Just this week, the team responsible for developing the PlayStation 3 emulator, RPCS3, made an exciting announcement that RPCS3 has now achieved solid, native support for the Arm64 architecture across Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. What’s really impressive is that this includes the Raspberry Pi 5, showcasing just how far emulation has come, especially on a device like the Raspberry Pi 5. Historically, the Raspberry Pi 5 has been known to handle GameCube and, with less efficiency, Wii emulations. But now, with the right tweaks, it appears PS3 emulation isn’t just a pipe dream on today’s basic Arm hardware.
Attempting to run PS3 games on the Raspberry Pi 5 is undeniably a bold venture. However, by scaling down the resolution to match that of the PlayStation Portable at 273p instead of the PS3’s native 720p, some surprisingly decent gaming experiences have emerged. We’re talking about playing 3D games like the HD versions of God of War and God of War II, originally released on the PS2, as well as Catherine, and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm. Though 2D games generally perform better, the ability to enjoy playable frame rates in these PS3-era 3D titles far exceeds what anyone would anticipate from a Raspberry Pi 5.
On the macOS front, the shift from emulating x86 to native Arm architecture support has led to noteworthy performance improvements on Apple Silicon while playing PS3 games. This transition translates into frame rate enhancements ranging from 50-100%, as the games no longer have to endure x86 translation on top of the demanding PS3 emulation. The result is a highly functional, Arm-based PS3 emulation that we once considered far-fetched.
While the tests on the Raspberry Pi 5 offer an experience somewhat reminiscent of a PlayStation Portable, those on Apple Silicon display the true muscle of the PS3. Games like God of War III and Skate 3, which are considerably tougher to emulate than the PS2-to-PS3 HD ports such as God of War HD, run smoothly, provided the Arm hardware can meet the hefty requirements.
