Recently, the folks behind the PlayStation 3 emulator, RPCS3, made an exciting announcement: they’ve successfully rolled out stable, native Arm64 architecture support for Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. What’s even more impressive is that this support extends to the Raspberry Pi 5, testing the perceived boundaries of what’s possible on such a device. In the emulation world, Raspberry Pi 5 has already tackled GameCube and Wii, albeit the Wii with less finesse. Now, with some tweaks to the settings, even PS3 emulation seems within reach for this affordable Arm hardware.
Running PS3 games on the Raspberry Pi 5 is undoubtedly pushing the envelope of emulation. By adjusting the settings, the emulated games appear more like PlayStation Portable (PSP) versions, using a 273p resolution instead of PS3’s native 720p. Surprisingly, this makes playing some 3D games a possibility, with titles like God of War, God of War II HD, Catherine, and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm showing promise. While 2D games are naturally more accessible, achieving playable frame rates on PS3-era 3D games demonstrates a level of emulation capability on the Raspberry Pi 5 that few anticipated.
Meanwhile, on the macOS front, implementing native support for Arm architecture instead of merely adapting x86 emulation has resulted in substantial performance boosts on Apple Silicon. Users are witnessing frame rate improvements of 50-100% by running games natively, avoiding the cumbersome x86 translation on top of complex PS3 emulation, proving that high-quality Arm-based PS3 emulation is now feasible rather than a distant hope.
Comparatively, the performance on Apple Silicon is quite different from the Raspberry Pi 5, leaning into full PS3 experience territory. Icons such as God of War III and Skate 3, notoriously difficult games to emulate, are showing commendable playability. Unlike simpler PS2-to-PS3 HD ports, these titles demand more from the hardware, yet Apple Silicon’s robust capabilities ensure a smooth emulation experience.
It’s an exciting era for emulation enthusiasts, who can now explore and enjoy their favorite PS3 games across various devices, thanks to the tireless work of the RPCS3 developers.
