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  <div class="wrap">
    <h1 class="page-title">PS2 CONFIG Guide</h1>
    <p class="subtitle">A step-by-step guide to build netemu CONFIG files.</p>

    <div class="grid">
      <aside class="card toc">
        <h3>Table of Contents</h3>
        <a href="#overview">1. Overview</a>
        <a href="#prereqs">2. Prerequisites</a>
        <a href="#glossary">3. Glossary</a>
        <a href="#config">4. What's in a config?</a>
        <a href="#workflow">5. Workflow</a>
        <a href="#common-fixes">6. Common Fixes</a>
        <a href="#create-config">7. Creating a Config</a>
        <a href="#links">8. Links & Resources</a>
        <hr style="border-color: var(--border); margin: 12px 0;">
        <small>Tip: each section uses <strong>&lt;details&gt;</strong> so you can draft notes and collapse later.</small>
      </aside>

      <main>
        <section id="overview" class="card">
          <h2>1) Overview</h2>
          <p>CONFIG files tweak the ps2_netemu emulator to fix certain issues, including performance, crashes and stutters.
            They are not required for every game, and are not guaranteed to fix all issues, but they can significantly improve compatibility.
          </p>
          <div class="callout info">
            This guide targets PS2 Classics (ps2_netemu) on PS3 only.
          </div>
        </section>

        <section id="prereqs" class="card">
          <h2>2) Prerequisites</h2>
          <details open>
            <summary>What you should have before you start</summary>
            <ul>
              <li>A hex editing program, such as HxD.</li>
              <li>Your PS2 game in ISO format.</li>
            </ul>
          </details>
          <div class="callout tip">Understanding the PS2 and PS3's hardware design can also help to diagnose issues. However, many games can be fixed with generic configs.</div>
        </section>

        <section id="glossary" class="card">
          <h2>3) Glossary</h2>
          <details>
            <summary>Core terms</summary>
            <ul>
              <li><strong>EE</strong> - Emotion Engine (PS2 CPU).</li>
              <li><strong>VU</strong> - Vector Units (VU0/VU1).</li>
              <li><strong>GS</strong> - Graphics Synthesizer (PS2 GPU).</li>
              <li><strong>FPU</strong> - Floating-point unit. Responsible for maths and accuracy.</li>
            </ul>
          </details>
        </section>

        <section id="config" class="card">
          <h2>4) What's in a CONFIG?</h2>
          <p>CONFIG files for netemu are basically small binary blobs that act as instructions for the emulator. They are viewed and edited via hex editors.</p>
          <ul>
            <li>CONFIGs typically start with <code>3D 00 00 00 57 44 00 00</code>. This header is optional and does not affect the game, but it is convention. It displays the config's revision in the debug menu - without, it displays 0 as the config revision.</li>
            <li>After this header, commands are added. Commands are often referred to in hex format, eg. <code>0x21</code>. These are converted (how?) to binary for the config. See <a href="#common-fixes" style="color:#fff">Common Fixes</a> for examples.</li>
          </ul>
        </section>

        <section id="workflow" class="card">
          <h2>5) Workflow</h2>
          <p>The first step should always be to check the PS2 CONFIG database to see if a config exists.<br>If your game does not have a config available, you can follow these steps to create one.</p>
          <div class="step"><span class="tag">Step 1</span><strong>Detail the issue</strong>: Figure out as much as you can from playing the game. Where does it occur? What happens?</div>
          <div class="step"><span class="tag">Step 2</span><strong>Check common issues</strong>: If your game suffers from a common issue, a generic config may work. See <a href="#common-issues" style="color:#fff">Common Issues</a> below.</div>
          <div class="step"><span class="tag">Step 3</span><strong>Report</strong>: Test the game using common fixes. Place the CONFIG file beside the ISO with <strong>exactly</strong> the same name as the ISO. For instance, "Gun.iso" and "Gun.iso.CONFIG".
            <br>If these work, congratulations! Otherwise, we recommend filing an <a href="https://github.com/ps3classics/ps2/issues" style="color:#fff">issue</a> on GitHub or the <a href="https://www.psx-place.com/threads/compatibility-list-ps2-on-ps3.1306/" style="color:#fff">thread</a> at PSX-Place.</div>
        </section>

        <section id="common-fixes" class="card">
          <h2>6) Common Fixes</h2>
          <p>There are many common issues that can be fixed with a generic config. Here are some suggestions.</p>

          <details>
            <summary>FMV Stutter</summary>
            <p>FMV stutter can often be fixed by the 0x21 command. Add <code>21 00 00 00 00 00 00 00</code> to the config to enable.<br><strong>Sample Config:</strong></p>
            <pre><button class="copy-btn" data-copy>Copy</button><code>3D 00 00 00 57 44 00 00 21 00 00 00 00 00 00 00</code></pre>
          </details>

          <details>
            <summary>Pressure Sensitivity</summary>
           <p>Pressure sensitivity is not enabled by default, but can easily be enabled with 0x50. Add <code>50 00 00 00</code> to the config to enable.<br><strong>Sample Config:</strong></p>
            <pre><button class="copy-btn" data-copy>Copy</button><code>3D 00 00 00 57 44 00 00 50 00 00 00 00 00 00 00</code></pre>
          </details>

          <details>
            <summary>Performance</summary>
           <p>Due to the nature of PS2 emulation on PS3, there will always be some games that can't reach full speed. However, there are a number of commands that may improve performance. As a rule of thumb, try 0x21 (instruction cache skip) or 0x46 (L2H Improvement).
            <br>0x21: <code>21 00 00 00 00 00 00 00</code>
            <br> 0x46: <code>46 00 00 00</code><br>
            <br><strong>Sample Config:</strong></p>
            <pre><button class="copy-btn" data-copy>Copy</button><code>3D 00 00 00 57 44 00 00 21 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 46 00 00 00</code></pre>
          </details>

          <details>
            <summary>Multitap</summary>
            <p>By default, multitap is enabled, but not assigned to either controller port. Multitap is done in two separate commands - 0x1C toggles multitap emulation, enabled in both ports by default. 0x1D sets which port to use. The sample config below enables multitap on port 1.<br>
                <br><strong>Sample Config:</strong></p>
            <pre><button class="copy-btn" data-copy>Copy</button><code>3D 00 00 00 57 44 00 00 1C 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 1D 00 00 00 01 00 00 00</code></pre>
            <br>Some games may require multitap on port 2 instead. This config enables multitap on port 2:<br>
                <br><strong>Sample Config:</strong></p>
            <pre><button class="copy-btn" data-copy>Copy</button><code>3D 00 00 00 57 44 00 00 1C 00 00 00 02 00 00 00 1D 00 00 00 02 00 00 00</code></pre>
          </details>
        </section>

        <section id="create-config" class="card">
          <h2>7) Creating a CONFIG</h2>
            <p>The easiest way to create a config is to modify an existing one in a hex editor. Below is a download link to a blank config, which includes only the header. Just add the relevant commands in binary, borrowing from the examples above.
                <br>To convert a command from hex to binary, simply take the characters after <strong>0x</strong> and add "<strong>00 00 00</strong>". For instance, the command for pressure sensitivity is <strong>0x50</strong>. This becomes "<strong>50 00 00 00</strong>" in binary.
                <br>If your command requires parameters, add these after the command. For instance, the command for multitap is <strong>0x1C</strong>, and it requires a parameter to set which port to use. To enable multitap on port 1, the full command becomes <code>1C 00 00 00 01 00 00 00</code>.
            </p>
            <a href="https://github.com/ps3classics/ps2/raw/refs/heads/main/TEMPLATE.CONFIG" download="TEMPLATE.CONFIG" class="btn primary">Download CONFIG Template</a>
        </section>

        <section id="links" class="card">
          <h2>8) Links & Resources</h2>
            <ul>
                <li><strong>PS2 CONFIG Database</strong> - hosted by aldostools: <a href="https://ps3.aldostools.org/ps2config.html" style="color:#fff">https://ps3.aldostools.org/ps2config.html</a></li>
                <li><strong>PS Dev Wiki</strong> - a detailed list of CONFIG commands can be found here: <a href="https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/PS2_Emulation/PS2_Config_Commands" style="color:#fff">https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/PS2_Emulation/PS2_Config_Commands</a></li>
            </ul>
            Special thanks to mrjaredbeta for his expertise and guidance, without which this page wouldn't have been possible.
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