PCSX2 is an open-source PlayStation 2 (AKA PS2) emulator. Its purpose is to emulate the PS2 hardware, using a combination of MIPS CPU [Interpreters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpreter_\(computing\)), [Recompilers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_recompilation) and a [Virtual Machine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_machine) which manages hardware states and PS2 system memory. This allows you to play PS2 games on your PC, with many additional features and benefits.
The PCSX2 project has been running for more than ten years. Once only able to run a few public domain demos, newer versions enable many games to work at full speed, including popular titles such as Final Fantasy X or Devil May Cry 3. Visit the [PCSX2 homepage](http://pcsx2.net) to check the latest compatibility status of games (with more than 2000 titles tested), or ask for help in the [official forums](http://forums.pcsx2.net/).
- PCSX2 1.4.0 is the last version to support Windows XP. Windows XP is no longer getting updates (including security-related updates), and graphics drivers for Windows XP are older and no longer maintained.
- Make sure to update your operating system, drivers, and DirectX (if applicable) to ensure you have the best experience possible. Having a newer GPU is also recommended so you have the latest supported drivers.
- Because of copyright issues, and the complexity of trying to work around it, you need a BIOS dump extracted from a legitimately-owned PS2 console to use the emulator. For more information about the BIOS and how to get it from your console, visit [this page](http://pcsx2.net/config-guide/official-english-pcsx2-configuration-guide.html#Bios).
- PCSX2 mainly takes advantage of 2 CPU cores. As of [this commit](https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/commit/ac9bf45) PCSX2 can now take advantage of more than 2 cores using the MTVU speedhack. This can be a significant speedup on CPUs with 3+ cores, however on GS-limited games (or on CPUs with less than 2 cores) it may be a slowdown.
