This week brought an exciting update in the world of emulation, as the developers of the PlayStation 3 emulator, RPCS3, announced a significant milestone. The team has successfully implemented stable, native Arm64 architecture support for Windows, macOS, and Linux. What’s particularly fascinating is that this progress extends even to the Raspberry Pi 5, showcasing emulation capabilities that were once thought impossible on such a device. Previously, the Raspberry Pi 5 has been able to emulate consoles like the GameCube and, to a lesser extent, the Wii. Now, with the right adjustments, it seems that even the complex PS3 games can run on this entry-level Arm hardware.
For those curious about this development, there’s a video showcasing the RPCS3 running on Arm64 Linux with the Raspberry Pi 5. It’s remarkable to see how this device is pushing the boundaries, though it does involve scaling down from the PS3’s native 720p to a more manageable 273p, akin to PlayStation Portable (PSP) output. This adjustment allows some 3D games, such as God of War and God of War II HD, Catherine, and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, to be playable. While 2D games are naturally more fluid, achieving playable framerates for 3D PS3 titles on the Raspberry Pi 5 defies expectations.
Switching gears to the macOS front, Arm architecture has delivered impressive performance improvements, especially on Apple Silicon devices. By running PS3 emulation natively, rather than through x86 emulation, games experience a substantial boost in framerate—often between 50-100%. This makes the prospect of effectively emulating PS3 games on Arm-powered devices far more attainable than ever before.
Whereas the Raspberry Pi 5 renders a semblance of a PSP with its limitations, Apple Silicon showcases its prowess with true PS3 blockbusters like God of War III and Skate 3. These titles are notoriously tough to emulate, even more so than the upgraded PS2-to-PS3 versions like God of War HD. However, when Arm hardware has the necessary power, these games can be enjoyed in all their glory.
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