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PS3 emulation has come a long way thanks to the developers behind RPCS3. But those are unofficial efforts, and if you want to play that generation's classics natively on a modern PS5 console, you're out of luck. A new tech analysis suggests it might not even be possible for console hardware to handle the challenge of PS3 games until the PS6 generation.
The issue holding back PS3 emulation in general is the console's notorious Cell processor, which had six of what Sony called "Synergistic Processing Units." The instructions powering PS3 games are built with those SPUs in mind, and apparently it's something of a nightmare to translate them for modern CPUs. True PS3 ports to modern platforms are rare – just look at the response the upcoming port of Metal Gear Solid 4 has gotten – and it's only been fan-run projects like RPCS3 that have made any real strides.
But could the PS5 handle a robust emulator like RPCS3? That's the question Digital Foundry has attempted to answer with a new analysis. A few weeks ago, a PS5 jailbreak arrived that allows hackers to install Linux, essentially turning the console into a PC. And a PC can, of course, run RPCS3.
Some PS3 games run flawlessly on the Linux-powered PS5, like the launch title Ridge Racer 7. It was a 1080p 60fps experience on PS3, and it runs at 4K 60fps on PS5 without issue. Resistance: Fall of Man also provides good results at high resolutions, as does Heavenly Sword, which didn't even run particularly well in its day.
But whatever magic Konami is doing to get us a 60fps version of Metal Gear Solid 4 seems to go beyond simple emulation. Running via RPCS3 on PS5, the game actually runs worse than it did in its original form, regardless of resolution. That's also true of God of War: Ascension, and Killzone 2, both of which run far below the (often sketchy) 30fps of the original PS3 versions. The graphical grunt required to boost these games to 4K doesn't seem to be a problem – it's the fact that these later-generation games make more particular use of the Cell processor.
Those are mixed results, and certainly below the standards modern gamers would expect from games that are now up to 20 years old. But it's close. Close enough to give hope that the next generation of console hardware – whenever it comes and however expensive it might be – could finally fulfill the PS3 emulation dream.
"Based on everything I'm seeing here," Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter writes, "my best guess would be that PS3 emulation may finally become viable on the next generation consoles, where the Zen 6 CPU architecture should in theory have the horsepower and features to deliver full speed emulation of the Cell."
That is, of course, assuming that Sony actually invests in building its own PS3 emulator for PS6. The company has never displayed the same commitment to making older games available to modern players as its competitors at Nintendo and Microsoft have. And Xbox could even beat them to the punch, since Project Helix is rumored to essentially be a PC – a device that could be open-ended enough to run RPCS3 complete with next-gen performance.
