PocketStation Emulation with Xebra and PK201

[WarOmnimon]

Hello everyone, I figured I'd write a guide on how to run PocketStation games using the combination of the PSX emulator Xebra and the PocketStation emulator PK201.

This guide assumes you have the Xebra emulator and know how to use it, if not you can Google for it and hopefully find a guide to learn how to use it properly.

Once you've figured that out, you can download the PK201 PocketStation emulator by Googling "Pocketstation PK201" and going to the Japanese site that is listed. The KROM file that is necessary to run PK201 is nothing more than the KERNEL.BIN included with PKEmu (The other PocketStation emulator), and the FROM file is a copy of a memory card image from Xebra (BU00 or BU10 in the Xebra folder). You should be able to find PKEmu via a Google search - a lot of sites have it.

Xebra will emulate the PocketStation plugged into a Memory Card slot when your PSX game searches for a PocketStation. Once the game is downloaded onto one of the Memory Card images (BU00 is Slot A and BU10 is Slot B), copy the appropriate file to the same directory as PK201.EXE and KROM and rename it to FROM.

In short...

-Take the KERNEL.BIN file included with PKEmu and rename it to KROM in the same folder as PK201
-Download a PocketStation game from a PSX game using Xebra
-Take the BU00 or BU10 file created by Xebra and rename it to FROM in the same folder as PK201

Not every PocketStation game works via this method. Pocket Alpha / Zero 3 (Street Fighter Alpha / Zero 3), Pocket Digimon World, and Pokerock 1-6 (Rockman Complete Works) have been tested as NOT WORKING by me. Every other game I've run has worked, however - I presume this is a BIOS issue and may be fixable via an actual PocketStation's kernel ROM, as I have seen screenshots at a Japanese wiki of Pokerock and Pocket Alpha that were presumably taken with the PK201 emulator.

If anyone has a PocketStation and wants to rip their BIOS for us, feel free to post and I'll explain how to do that - it'll get us closer to 100% compatible PocketStation emulation as far as I can guess.

[kiwis2k]

thanks like to see video or picture guide of this.

[WarOmnimon]

Originally Posted by kiwis2k

thanks like to see video or picture guide of this.

I'd love to do that, but I can't post pics or links yet (Due to the "two post rule" set by the board). When I'm able to, I'll get back to you. For now, I'll explain in more detail.

1. Download Xebra, PK201, and PKEmu. Install / unpack each emulator, and remember where they're installed.

2. Start up Xebra with your PSX game and download the PocketStation game like you would if a PocketStation had been plugged into your actual PSX.

3. Copy KERNEL.BIN that is in the PKEmu directory to the same directory as PK201, and rename KERNEL.BIN to KROM.

4. Copy BU00 / BU10 from the Xebra directory to the same directory as PK201, and rename BU00 / BU10 to FROM. BU00 will be the file you want if you install onto Slot A, and BU10 will be the file you want if you install onto Slot B.

5. Run PK201, start the emulation, and all should go well. W, A, S, and D are the keys used to emulate the D-Pad and the K key will emulate the Fire Button.

6. Be sure to exit your game before closing PK201. There are exit options in some games, for the others you will need to hold down K until the CONTINUE / QUIT screen appears and then select QUIT.

7. To send your PocketStation data back to Xebra, copy FROM from the PK201 directory to BU00 / BU10 in the Xebra directory. Run Xebra, and load the game. The appropriate changes should be reflected.

Hope this helps.

[notanerdmaster]

Thanks WarOmnimon for this guide, rep given

[Mezmorizingmage]

Originally Posted by WarOmnimon

If anyone has a PocketStation and wants to rip their BIOS for us, feel free to post and I'll explain how to do that - it'll get us closer to 100% compatible PocketStation emulation as far as I can guess.

I will have one very soon and I would like to help.
Just got the e-mail saying it has been shipped (from Japan to USA).
Do you know which games work on the other emulator?
I got all but one rom to, at minimum, show it's title screen.