Extract text from Pixel shader files (PSO)
To convert PSO Shader files to another format, you need DirectX Shader Compiler or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Compiled Shader or Save" file type, you need software like DirectX Shader Compiler or a similar tool.
The .pso file extension primarily represents a Compiled Pixel Shader Object or a Pipeline State Object cache used by Microsoft DirectX. Alternatively, it is widely known as a game save file for Phantasy Star Online or a project file in LISEGA Pipe Support Organizer.
These formats share a major disadvantage: they are closed, proprietary binary files. DirectX .pso files contain compiled GPU instructions or state caches that are heavily tied to specific hardware configurations and graphics drivers. They are fundamentally unreadable by humans. You cannot open them in a standard text editor, and standard online converters fail to process them because they lack the specific disassemblers required to decode low-level rendering instructions. Similarly, console game saves are heavily encrypted and locked to specific user profiles to prevent tampering.
Conversion options are highly restricted. Developers working with shaders might attempt to decompile a .pso back to source HLSL code using specialized debugging tools like Microsoft's PIX, but this is a complex reverse-engineering process. Game saves generally cannot be converted to anything else, though niche community save editors might extract internal data.
Because this file format is difficult to open or convert, standard software is usually useless. Often, only the original game engine, console, or compiler can properly read or export the data. Our platform inspects the raw binary structure, extracts any readable text headers, and helps you determine exactly which variant of the .pso format you are dealing with.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PSO file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted DL_BIN, XBF and X files.
If you want to convert PSO file to , you can use DirectX Shader Compiler or similar software from the "DirectX Shader or Game Save" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to PSO, try DirectX Shader Compiler or another comparable tool in the "DirectX Shader or Game Save" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our PSO converter.