By Chris Adamson
Macs Only!'s CVGS Watch Editor
March 13, 1999
Syphon Filter
Connectix has posted a new version of its Sony PlayStation emulator, the Connectix Virtual Game Station, to its web site. According to Connectix, version 1.2 offers several new features:
Compatibility with more PlayStation games and better performance
The ability to read files in the DexDrive format. DexDrive is a PC-only peripheral that saves PlayStation game-saves to flat files, suitable for sharing over the net.
Better copy-protection
UI improvements, including a warning if you start CVGS with virtual memory or RamDoubler on.
CVGS Watch Editor Chris Adamson tried it out on some of the games he gave low compatibility scores to in earlier versions of CVGS. The result? "We may be entering the realm of declining returns -- every improvement I found was matched by a corresponding decrease in performance or usability. Here's what I found in some previously unplayable games (tested on a rev/A iMac):"
Official US PlayStation Magazine demo disc 18 -- No longer freezes on title screen. The demos I tried (Syphon Filter and Street Sk8er) played great.
Final Fantasy VII -- At long last, the battle "pointer" is visible. Unfortunately, there's been a serious frame-rate drop, particularly in the opening cinema. You can save games, but they don't appear when you try to continue... with a game as big as FF7, that's a fatal flaw.
Final Fantasy Tactics -- Save-game finally works, but not reliably. I saved two games, but only one showed up when I tried to load.
Roll Away -- Graphics are still mangled. Totally unplayable.
Brave Fencer Musashi -- Doesn't crash anymore, but the frame rate has dropped to a dire level. Barely playable.
Xenogears -- Much faster in battles and now completely playable.
