Getting VSync to work on PPSSPP

[applepiejr]

so for many people using the Windows version, VSync does not work.

switching between 32-bit and 64-bit versions doesn't help.

and forcing VSync through your graphics card control panel can lead to disastrous results such as performance getting reduced by increments related to GPU timing (60, 30, 20, etc.) when you would otherwise only drop a few frames without VSync. and you may encounter a flickering black screen.

there is however a way to force VSync on PPSSPP without these side effects.

so the main issue is for people using the Windows Basic Theme with Aero extension turned off. in Windows 7, what you'll want to do is change your Windows theme to the standard Windows theme (in Control Panel) to enable Aero extension (temporarily). leaving Aero extension on is a big no-no because it hogs resources. so there is an option called "Windows Color". Click this to bring you to a different window. you will then see an option for "Transparency". Uncheck this box to disable the transparency. this will give you the performance of Windows Basic while maintaining the benefits of Aero extension. So the 2 settings that we ultimately want are called "Desktop Composition" and "Aero Peak". These options can be found by opening your "Start" menu, right-clicking on "Computer", clicking "properties" and then click on the option called "Advanced Settings" on the left hand side. on the performance tab you will see an option to change your visual settings. this will open a list that includes "Desktop Composition" and "Aero Peak". these should be on by default when you have your theme set to the standard Windows theme. if you are using Windows Basic Theme, "Desktop Composition" cannot be enabled and "Aero Peak" won't even exist on the menu.

so having "Desktop Composition" and "Aero Peak" enabled uses VSync. so when you open PPSSPP in Direct3D 9 (it may help to have an explorer window open in the background as well) you will no longer see screen tearing, you'll maintain performance, and there will be no black screen flickering.

This method also works for other emulators such as Visual Boy Advance (GBA emulator) when using the Direct3D renderer.

hopefully the devs will fix VSync at some point. i've read a post by one of the devs saying that this is not PPSSPP's fault but lets be honest, many 3D games don't have this problem so surely there is a way to fix it. more importantly there needs to be an option for triple buffering in OpenGL and Direct3D 9 so that performance isn't killed if you drop a few frames. this is even more important for an emulator because reduced performance doesn't just lead to a game looking less smooth but it also ruins the speed and audio of the game as well.

anyway hopefully this helps someone and if you have any questions i'll try to assist.