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This refers to Persona the series, not the game
 
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| title = RPCS3
| title = RPCS3
| name = RPCS3
| name = RPCS3
| logo = RPCS3 vector logo.svg
| logo = [[File:RPCS3 vector logo.svg|frameless|class=skin-invert]]
| screenshot = This is a screenshot capture of RPCS3 running in Windows 10.png
| screenshot = This is a screenshot capture of RPCS3 running in Windows 10.png
| caption = RPCS3 running on [[Windows 10]], showing the main window where games and software are shown, as well as the about-box
| caption = RPCS3 running on [[Windows 11]]
| collapsible =
| collapsible =
| author = DH, Hykem, AlexAlta
| author = DH, Hykem, AlexAltea
| developer = (RPCS3 TEAM) Nekotekina, kd-11, elad335, jarveson, Megamouse, hcorion, scribam, ruipin, isJuhn, Galciv, Numan<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/graphs/contributors|title=Contributors to RPCS3/rpcs3|publisher=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>
| developer = (RPCS3 TEAM) Nekotekina, kd-11, elad335, jarveson, Megamouse, hcorion, scribam, ruipin, isJuhn, Galciv, Numan<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/graphs/contributors|title=Contributors to RPCS3/rpcs3|publisher=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>
| released = {{Start date and age|2011|05|23}}
| released = {{Start date and age|2011|05|23}}
| discontinued = No
| discontinued = No
| latest release version = None
| latest release version = None
| latest preview version = v0.0.28-15131 Alpha
| latest preview version = v0.0.32-16834 Alpha
| latest preview date = {{Start date and age|2023|06|05}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Downloads|url=https://rpcs3.net/download|website=rpcs3.net|access-date=13 April 2023}}</ref>
| latest preview date = {{Start date and age|2024|08|16}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Downloads|url=https://rpcs3.net/download|website=rpcs3.net|access-date=13 April 2023}}</ref>
| repo = {{URL|https://github.com/rpcs3/rpcs3/}}
| repo = {{URL|https://github.com/rpcs3/rpcs3/}}
| programming language = [[C++]] , [[GLSL]] and [[C (programming language)|C]]
| programming language = [[C++]], [[GLSL]] and [[C (programming language)|C]]
| operating system = [[Windows 7]] or later, [[macOS]] 11.6 or later, [[Linux]], [[BSD]]
| operating system = [[Windows]], [[macOS]], [[Linux]], [[FreeBSD]]
| platform = [[x86-64]]
| platform = [[x86-64]], [[ARM64]]
| size = {{Plainlist|
* [[Windows]]: 20.6 MB
* [[Linux]]: 64.3 MB (AppImage)
* [[macOS]]: 35.2 MB
}}
| language = English
| language = English
| genre = [[Video game console emulator]]
| genre = [[Video game console emulator]]
Line 30: Line 25:
}}
}}


'''RPCS3''' is a [[free and open-source]] [[video game console emulator]] and [[debugger]] for the [[Sony]] [[PlayStation 3]] that runs on [[Windows]], [[Linux]], [[FreeBSD]] and [[macOS]] operating systems, allowing PlayStation 3 games and software to be played and debugged on a [[personal computer]]. It is being developed in the [[C++ programming language]] targeting [[x86-64]] [[Central processing unit|CPUs]] and features [[OpenGL]] and [[Vulkan]] as its backend renderers.
'''RPCS3''' is a [[free and open-source]] [[video game console emulator|emulator]] and [[debugger]] for the [[Sony PlayStation 3]] that runs on [[Windows]], [[Linux]], [[FreeBSD]] and [[macOS]] operating systems, allowing PlayStation 3 games and software to be played and debugged on a [[personal computer]]. It is being developed in the [[C++ programming language]] targeting [[x86-64]] and [[AArch64|ARM64]]{{efn|For macOS devices.}} [[CPU|CPUs]] featuring [[OpenGL]] and [[Vulkan]] as backend renderers.


As of August 2024, nearly 70% of PlayStation 3 games have been classified as "playable", meaning that a significant portion of the native library can be played from start to finish without any major problems.<ref>{{Cite web |last=wololo |date=2024-08-05 |title=RPCS3 (PS3 Emulator) 0.0.32 gets improved CPU detection + countless improvements |url=https://wololo.net/2024/08/05/rpcs3-ps3-emulator-0-0-32-gets-improved-cpu-detection-countless-improvements/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822130737/https://wololo.net/2024/08/05/rpcs3-ps3-emulator-0-0-32-gets-improved-cpu-detection-countless-improvements/ |archive-date=2024-08-22 |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Wololo.net |language=en-US}}</ref>
As of December 26, 2022, the emulator is able to run all commercially-released PS3 games, at least to some extent.<ref>{{cite web |last=Papadopoulos |first=John |date=2022-12-26 |title=Playstation 3 emulator, RPCS3, can now run all released PS3 games |url=https://www.dsogaming.com/news/playstation-3-emulator-rpcs3-can-now-boot-all-released-ps3-games/ |website=DSOGaming}}</ref>


==Development==
==Development==
⚫
Despite the general idea that the complexity of the PlayStation 3's [[PlayStation 3 technical specifications#Central processing unit|Cell architecture]] would prevent it from being emulated,<ref>{{cite web |last=Usher |first=William |date=2014-03-08 |title=PS3 Emulator Can Now Run Commercial Games |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/games/PS3-Emulator-Can-Now-Run-Commercial-Games-62686.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313053021/https://www.cinemablend.com/games/PS3-Emulator-Can-Now-Run-Commercial-Games-62686.html |archive-date=2014-03-13 |access-date=2017-03-03 |website=[[CinemaBlend]]}}</ref> RPCS3 released on May 23, 2011, by programmers DH and Hykem as a working emulator.<ref>{{cite web |date=2011-05-23 |title=rpcs3 r1 Google Code |url=https://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/source/detail?r=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314021939/https://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/source/detail?r=1 |archive-date=2014-03-14 |via=[[Google Code]]}}</ref> The developers initially hosted the project on [[Google Developers#Google Code|Google Code]] and eventually moved it to [[GitHub]] on August 27, 2013. The emulator was first able to successfully run simple [[Homebrew (video games)|homebrew]] projects in September 2011<ref>{{cite web |date=2011-05-23 |title=rpcs3 r28 on Google Code |url=https://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/source/detail?r=28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820004504/https://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/source/detail?r=28 |archive-date=2012-08-20 |via=[[Google Code]]}}</ref> and got its first public release in June 2012 as v0.0.0.2.<ref>{{cite web |date=2012-06-01 |title=rpcs3 tag 0.0.0.2 |url=https://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/downloads/list |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106221557/http://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/downloads/list |archive-date=2013-01-06 |via=[[Google Code]]}}</ref>
{{Multiple issues|section=yes|
{{Disputed-section|date=January 2022}}
}}

⚫
Despite the general idea that the complexity of the PlayStation 3's [[Cell (microprocessor)|Cell]] [[Processor design|architecture]] would prevent it from being emulated,<ref>{{cite web |last=Usher |first=William |date=2014-03-08 |title=PS3 Emulator Can Now Run Commercial Games |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/games/PS3-Emulator-Can-Now-Run-Commercial-Games-62686.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313053021/https://www.cinemablend.com/games/PS3-Emulator-Can-Now-Run-Commercial-Games-62686.html |archive-date=2014-03-13 |access-date=2017-03-03 |website=[[CinemaBlend]]}}</ref> RPCS3 released on May 23, 2011, by programmers DH and Hykem as a working emulator.<ref>{{cite web |date=2011-05-23 |title=rpcs3 r1 Google Code |url=https://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/source/detail?r=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314021939/https://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/source/detail?r=1 |archive-date=2014-03-14 |via=[[Google Code]]}}</ref> The developers initially hosted the project on [[Google Developers#Google Code|Google Code]] and eventually moved it to [[GitHub]] on August 27, 2013. The emulator was first able to successfully run simple [[Homebrew (video games)|homebrew]] projects in September 2011<ref>{{cite web |date=2011-05-23 |title=rpcs3 r28 on Google Code |url=https://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/source/detail?r=28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820004504/https://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/source/detail?r=28 |archive-date=2012-08-20 |via=[[Google Code]]}}</ref> and got its first public release in June 2012 as v0.0.0.2.<ref>{{cite web |date=2012-06-01 |title=rpcs3 tag 0.0.0.2 |url=https://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/downloads/list |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106221557/http://code.google.com/p/rpcs3/downloads/list |archive-date=2013-01-06 |via=[[Google Code]]}}</ref>


On February 9, 2017, RPCS3 received its first implementation of a [[Power Processing Element|PPE]] [[Thread (computing)|thread]] [[Scheduling (computing)|scheduler]], enhancing its emulation of the many-core Cell microprocessor.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/pull/2349 |title=Pull request #2349 - [WIP] PPU scheduler |access-date=2017-03-03 |via=GitHub}}</ref> On February 16, 2017, RPCS3 gained the ability to install official PlayStation 3 firmware directly to its core file system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/commit/458dbbd15d57ae6df928774d4dd83317635482e3 |title=PS3UPDAT.PUP installer (#2386) · RPCS3/rpcs3@458dbbd |access-date=2017-03-03 |via=GitHub}}</ref> In May 2017, it was reported that the implementation of the Vulkan graphics API had shown some performance improvements approaching 400%, pushing several games into "playable" status.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eteknix.com/rpcs3-vulkan-api/|title=RPCS3 Gets Performance Boost with Vulkan API|last=Donnell|first=Peter|date=2017-05-22|website=Eteknix|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122004353/https://www.eteknix.com/rpcs3-vulkan-api/|archive-date=2019-01-22|url-status=live}}</ref>
On February 9, 2017, RPCS3 received its first implementation of a [[Power Processing Element|PPE]] [[Thread (computing)|thread]] [[Scheduling (computing)|scheduler]], enhancing its emulation of the many-core Cell microprocessor.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/pull/2349 |title=Pull request #2349 - [WIP] PPU scheduler |access-date=2017-03-03 |via=GitHub}}</ref> On February 16, 2017, RPCS3 gained the ability to install official PlayStation 3 firmware directly to its core file system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/commit/458dbbd15d57ae6df928774d4dd83317635482e3 |title=PS3UPDAT.PUP installer (#2386) · RPCS3/rpcs3@458dbbd |access-date=2017-03-03 |via=GitHub}}</ref> In May 2017, it was reported that the implementation of the Vulkan graphics API had shown some performance improvements approaching 400%, pushing several games into "playable" status.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eteknix.com/rpcs3-vulkan-api/|title=RPCS3 Gets Performance Boost with Vulkan API|last=Donnell|first=Peter|date=2017-05-22|website=Eteknix|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122004353/https://www.eteknix.com/rpcs3-vulkan-api/|archive-date=2019-01-22|url-status=live}}</ref>


In July 2022, the developers of RPCS3 implemented [[Save state|save states]] into the emulator. This feature had previously been considered infeasible due to technical limitations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bailey |first=Dustin |date=2022-08-04 |title=PS3 emulator RPCS3 finally adds save states |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/ps3-emulator-rpcs3-finally-adds-save-states/ |access-date=2022-10-19 |website=[[GamesRadar]] |language=en}}</ref>
In July 2022, the developers of RPCS3 implemented [[save state]]s into the emulator. This feature had previously been considered infeasible due to technical limitations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bailey |first=Dustin |date=2022-08-04 |title=PS3 emulator RPCS3 finally adds save states |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/ps3-emulator-rpcs3-finally-adds-save-states/ |access-date=2022-10-19 |website=[[GamesRadar]] |language=en}}</ref>

In September 2024, a build of RPCS3 native to the [[AArch64|ARM64]] CPU architecture for macOS devices with [[Apple silicon]] [[System on a chip|system-on-chip]] was released on GitHub.<ref>{{Citation |title=RPCS3/rpcs3-binaries-mac-arm64 |date=2024-09-25 |url=https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3-binaries-mac-arm64 |access-date=2024-09-25 |publisher=RPCS3}}</ref>


==Requirements==
==Requirements==
As of late 2024, the OS requirements are:
⚫
As of August 18, 2022, the emulator requires a 64-bit version of [[Windows 7]] or later, a modern [[Linux]] distribution, [[macOS]] [[MacOS Big Sur|11.6]] or later, or a modern [[BSD]] distribution. The PC must have at least 4&nbsp;GB of [[RAM]], 8&nbsp;GB recommended, an [[x86-64]] [[Central processing unit|CPU]] and a [[Graphics processing unit|GPU]] supporting one of the supported graphics APIs: [[OpenGL]] 4.3 or greater, or [[Vulkan]], the latter being recommended. Apart from the game itself to be run, the emulator requires the PlayStation 3's [[firmware]], which can be downloaded from Sony's official website.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Quickstart |url=https://rpcs3.net/ |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=RPCS3 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* '''Windows:''' 10 or later.
* '''macOS:''' Monterey (12.0) or later.
* '''Linux''': 5.4 or later.
* '''FreeBSD''': 13.3 or later.


⚫
Prior to this, the requirements for Mac and PC were lower at [[Mac OS 11|macOS 11.6]] or later and [[Windows 7]] or later, respectively. The PC must have at least 4&nbsp;GB of [[RAM]], 8&nbsp;GB recommended, an [[x86-64]] [[Central processing unit|CPU]] and a [[Graphics processing unit|GPU]] supporting one of the supported graphics APIs: [[OpenGL]] 4.3 or greater, or [[Vulkan]], the latter being recommended. Additional support for [[Single instruction, multiple data|SIMD]] CPU instruction sets such as [[Advanced Vector Extensions#Advanced Vector Extensions 2|AVX-2]] and [[AVX-512]] is also recommended for best performance. Apart from the game itself to be run, the emulator requires the PlayStation 3's [[firmware]], which can be downloaded from Sony's official website.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Quickstart |url=https://rpcs3.net/quickstart |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=RPCS3 |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Atlus DMCA takedown notice==

⚫
RPCS3 received significant media attention in April 2017 for its ability to emulate ''[[Persona 5]]'', achieving playability prior to the game's Western release date.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/persona-5-is-playable-on-pc-with-this-ps3-emulator/|title=Persona 5 is playable on PC with this PS3 emulator|last=Prescott|first=Shaun|date=2017-04-03|website=[[PC Gamer]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621050912/https://www.pcgamer.com/persona-5-is-playable-on-pc-with-this-ps3-emulator/|archive-date=2017-06-21|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Plunkett |first=Luke |date=2017-04-04 |title=Here's Persona 5 'Running' On A PC |url=https://kotaku.com/heres-persona-5-running-on-a-pc-1794012308 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623141254/https://kotaku.com/heres-persona-5-running-on-a-pc-1794012308 |archive-date=2018-06-23 |website=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://heavy.com/games/2017/04/persona-5-pc-emulation-rpcs3-ps4-ps3/|title='Persona 5' Running on PC Emulation|last=Becht|first=Eli|date=2017-04-05|website=[[Heavy.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319223056/https://heavy.com/games/2017/04/persona-5-pc-emulation-rpcs3-ps4-ps3/|archive-date=2018-03-19|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/04/03/persona-5-is-up-and-running-on-one-of-the-pcs-playstation-3-emulators/|title=Persona 5 is up and running on one of the PC's PlayStation 3 emulators|last=Grubb|first=Jeff|date=2017-04-03|website=[[VentureBeat]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623085057/https://venturebeat.com/2017/04/03/persona-5-is-up-and-running-on-one-of-the-pcs-playstation-3-emulators/|archive-date=2018-06-23|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2017, ''[[Persona (video game)|Persona]]'' developer [[Atlus]] issued a [[DMCA takedown]] notice against RPCS3's [[Patreon]] page. The action was motivated by the Patreon page making frequent mentions on the emulator's progress on emulating ''Persona 5''. The demand, however, was settled by only removing all ''Persona 5'' references from the page.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/27/atlus-ps3-emulator-takedown/|title=Atlus tried to take down a PS3 emulator advertising 'Persona 5'|last=Moon|first=Mariella|date=2017-09-27|website=[[Engadget]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929122423/https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/27/atlus-ps3-emulator-takedown/|archive-date=2017-09-29|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/09/atlus-wants-to-cut-off-a-ps3-emulator-because-it-runs-persona-5/|title=Atlus wants to cut off a PS3 emulator because it runs Persona 5|last=Orland|first=Kyle|date=2017-09-27|website=[[ArsTechnica]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930005120/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/09/atlus-wants-to-cut-off-a-ps3-emulator-because-it-runs-persona-5/|archive-date=2017-09-30|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Legal challenges==
⚫
RPCS3 received significant media attention in April 2017 for its ability to emulate ''[[Persona 5]]'', achieving playability prior to the game's Western release date.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/persona-5-is-playable-on-pc-with-this-ps3-emulator/|title=Persona 5 is playable on PC with this PS3 emulator|last=Prescott|first=Shaun|date=2017-04-03|website=[[PC Gamer]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621050912/https://www.pcgamer.com/persona-5-is-playable-on-pc-with-this-ps3-emulator/|archive-date=2017-06-21|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Plunkett |first=Luke |date=2017-04-04 |title=Here's Persona 5 'Running' On A PC |url=https://kotaku.com/heres-persona-5-running-on-a-pc-1794012308 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623141254/https://kotaku.com/heres-persona-5-running-on-a-pc-1794012308 |archive-date=2018-06-23 |website=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://heavy.com/games/2017/04/persona-5-pc-emulation-rpcs3-ps4-ps3/|title='Persona 5' Running on PC Emulation|last=Becht|first=Eli|date=2017-04-05|website=[[Heavy.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319223056/https://heavy.com/games/2017/04/persona-5-pc-emulation-rpcs3-ps4-ps3/|archive-date=2018-03-19|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/04/03/persona-5-is-up-and-running-on-one-of-the-pcs-playstation-3-emulators/|title=Persona 5 is up and running on one of the PC's PlayStation 3 emulators|last=Grubb|first=Jeff|date=2017-04-03|website=[[VentureBeat]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623085057/https://venturebeat.com/2017/04/03/persona-5-is-up-and-running-on-one-of-the-pcs-playstation-3-emulators/|archive-date=2018-06-23|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2017, [[Persona (series)|''Persona'']] developer [[Atlus]] issued a [[DMCA takedown]] notice against RPCS3's [[Patreon]] page. The action was motivated by the Patreon page making frequent mentions on the emulator's progress on emulating ''Persona 5''. The demand, however, was settled by only removing all ''Persona 5'' references from the page.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/27/atlus-ps3-emulator-takedown/|title=Atlus tried to take down a PS3 emulator advertising 'Persona 5'|last=Moon|first=Mariella|date=2017-09-27|website=[[Engadget]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929122423/https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/27/atlus-ps3-emulator-takedown/|archive-date=2017-09-29|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/09/atlus-wants-to-cut-off-a-ps3-emulator-because-it-runs-persona-5/|title=Atlus wants to cut off a PS3 emulator because it runs Persona 5|last=Orland|first=Kyle|date=2017-09-27|website=[[ArsTechnica]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930005120/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/09/atlus-wants-to-cut-off-a-ps3-emulator-because-it-runs-persona-5/|archive-date=2017-09-30|url-status=live}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Video games|Free and open-source software}}
{{Portal|Video games|Free and open-source software}}
* [[PCSX2]], a [[PlayStation 2]] emulator.
* [[PCSX2]], a [[PlayStation 2]] emulator.
* [[Dolphin]], a [[GameCube]] and [[Wii]] emulator.
* [[Dolphin (emulator)]], a [[GameCube]] and [[Wii]] emulator.
* [[Cemu]], the first [[Wii U]] emulator
* [[Cemu]], the first [[Wii U]] emulator
* [[Citra (emulator)|Citra]], the first [[Nintendo 3DS]] emulator
* [[Citra (emulator)|Citra]], the first [[Nintendo 3DS]] emulator
Line 61: Line 60:
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}


==External links==
==External links==
Line 68: Line 70:
{{Sony emulators}}
{{Sony emulators}}


[[Category:2011 software]]
[[Category:Cross-platform software]]
[[Category:Cross-platform software]]
[[Category:Free video game console emulators]]
[[Category:Free video game console emulators]]

Latest revision as of 02:40, 30 November 2024

RPCS3
Original author(s)DH, Hykem, AlexAltea
Developer(s)(RPCS3 TEAM) Nekotekina, kd-11, elad335, jarveson, Megamouse, hcorion, scribam, ruipin, isJuhn, Galciv, Numan[1]
Initial releaseMay 23, 2011; 13 years ago (2011-05-23)
Stable release
None
Preview release
v0.0.32-16834 Alpha / August 16, 2024; 4 months ago (2024-08-16)[2]
Repositorygithub.com/rpcs3/rpcs3/
Written inC++, GLSL and C
Operating systemWindows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD
Platformx86-64, ARM64
Available inEnglish
TypeVideo game console emulator
LicenseGNU General Public License version 2.0
Websiterpcs3.net

RPCS3 is a free and open-source emulator and debugger for the Sony PlayStation 3 that runs on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and macOS operating systems, allowing PlayStation 3 games and software to be played and debugged on a personal computer. It is being developed in the C++ programming language targeting x86-64 and ARM64[a] CPUs featuring OpenGL and Vulkan as backend renderers.

As of August 2024, nearly 70% of PlayStation 3 games have been classified as "playable", meaning that a significant portion of the native library can be played from start to finish without any major problems.[3]

Development

[edit]

Despite the general idea that the complexity of the PlayStation 3's Cell architecture would prevent it from being emulated,[4] RPCS3 released on May 23, 2011, by programmers DH and Hykem as a working emulator.[5] The developers initially hosted the project on Google Code and eventually moved it to GitHub on August 27, 2013. The emulator was first able to successfully run simple homebrew projects in September 2011[6] and got its first public release in June 2012 as v0.0.0.2.[7]

On February 9, 2017, RPCS3 received its first implementation of a PPE thread scheduler, enhancing its emulation of the many-core Cell microprocessor.[8] On February 16, 2017, RPCS3 gained the ability to install official PlayStation 3 firmware directly to its core file system.[9] In May 2017, it was reported that the implementation of the Vulkan graphics API had shown some performance improvements approaching 400%, pushing several games into "playable" status.[10]

In July 2022, the developers of RPCS3 implemented save states into the emulator. This feature had previously been considered infeasible due to technical limitations.[11]

In September 2024, a build of RPCS3 native to the ARM64 CPU architecture for macOS devices with Apple silicon system-on-chip was released on GitHub.[12]

Requirements

[edit]

As of late 2024, the OS requirements are:

  • Windows: 10 or later.
  • macOS: Monterey (12.0) or later.
  • Linux: 5.4 or later.
  • FreeBSD: 13.3 or later.

Prior to this, the requirements for Mac and PC were lower at macOS 11.6 or later and Windows 7 or later, respectively. The PC must have at least 4 GB of RAM, 8 GB recommended, an x86-64 CPU and a GPU supporting one of the supported graphics APIs: OpenGL 4.3 or greater, or Vulkan, the latter being recommended. Additional support for SIMD CPU instruction sets such as AVX-2 and AVX-512 is also recommended for best performance. Apart from the game itself to be run, the emulator requires the PlayStation 3's firmware, which can be downloaded from Sony's official website.[13]

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RPCS3 received significant media attention in April 2017 for its ability to emulate Persona 5, achieving playability prior to the game's Western release date.[14][15][16][17] In September 2017, Persona developer Atlus issued a DMCA takedown notice against RPCS3's Patreon page. The action was motivated by the Patreon page making frequent mentions on the emulator's progress on emulating Persona 5. The demand, however, was settled by only removing all Persona 5 references from the page.[18][19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Contributors to RPCS3/rpcs3". GitHub.
  2. ^ "Downloads". rpcs3.net. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  3. ^ wololo (August 5, 2024). "RPCS3 (PS3 Emulator) 0.0.32 gets improved CPU detection + countless improvements". Wololo.net. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  4. ^ Usher, William (March 8, 2014). "PS3 Emulator Can Now Run Commercial Games". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  5. ^ "rpcs3 r1 Google Code". May 23, 2011. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014 – via Google Code.
  6. ^ "rpcs3 r28 on Google Code". May 23, 2011. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012 – via Google Code.
  7. ^ "rpcs3 tag 0.0.0.2". June 1, 2012. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013 – via Google Code.
  8. ^ "Pull request #2349 - [WIP] PPU scheduler". Retrieved March 3, 2017 – via GitHub.
  9. ^ "PS3UPDAT.PUP installer (#2386) · RPCS3/rpcs3@458dbbd". Retrieved March 3, 2017 – via GitHub.
  10. ^ Donnell, Peter (May 22, 2017). "RPCS3 Gets Performance Boost with Vulkan API". Eteknix. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019.
  11. ^ Bailey, Dustin (August 4, 2022). "PS3 emulator RPCS3 finally adds save states". GamesRadar. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  12. ^ RPCS3/rpcs3-binaries-mac-arm64, RPCS3, September 25, 2024, retrieved September 25, 2024
  13. ^ "Quickstart". RPCS3. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  14. ^ Prescott, Shaun (April 3, 2017). "Persona 5 is playable on PC with this PS3 emulator". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017.
  15. ^ Plunkett, Luke (April 4, 2017). "Here's Persona 5 'Running' On A PC". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018.
  16. ^ Becht, Eli (April 5, 2017). "'Persona 5' Running on PC Emulation". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018.
  17. ^ Grubb, Jeff (April 3, 2017). "Persona 5 is up and running on one of the PC's PlayStation 3 emulators". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018.
  18. ^ Moon, Mariella (September 27, 2017). "Atlus tried to take down a PS3 emulator advertising 'Persona 5'". Engadget. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017.
  19. ^ Orland, Kyle (September 27, 2017). "Atlus wants to cut off a PS3 emulator because it runs Persona 5". ArsTechnica. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017.

Notes

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  1. ^ For macOS devices.
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