The team behind the PS3 emulator RPCS3 have released a version which works on ARM64 devices.

A lengthy post has been published on the emulator's official site which explains the long and arduous process of bringing it to ARM64-based hardware.

As well as working on ARM64-based Windows, Linux and Mac systems, this update also brings RPCS3 to the $85 Raspberry Pi 5 – albeit with some concessions.

Despite overclocking the device, it soon became clear that the Raspberry Pi 5's Broadcom VideoCore VII GPU was too weak to render PS3 games at the default 720p resolution, so a fallback option was needed – running games at the same resolution as the PSP, 273p.

That obviously results in less clarity, but most titles run at 30fps, making them playable.

"Adding arm64 architectural support is a key step to ensure long term preservation of the PlayStation 3 console, as arm64 CPUs make their way into the conventional desktop and laptop market," says the blog post.

News that PS3 emulation is coming to more platforms is welcome, but the team behind RPCS3 have stopped short of bringing it to mobile platforms, like Android and iOS. Citing "toxic users that have harassed other emulator developers in the past" and "scam applications that portray themselves as a PlayStation 3 emulator while being malware," the RPCS3 states that it has "no intention of porting RPCS3" to Android or iOS, and has forbidden any discussion relating to those platforms in its communities.

Posted: 3 hours, 19 minutes ago
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/12/ps3-emulation-comes-to-arm64-devices-including-the-raspberry-pi-5