Guide:- Compiling PPSSPP on Windows for Dummies (updated for MSVC 2013)

[solarmystic]

Updated the guide to reflect the new requirement of Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 to compile all Windows builds starting from v0.9.6-804-g9c41246 onwards.

The overall procedure for the compiling guide has been simplified thanks to this compiler update, with the following major changes:-

1. Users do not have have to download and install Windows 7.1 SDK anymore to compile 64bit builds. All versions of Visual Studio 2013 (including Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2013 used for this guide since it's freely available from Microsoft) can compile 64bit executables; no additional components are required. Users who followed this guide previously may uninstall both MSVC 2010 and 7.1 SDK from their systems if they are not developing/compiling any other older program to free up some HDD space.

2. As a result of (1), the compiling procedure in Visual Studio itself is now streamlined for both 32bit and 64bit builds. No more platform toolset changes are required for the native, PPSSPPHeadless, UnitTest and zlib projects; in fact the only change one is required to make for 64bit builds is to set the drop down menus in the Configuration Manager mentioned in the guide to Release and x64 for Active Solution Configuration and Active Solution Platform respectively, as shown in the guide.

3. The DX SDK is still required for running/compiling Debug and debugging Debug builds (even with the dxsdk submodule) unfortunately, so I've kept that prerequisite in the procedure.

There are many downsides to this (long awaited) upgrade as compared to MSVC 2010, however:-

1. The minimum OS requirement to compile PPSSPP is now Windows 7 SP1. If you've been compiling PPSSPP on your Windows XP or Vista (god forbid) machine, you are out of luck. Perhaps it is time for an upgrade?

2. Getting the all in one ISO for Visual Studio Express 2013 (used for offline installations and convenience) is a pain in the behind and not as straightforward as it used to be for 2010. Users will have to register a Microsoft account (if you don't already have one, it's the same credentials you'd use to login to your Outlook/Hotmail/etc accounts) and use it to login to Microsoft's proprietary page in order to get the direct download link to the ISO (redirected from the main VS page). On the upside, installation for MSVC 2013 is pretty damn straightforward and everything that is required will be installed and updated automatically. This simplicity does come at at price, which brings us to the following point.

3. Increased HDD space requirement and component bloat. A whooping 5-6 GB is required since the installer will forcibly install every single component (many of which are not actually required to compile PPSSPP) and none are optional. That may not seem like much, but smallish SSD users should be wary of this, since the primary OS drive will be used to house most of it, regardless of the location you chose to install the software in the place.

Case in point (look at all that unnecessary SQL server crap!):-



4. Internet Explorer 10 (at a minimum) is now required. If you're like me, refused to touch that POS software (Firefox/Palemoon/etc for the win) and had it removed from the Windows Component store during a fresh Windows 7 install, you'll be disappointed to know that it is mandatory to have IE10 before even installing MSVC 2013.

5. Remember the Microsoft Account that you used to get the 2013 ISO download? Well guess what, you'll have to use it to eventually register the software online to extend the usage period of Express 2013 which will go into lockdown (it happened to me after a few months of unregistered usage) if you don't. Ah, the always online digital future, I love it, don't you? Fortunately, you only have to do this once and then you can stay offline (like any sane person would) and block that POS Microsoft sign in functionality for eternity which has no place on the desktop for offline based applications. Also helps to disable those obnoxious dynamic download updates too!

All the bits that relate to the git, and github procedure remain exactly the same after 2013. No changes there.