Emulators are not illegal, but the software you may use it with might be. There are two ways to run most current emulators, and that's by using a BIOS file or by using HLE if the emulator supports it. And what is legal and what's not? You're not allowed to use the BIOS if you don't actually own the hardware. Yes, it belongs to Sony, but by buying their hardware and using it, you're buying a license to use their software. You can get a good emulator at ngemu.com or zophar.net. Last time I heard of a good PS2 emulator, it required a strong computer and I'm not even sure if the emulator itself is capable of running the games good yet.
Here are other opinions and answers from FAQ Farmers:
- These are basically illegal at this point, but it's always been a grey area involved with emulation in general. What is not legal (without owning the hardware) is the BIOS. That belongs to Sony. No question on that one. Honestly, the only ones that I've seen are made for demos or development and the computer needed to run the emulator at a good frame rate will set you back much more than the cost of a real PS2.
- My son says you can find it on the Internet. Perhaps Ebay?
- You cannot download it in the net for free, because it's copyrighted!
- Any search engine will answer the questions you have, and there is plenty of websites that offer the BIOS for PSX and PS2.
- Have you tried a fileshare program such as limewire?
- You can download the PS2 Emulating software and BIOS from my website http://www.thepchs.com Click on the PS2 Emulation link at the top of page.
