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Android: the built-in sync (v2.0.19)

The 2.0.19 update (July 2026) added Google Drive support and updated the Dropbox API for exactly this purpose: memory cards and save states sync to your own cloud account. Set it up from the app’s preferences after installing from Google Play, then verify it the paranoid way: make a save, confirm the file’s timestamp changes in your Drive/Dropbox, and only then trust it with a long game. Cloud sync complements — never replaces — the local .mcr files explained in our memory card guide.

The cross-device workflow

1. Play on Android; let the built-in sync carry memcards and states to Drive/Dropbox.
2. On PC, point your filing at the same cloud folder so the newest .mcr is the one ePSXe loads (or copy it into the memcards folder — the format is identical across PC and Android versions, as the Play listing states).
3. Before handing a session to another emulator (DuckStation imports .mcr too), keep one dated backup copy untouched. Sync propagates mistakes as faithfully as saves.

Where pCloud fits

If you want a long-term archive layer independent of Google and Dropbox — lifetime storage for a whole emulation library’s masters and saves — pCloud is the service we link for that job (our CJ affiliate application is pending, so this currently points at pCloud itself). The sensible architecture: Drive/Dropbox for live sync between devices, pCloud (or any backup you control) for the dated archive copies described in the memory card guide.

Rules that keep saves safe

• One “live” card per game at a time; archive copies are read-only history.
• Never let two devices write the same card simultaneously — finish on one, sync, then play on the other.
• Save states are convenience, memory cards are the record: states are emulator-version-specific and are not a backup strategy.
• Once a month, copy the whole memcards folder somewhere offline. It takes seconds and defeats account-level accidents.

Set this up once — ideally right after the Android setup — and the most common emulation tragedy (“my phone died at hour 60”) becomes a minor inconvenience instead.

First: be on the current version

Windows v2.0.18 (December 2025) lists compatibility improvements for Valkyrie Profile and a disc-swap fix for Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions, with SPUCORE audio work that touches several era titles. A large share of “unfixable” reports for these games are simply 2.0.5 installs: update from the official package (checksum on our download page) before touching settings. Android users should likewise be on the 2.0.19 series, whose point releases fixed an SPU regression.

Valkyrie Profile

Valkyrie Profile’s historical ePSXe issues cluster around its voice-heavy scenes and battle transitions — audio sync and framebuffer behaviour. On 2.0.18 the game is a named fix, so start from the internal SPU core and a conservative video profile (internal core or OpenGL2 on a moderate preset, framebuffer effects enabled). If voices drift, work the audio fix order rather than stacking plugin tweaks; if the picture glitches at transitions, the framebuffer setting is the usual suspect from our graphics guide. Rip quality matters too: this is a two-disc game, so the matched-set rule from the disc swap guide applies in full.

Metal Gear Solid (and Special Missions)

Two separate concerns. The main game’s famous disc swap is a story moment as much as a technical one — use the proper in-session Change Disc flow at the prompt, never a cold reset. Special Missions (the VR missions disc) had its changedisc behaviour specifically patched in 2.0.18; on 2.0.5 it could demand the main game disc in a loop. Codec-call audio and the Psycho Mantis theatrics are hardware-gimmick moments the emulator handles in its own way — judge them by whether the game continues, not by whether a 1998 controller trick maps literally.

Chrono Cross

Chrono Cross stresses two ePSXe subsystems: its status-screen and menu rendering (a long-standing framebuffer-effects case — keep framebuffer effects enabled and prefer the internal core if menus distort) and its disc boundary, which follows the standard matched-set, save-at-the-boundary discipline. Its large cast of elemental effects also makes it a good stress test after any settings change: if Chrono Cross holds full speed in battle, your configuration is healthy. Element-grid slowdowns that mirror original-hardware behaviour are the game being itself, not an emulator fault.

The general rule behind all three

Named games misbehave for named reasons, and ePSXe’s changelogs are the first place to check whether yours was fixed by the team. Update first, use the internal cores as your baseline, change one setting at a time, and keep your rips above suspicion. Everything else is in the troubleshooting hub.

What you need

• Your BIN/CUE master rip (made from your own disc — ripping guide). The CUE file must sit next to the BIN with the exact filename it references.
• chdman, the conversion tool from the MAME project (free, from the official MAME site). ePSXe does not convert files itself; chdman is the standard converter.

The conversion

1. Place chdman and your BIN/CUE in a working folder (or add chdman to your PATH).
2. Run: chdman createcd -i “Game.cue” -o “Game.chd” — point it at the .cue, never the .bin directly, so the track layout (including CD audio) is preserved.
3. Wait for the verify pass; chdman checks the output as it writes. A failed verify means a bad source rip — re-rip, don’t retry the conversion.
4. Keep the BIN/CUE master as your archive copy. The CHD is the working copy you copy to your phone, handheld or PC games folder.

Results and expectations

Savings vary by game: data-heavy titles compress dramatically, FMV- and audio-heavy titles less so. The gains that matter in practice are one file per disc (no more BIN/CUE separation accidents — a classic cause of black screens), tidier multi-disc sets (disc swapping points at one file per disc), and faster copying to SD cards (storage guide).

Compatibility notes

• Use a current chdman; CHD format versions have evolved and ancient converters produce files modern emulators dislike.
• ePSXe on Linux/macOS (v2.0.5, 2016) predates the CHD support — keep BIN/CUE working copies for those builds.
• If a specific game misbehaves as CHD but runs as BIN/CUE, keep that one title as BIN/CUE and report nothing — per-game exceptions are a normal part of PS1 emulation, not a conversion failure.

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How much space do you actually need?

• A focused library of 30 favourite games: under 25 GB even as raw BIN/CUE masters.
• The same library as working CHD copies: often half that, title-dependent (our CHD guide explains the conversion).
• A serious 200-game collection with masters and CHDs: still comfortably inside 128 GB.
• Conclusion: a quality 128 GB card serves almost everyone; 256 GB is generous headroom, not a requirement.

The specification that matters

Buy for endurance and authenticity, not headline speed. Emulation reads are light (a PS1 CD streamed at 2x is nothing), but handhelds and phones write saves and logs constantly, and counterfeit cards — endemic in marketplace listings — corrupt exactly the files you care about: your rips and your .mcr memory cards. A name-brand card from the brand’s own storefront (our link: SanDisk microSD on Amazon) is the entire advice. This is also why we exclude bargain-marketplace storage from our recommendations entirely — a fake-capacity card and a trustworthy emulation library cannot coexist.

Organisation that saves pain

• One folder per system (PS1), one subfolder per game for multi-disc sets — your future self swapping discs (guide) says thanks.
• Keep masters (BIN/CUE) and working copies (CHD) in separate trees; the card holds working copies, the masters live on the PC and in your backup.
• Back up the memcards folder specifically and often — it is a few hundred kilobytes holding hundreds of hours. Our cloud save guide automates the important part on Android.
• On phones, remember Android’s scoped storage: the folder you grant ePSXe is the folder it can see (Android setup).

For PC users

Any modern SSD or hard drive is beyond sufficient; the only PC-side rule is to keep the library out of cloud-synced folders that lock files mid-session, and to keep the emulator itself out of Program Files (Windows 11 guide). Speed was never the constraint — provenance and backups are.

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What to buy

• An original PlayStation (SCPH-100x/500x/700x/900x) or a PSone (SCPH-10x). Any working unit serves for BIOS purposes; region should ideally match the games you plan to rip (NTSC-U, PAL, NTSC-J), since you will pair the console’s BIOS with same-region discs as a rule.
• A controller and cables if you also want to test games on real hardware — a working AV/power set confirms the console actually runs before you rely on its firmware.
• Games, as discs. Original PS1 discs remain widely available second-hand and are the raw material for your rips (ripping guide).

Where to buy

Second-hand marketplaces are the natural channel — our eBay Partner Network application is pending, so this link currently points at eBay itself (consoles: search there for “PlayStation 1 console”; games: eBay’s PS1 games). Amazon’s marketplace also carries used consoles and discs (our Amazon links carry the tag oliver062-20). Local retro shops and classifieds work equally well — the checks below matter more than the venue.

Checks before you pay

• “Tested/working” language. Pay the small premium for a tested unit over “untested, sold as seen” — laser condition is the variable that matters, and a dead drive undermines both game testing and your confidence in the unit.
• Photos of the actual unit, not stock images; check the model number plate for the region/model you intend.
• Disc condition for games: ask about scratches; a resurfaced or lightly marked disc usually rips fine at low speed, a cracked one never will.
• Returns: marketplace buyer protection is a feature — use sellers who accept it.

Once it arrives

Dump the console’s BIOS following the legal BIOS guide, rip your discs, and file the console’s model/serial with your backup notes. From that point your ePSXe setup — BIOS, games, saves — is entirely your own property chain, which is exactly what this site’s setup guides assume. And if collecting the hardware turns into its own hobby: welcome, it happens to everyone.

What you need

• Your original PS1 discs.
• A PC with an optical drive. Most modern laptops lack one; an external USB CD/DVD drive is the standard fix (affiliate link — see disclosure).
• Ripping software. ImgBurn (Windows, free) is the long-standing tool for PS1 discs; the steps below are tool-agnostic.

The process

1. Insert the disc and create an image in BIN/CUE format. The CUE sheet is not optional decoration — it describes the disc’s tracks, and multi-track games (with CD audio) misbehave or boot to black without it.
2. Rip at a modest read speed; scratched discs fare better slowly, and a failed rip redone beats a corrupted one kept.
3. Verify the rip by loading it in ePSXe (setup guide): File > Run ISO, point at the .cue (or the .bin), and play past the first save point.
4. Store the master rip safely; everything downstream (CHD conversion, copying to phone or handheld) derives from it.

Format choices, honestly

• BIN/CUE — the archival master. Keeps every track exactly; costs the most space (a full CD is up to ~700 MB).
• ISO — fine for single-track games; loses the track structure multi-track titles need.
• CHD — the working copy for 2026: one compressed file per disc, lossless, supported by ePSXe v2.0.18 on Windows and improved in Android v2.0.19. Convert from your BIN/CUE master with our CHD guide and keep the master as backup.
• PBP — the PSP-era container; ePSXe reads it (including >2 GB packs since 2.0.5) but it is rarely the best choice today.

Multi-disc games

Rip every disc of a set the same way, from the same release, into one folder, named consistently (Game (Disc 1), Game (Disc 2)…). Disc swapping in ePSXe assumes a matched set — the details and fixes are in the disc swap guide.

Why not just download ISOs?

Because they are not yours to download: a PS1 game’s copyright does not expire because the disc is old, and download sites offer no provenance for what their files contain. Owning the disc and ripping it is the route every guide here is built on — and if your collection is thin, original discs remain cheap second-hand (buying guide covers the console side too).

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The two families

• Linux handhelds (ANBERNIC RG35XX class and similar): inexpensive, instant-on, purpose-built. PS1 is well within their power — the entire library at native resolution is the sweet spot of this hardware class. You supply your own game rips and BIOS dump, exactly as with any emulator (legal BIOS guide). Example via Amazon: ANBERNIC RG35XX on Amazon.
• Android handhelds (Retroid Pocket class): stronger and pricier, and the only handhelds that run ePSXe for Android itself ($3.75 on Play) alongside DuckStation and everything else Android offers. If this site’s guides are your workflow, this family keeps it intact: Retroid Pocket on Amazon.

How to choose

• Screen: PS1 output is 4:3 — a 4:3 or near-4:3 panel (the RG35XX class) wastes nothing; a wide 16:9 Android handheld pillarboxes PS1 but shines for other systems.
• Controls: d-pad position matters — d-pad-above-stick suits PS1’s d-pad-centric library.
• Storage: PS1 games are CD-sized; budget for a trustworthy microSD (next section of our storage guide explains why the card brand matters more than the handheld brand).
• Honesty check: bundled “10,000 games included” cards are unlicensed ROM collections. The device is fine; the library is not yours. Rip your own discs (guide) and your conscience and your save files are both clean.

Handheld vs phone vs PC

A handheld duplicates what your phone already does, buying focus and controls with money. If you already own a decent Android phone and a telescopic controller (controller guide), that combination covers PS1 superbly — the handheld wins when you want a separate, single-purpose device or a giftable package. And the same library serves all three: your rips and .mcr saves move between handheld, phone and an ePSXe PC setup freely.

Some links below are affiliate links — they may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.

Best all-rounder for retro: 8BitDo SN30 Pro style pads

8BitDo’s SN30 Pro-class controllers pair a proper, clicky d-pad — the control PS1 games live on — with analog sticks for the DualShock era, in a shell that suits 2D and 3D alike. They connect over Bluetooth and USB to Windows and Android, and ePSXe maps them through the standard flow in our controller setup guide. 8BitDo has no public affiliate program, so our link goes to Amazon like any other shopper’s: 8BitDo SN30 Pro on Amazon.

Best for Android phones: a telescopic controller (GameSir G8 class)

A clamp-on controller that turns the phone into a handheld is the single biggest Android upgrade: real sticks and triggers, no desk required, and ePSXe’s split-screen and TV features still work when you unclip. GameSir’s G8-series is the reference design in this class: GameSir G8 on Amazon. Whichever brand you pick, confirm USB-C passthrough charging and that the pad presents as a standard gamepad to Android.

Best budget wired: Logitech F310

The F310 is the decade-old answer to “I need a pad today, cheaply”: wired (zero pairing drama), XInput/DirectInput switchable — the DirectInput mode occasionally rescues older setups — and a d-pad that is adequate rather than lovely. For a dedicated retro box or a CRT corner (low-end setups), it is hard to beat per dollar: Logitech F310 on Amazon.

Consoles’ own pads and PowerA

An Xbox or PlayStation controller you already own is the rational first try — connect before launching ePSXe and map it. Licensed third-party options such as PowerA’s wired pads sit in the same price conversation as the F310 with a more modern shell; our link currently points at PowerA’s official store while our network application is pending.

What actually matters (and what doesn’t)

• D-pad quality — decisive for PS1. Sticks matter second.
• Connection order — every pad works better paired before launch; most “ePSXe doesn’t detect my controller” reports are ordering, not hardware (fix guide).
• Extra buttons and macros — nearly useless for PS1. Don’t pay for them.
• Rumble — supported on the right pad/emulator paths, but treat it as a bonus, not a buying criterion.