The PlayStation 2 emulator for Android, the AetherSX2 gained a new update that added the option “Skip Presenting duplicate frames”. This option even makes it possible to double the emulation speed of games in some cases.
As João Batista explains very well in the video below. It is not that simple.
https://youtu.be/ayrJ_jWAVUsFor those who didn't understand, some PlayStation 2 games that are set to run at 30 FPS (or with framerate monitored by the system) run below that on the original system. Games with Shadow of the Colossus can reach 19 frames per second in some scenes. To appear more fluid, the system doubles some frames. This causes an extra workload on the PS2 and consequently this technique is replicated by the emulator.
What the “Skip Presenting duplicate frames” option does is reverse this. As it is a repeated frame, the emulator simply stops showing it. Relieving the processor and GPU.
All of this we are not getting out of “our head”. See the explanation of the AetherSX2 developer himself:
“This is not frame jumping. It won't work in all games, but in games where the internal frame rate can be detected and run at 30fps, it will skip displaying every other frame, which would normally be a duplicate.
This gives your smartphone's GPU more time to render the frame and makes it less prone to power management maneuvers caused by switching between light/heavy frames.
Basically, you want to enable this option for better performance. It should be safe, on games that are 60fps internally or are incompatible with my internal frame rate calculation it will render all frames anyway."
According to the developer it is safe to leave this option on as it does not cause conflict with games that are set to 60FPS by the system.
The option is located in the emulator settings menu. Access the “Graphics” option and then “Skip Presenting duplicate frames”. Just activate the option and you're done. In the video above, you will find a tutorial explained step by step.
Combined with the “Underclocking” functions, “Skip Presenting duplicate frames” makes games much lighter to run on AetherSX2.
Will it work in all games? Not. But it's good to leave the option enabled for when a game has frame tracking at 30FPS active. So, it will start working.
Check out more setup tips in our Definitive Guide to the AetherSX2 Emulator.
>> Complete AetherSX2 Setup Guide <<
Also check out the emulator's Spanish group on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/968360423890828
