Overview
How to get the game up and running on a modern machine.
Essential
Install the widescreen patch[ps2wide.net], it gives hor+ 1080p/4K support, fixes UI and FOV. Just unpack the files to your game folder using 7-zip[www.7-zip.org], then edit the .ini to set your desired resolution.
Then, limit the frame rate to 60 FPS via Nvidia Control Panel, and make sure vsync is enabled in-game. Otherwise there will be physics glitches, such as invisible walls, certain puzzle/platforming elements not working correctly, etc etc.
Finally, if you’re experiencing the fog glitch (e.g. you can’t see the 3D background in the main menu, everything but the UI is blue), then go to the game folder, open Hardware.ini and set the following:
Controller Support
All controllers should work. This includes both old DInput controllers as well as modern XInput controllers and also whatever is supported by Steam (DualShock, DualSense, Switch Pro etc). Make sure your controller is plugged in/turned on before starting the game as it only checks it during start up, then go to the options/controls and set the button mappings. I recommend following the original PS2 scheme[strategywiki.org]. Note that the tutorial button prompts are for mouse/keyboard only.
If you still have trouble getting the game to detect your controller, make sure Steam controller configuration isn’t automatically picking up some community template for the game, a lot of those just bind keyboard keys to your controller. You can check it by going into Big Picture Mode -> Library -> Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time -> Manage Game -> Controller Configuration. If there’s indeed some community template, then just reset it to the default “Gamepad” template.
Unlike the sequels, the menus in The Sands of Time are mouse/keyboard only, but you can work around this by using Steam controller configuration to e.g. map the D-pad to mouse movement (choose “joystick mouse” and then set the sensitivity to the lowest), Select to Escape (for pausing, skipping videos and going out of menus) and Start to Left Click (for confirming).
Finally, if walking/running feels off, try changing the left stick dead zone shape to square in Steam controller configuration. You can also decrease the outer dead zone a bit so that the Prince starts running sooner.
Other
If you want to skip the lengthy intro videos, remove/rename the following files in the “Video” folder: Bink.int, Intro.int, nvidia.int, poplogo.int, ubisoft.int.
While it’s possible to also remove/rename the loading screen videos to speed up the loading times it’s known to cause softlocks, so it’s not recommended.
Steam overlay for this game is intentionally disabled by the publisher, there’s no way to take or upload screenshots without the use of third party software.
Screenshots
1080p downscaled from 4K
