computer did the recording. My computer and TV were right next to each other in my room. Recording on the computer tended to show fewer frames because CPU was focuses on capturing them, not displaying them, so I used my TV as a mirror input.

Component video capture cards may be available for cheaper now, and that gives the best signal the PS2 can put out. Otherwise, recording on a beefy PC with an emulator will allow you higher resolution images.

I want to record with actual hardware, also I don't want to use a DVD recorder for two reasons, first I prefer to record to an HDD than use DVDs, second I heard they have a lot of lag so that would be terrible for action games such as devil may cry.

I found this game recorder that accept component input, so it would be able to record ps2:
https://www.amazon.com/Hauppauge-Gaming-Definition-Capture-Device/dp/B008ZT8QKO

But what I'm worried about is the HD only output, I would really like my recordings to have the original ps2 kind of graphics, CRT-like and not the washed look graphics that ps2 displays on a HDtv. I wonder if recording the ps2 with the original CRT look is possible at all nowadays.

bungiefan posted...

I used to use an internal video capture card with S-Video input on my desktop computer, and an S-Video splitter so I could play on my TV screen while my computer did the recording. My computer and TV were right next to each other in my room. Recording on the computer tended to show fewer frames because CPU was focuses on capturing them, not displaying them, so I used my TV as a mirror input.

Component video capture cards may be available for cheaper now, and that gives the best signal the PS2 can put out. Otherwise, recording on a beefy PC with an emulator will allow you higher resolution images.

Would this work with a notebook and external video capture card? sLso did the final result of the recordings show all of the frames, and were there any input lag during the playthrough?

External capture cards usually connect via USB, which unless you are using USB3 devices, have limited bandwidth that tends to limit recording quality. A desktop with an internal card on PCI-e bus is best because you get a lot of bandwidth to work with. Laptops also have lower specs and tend to not be so good for video processing work.

I don't know about every frame, but I used them to record my friends playing fighting games with me. Input lag was there on the computer screen when recording, which is why I used the TV next to my computer to watch while we played and only used the computer to record. This was over 10 years ago, so the CPU power was limited.

I have done it through 3 different ways, and all 3, I have never noticed input lag:

1: On a PS2 using component cables and a Roxio Game Capture through component. By far, the easiest in my experience and I love the Roxio because it is designed around simplicity, not bells and whistles. It is limited to capturing at 480i/p, but not a problem with PS2 games, unless you are playing PS1 games on it due to the Roxio not liking lower resolutions.

2: On my PS2 compatible PS3 with component cables on either the Roxio or on the Elgato HD. Roxio was by far easier to just plug and play, but the Elgato will give you a little better quality once configured. Just set the PS3's output to whatever you want it upscaled to. Also a great way to capture PS1 games, since it upscales to a fixed resolution.

3: Using an HDMI splitter to filter out the HDCP and captured the HDMI signal off my PS2 compatible PS3 through the Elgato, at what ever resolution I wanted.


TC, does the CRT that you are gaming on have component inputs? If so, I would use method number 1 that I mentioned above, and pick up this guy:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Roxio-Game-Capture-Gamecap-HU348-E-With-Cables-Cap-Xbox-360-Ps3-/302277741612?hash=item4661284c2c:g:EdQAAOSwnF9Y6YWW

You don't need the HD Roxio, if you are only capturing PS2 games. It is easily the easiest capture device I have ever used, just doesn't have a lot of features, and super affordable. Just make sure it either comes with the disk, or make sure you find both the software and drivers online before buying it.

bungiefan posted...

External capture cards usually connect via USB, which unless you are using USB3 devices, have limited bandwidth that tends to limit recording quality. A desktop with an internal card on PCI-e bus is best because you get a lot of bandwidth to work with. Laptops also have lower specs and tend to not be so good for video processing work.

I don't know about every frame, but I used them to record my friends playing fighting games with me. Input lag was there on the computer screen when recording, which is why I used the TV next to my computer to watch while we played and only used the computer to record. This was over 10 years ago, so the CPU power was limited.

That does seem to be a good method but sadly I don't own a desktop, but I'll keep that in mind for when I get it in the future, thanks for the help!

ItchyIsVegeta posted...

I have done it through 3 different ways, and all 3, I have never noticed input lag:

1: On a PS2 using component cables and a Roxio Game Capture through component. By far, the easiest in my experience and I love the Roxio because it is designed around simplicity, not bells and whistles. It is limited to capturing at 480i/p, but not a problem with PS2 games, unless you are playing PS1 games on it due to the Roxio not liking lower resolutions.

Thanks for the suggestion, I really like it but I have two problems:

1.My CRT doesn't have component input.
2.I want to be able to record Ps1 games as well (and if possible SNES and NES).

Is there any good game capture device for those purposes?

Also, I would like my recordings to have the original CRT look, and not the terrible look that retro system get when played on a HD tv, so that's a problem too.

Recording to a computer will not get you the CRT look because you will be playing back on an LCD screen. The CRT is what gives it that look.

PS1 games will still record to many capture cards over component, it is the TVs that don't know what to do when faced with 240p video. With a computer, you can force NTSC interpretation because you have a lot more control over settings. You just need a video capture device with the connections that you have for your PS2.