This week brought exciting news from the team behind the PlayStation 3 emulator, RPCS3. They’ve successfully integrated stable and native support for the Arm64 architecture across various platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. What’s particularly astonishing is that this support extends to the Raspberry Pi 5, a device not usually associated with such high-level emulation capabilities. Historically, the Raspberry Pi 5 has managed to emulate consoles like the GameCube and to some extent, the Wii. However, the inclusion of PS3 emulation places it firmly in a new realm of possibilities for entry-level Arm hardware enthusiasts.
An intriguing aspect of running PS3 games on Raspberry Pi 5 lies in the challenge it presents. To get things running, developers have had to scale down the output resolution significantly, from the PS3’s native 720p to the PSP’s more modest 273p. This strategic compromise allows for smoother gameplay of several 3D titles, such as God of War (and its sequel God of War II), alongside games like Catherine and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm. While 2D games naturally perform better, achieving even playable framerates for PS3-era 3D games on Raspberry Pi 5 is an astonishing feat of emulation.
Shifting to the macOS landscape, the native Arm64 support offers a dramatic performance boost for Apple Silicon users. Running PS3 games now sees an impressive increase in framerates, ranging from 50% to 100%, simply by avoiding the inefficiencies of x86 translation layers. This development marks a significant step forward in Arm-powered PS3 emulation, transforming what was once a distant aspiration into a viable reality.
In contrast to the Raspberry Pi 5, Apple Silicon’s powerful architecture naturally excels at tackling some heavyweight PS3 titles like God of War III and Skate 3. These games demand much more from emulation hardware than their predecessors, yet they remain playable when armed with the robust capabilities of Apple’s chips.
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