This week brought exciting news from the developers of RPCS3, the PlayStation 3 emulator, as they announced that they’ve reached a milestone. The emulator now offers stable support for the Arm64 architecture across Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. One of the most unexpected additions to this list is the Raspberry Pi 5, pushing the boundaries of what was thought possible in the realm of emulation on this device. Traditionally, the Raspberry Pi 5 has been known to emulate GameCube and, less effectively, Wii consoles. However, with careful tuning, it appears that even PS3 emulation is within reach for today’s entry-level Arm hardware.
For those who are curious, there’s a demonstration on YouTube showing RPCS3 running on Arm64 Linux with Raspberry Pi 5. It’s a bit of a challenge getting PS3 games to run, as the settings scale the resolution down to a PSP-like 273p from the PS3’s native 720p. Yet, this makes it feasible to run some 3D games successfully, including classics like God of War (and its sequel God of War II), Catherine, and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm. While 2D games are more naturally compatible, achieving playable framerates in PS3-era 3D games on a Raspberry Pi 5 is quite the achievement, defying typical expectations for this affordable hardware.
On the MacOS front, emulation has seen a dramatic boost due to native Arm architecture support. Unlike simply emulating x86, this native support on Apple Silicon results in performance gains of 50-100% for PS3 games. This effectively transforms Arm-powered PlayStation 3 emulation from a hopeful ambition into a palpable reality.
In contrast to the Raspberry Pi 5, which mimics a PSP in its testing, Apple’s hardware demonstrates impressive performance running more demanding PS3 titles, such as God of War III and Skate 3. These games are traditionally more challenging to emulate compared to PS2-to-PS3 HD remasters like God of War HD. Nevertheless, when powered by robust Arm architecture, these titles prove to be very playable, showcasing the capabilities of modern Arm hardware.
