Bloodborne Emulator Brings PlayStation Classic to PC

Digital Foundry's Thomas Morgan recently put Bloodborne through its paces using the ShadPS4 emulator, analyzing its performance and the impact of community-created enhancements.

Morgan's tests utilized ShadPS4 build 0.5.1 by diegolix29, a build based on raphaelthegreat's custom branch. After experimenting with various builds, this version yielded optimal results on his system (AMD Ryzen 7 5700X CPU and GeForce RTX 4080 GPU).

He strongly suggests installing the Vertex Explosion Fix mod. While this mod disables pre-game character face customization, it effectively eliminates distracting visual glitches manifested as distorted or misplaced polygons. No other mods are necessary; the emulator incorporates a comprehensive menu for managing performance enhancements. This includes options for 60fps gameplay, resolutions up to 4K, and chromatic aberration toggling.

While occasional stuttering was observed, Morgan found Bloodborne maintained a largely stable 60fps framerate. Experiments with 1440p and 1800p resolutions showcased improved visuals, but at the cost of significant performance drops and frequent crashes. Therefore, he recommends sticking to 1080p (native PS4 resolution) or 1152p for the best balance of visual fidelity and stability.

Morgan concluded that the very existence of functional PS4 emulation, particularly for a demanding title like Bloodborne, is a remarkable feat by the ShadPS4 team. While acknowledging remaining technical imperfections, he highlighted the emulator's impressive performance.