This week brought some exciting news for retro gaming enthusiasts, as the team behind the PlayStation 3 emulator, RPCS3, proudly announced a significant milestone. They’ve now achieved stable support for Arm64 architecture across Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms, including unexpected compatibility with the Raspberry Pi 5. This accomplishment stretches the boundaries of what’s conceivable in emulation, especially given the Raspberry Pi 5’s previous forays into emulating consoles like the GameCube and, albeit less efficiently, the Wii. With the right tweaks, even PS3 emulation is proving feasible on this entry-level Arm hardware.
Running PS3 titles on the Raspberry Pi 5 truly tests the limits of emulation prowess. By adapting the settings to scale the resolution down to a PSP-like 273p, as opposed to the PS3’s standard 720p, it’s possible to emulate some 3D games. This approach makes titles such as God of War and its sequel, God of War II HD, as well as Catherine and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, playable to some extent. Of course, 2D games fare better across the board. Nonetheless, achieving playable frame rates for 3D PS3-era games on a Raspberry Pi 5 is a commendable feat few would anticipate.
Switching focus to the macOS environment, the introduction of native Arm architecture support over the typical x86 emulation has resulted in some substantial performance improvements on Apple Silicon devices. Native execution has led to framerate boosts ranging from 50% to 100%. This bypasses the need for x86 translation overlaying demanding PS3 hardware emulation, turning the dream of efficient Arm-powered PS3 emulation into a tangible reality.
In contrast to the Raspberry Pi 5 tests, which somewhat resemble a scaled-up PSP, the examinations on Apple Silicon highlight impressive performance with demanding PS3 games like God of War III and Skate 3. These sophisticated titles pose a tougher challenge in emulation compared to ports like God of War HD. Yet, they prove to be quite playable on Arm architecture devices, provided the hardware has sufficient power to deliver a smooth gaming experience.
