Difference between revisions of "RPCS3"

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|developer = RPCS3 Team
 
|developer = RPCS3 Team

Revision as of 07:40, 25 March 2018

RPCS3
RPCS3-Logo.png
Developer(s) RPCS3 Team
Latest version 0.0.5 Alpha[N 1]
Active Yes
Platform(s) Windows, Linux
Architecture(s) x86_64
Emulates PlayStation 3
Website rpcs3.net
Support ($) Patreon
Source code GitHub

RPCS3 is a very promising open-source PlayStation 3 (PS3) emulator that can run over 700 commercial titles without major glitches (see the compatibility list). The emulator is making huge progress, improving every month. (See the progress reports)

Download

Latest builds

Originally, you needed to extract the firmware from a modded PS3, but since these files are also distributed with updates, the developers added the ability to extract them from there instead. This is where you would get them. Then install it by going to Tools -> Install Firmware.

Fonts can be found on the Emulator Files page.

Overview

RPCS3 was started in May of 2011. Three years into its development, it could load the intros to some games with sound,[1] as well as play some portions of Disgaea 3 and The Guided Fate Paradox, but with heavy graphical glitches and no sprites.[2]

Developer Nekotekina opened a Patreon campaign in 2017, with kd-11 joining not long after.

As of February 2018, RPCS3 has been able to play more than 26% of the PS3 library from start to finish. The emulator is capable of running around 712 games at a playable speed with no major glitches[3] , such as Ice Age 3: Dawn of The Dinosaurs,[4] Resogun,[5], After Burner Climax [6], and Demon's Souls [7].

Since the emulator started getting funded on Patreon, development has been progressing quickly, so more games are expected to be playable in the near future.

Setting up

Installing the Firmware

RPCS3 does not work without firmware. This firmware contains libraries used to interface with the games in different ways, like Bluetooth, PlayStation Eye, and so on. For a long time, it was commonly thought that these libraries could only be extracted from a modded PS3, which would have greatly increased the barrier to entry, however one of the developers discovered all the libraries were actually bundled with each system update, and that Sony also supplies these updates through their website. This is the preferred method of installing the firmware; download the latest update from Sony, then in RPCS3 go to File -> Install Firmware, and select the downloaded update file.

Installing Games and Updates

The game's serial should be present in the folder or archive name, the download page, and/or the PARAM.SFO file. If it's a retail game, it has the ID on the bottom side edge of the game's case. An internet search for InsertGameNameHere + Region ID should turn it out. It's also important that each game's files and folders are all placed under a single folder named as the correct region ID.

For Blu-ray Disc games, i.e. retail games:

  • File layout: PS3_GAME folder, PS3_DISC.sfb, PS3_UPDATE folder (not required)
  • Game ID starts with a B. First-party Sony games use BC, while third-party games use BL. For example: BCAS20071 (Demon's Souls Asia retail), BLUS31197 (Drakengard 3 USA retail).
  • May be dumped through a CFW-enabled PS3, using select compatible Blu-ray drives on PC, or acquired from someone else.
  • Game folders for retail games can be put under the \dev_hdd0\disc or anywhere really... except the folder used for digital games (\dev_hdd0\game) because some games write there causing really bad conflicts. To open games, use File/Boot Game.

For PSN games, i.e. digital versions downloaded from the PlayStation Store:

  • File layout: TROPDIR folder, USRDIR folder, ICON0.png, PARAM.sfo, etc.
  • Game ID starts with a N, for example NPEB02436 (Persona 5 EUR digital)
  • May be dumped through a CFW-enabled PS3, Sony's own poorely secured servers (PSNdl then psnpkgdecryptor-extractor), or acquired from someone else.
  • May come as a PKG file. RPCS3 has an Install .PKG option to install these.
  • Game folders for digital games must be placed under \dev_hdd0\game, as intended by design on real hardware. Using the Install .pkg option does that automatically for you.

Paid digital releases require a .RAP license file to decrypt a few important files before they can be booted.

  • May be dumped from the \dev_hdd0\home\00000001\exdata directory of a CFW-enabled PS3, or included alongside the download you got from someone else. That someone else might not include the .RAP file, and instead give a "fix" with the pre-decrypted files. In that case, you might have to install the PKG file first (or all of them, if there's multiple ones) and then copy and overwrite the "fix" files to your game folder.
  • If your source doesn't include a RAP or crack instructions, either it's replaced beforehand or it's actually useless. A last resort can be to try searching for a fix for the specific release.
  • Must be placed under \dev_hdd0\home\00000001\exdata\

Game and software updates are handled exactly like PSN games.

  • Installed using the Install .PKG option
  • The update will be placed in the game or software folder that corresponds to the correct region ID.
  • Take care to use the same region for the base game and the update, otherwise there's a potential risk of irreversible damage to your installed game dumps.

Files under the .66600x extensions are split files that accommodate for the 4 gigabyte filesize limit on volumes formatted as FAT32; the PS3 does not support other types of filesystems that pass this limit, such as NTFS or the ext family. Use a tool like PS3merge to recombine these files.

Updating RPCS3

Note that RPCS3's official Discord server can also be a good resource for bringing up issues or learning about major breakthroughs or updates, if any further information is required.

Windows

RPCS3 is compiled to 7z files using AppVeyor. To update RPCS3, download the latest build, and replace the necessary files.

For most minor updates, you only need to extract and replace the RPCS3.exe executable for them to take effect, but it's recommended that you backup old builds so that you can revert to the older ones if new problems crop up, or you can extract the whole 7z archive file and replace files to their respective folders.

Linux

RPCS3 is compiled to AppImages using Travis. To update RPCS3, download the latest build, and replace your previous AppImage with the new one. Reenable executable permissions if they were disabled during the update. Most file managers can let you change it from their properties window.

Basic troubleshooting

Issues are to be expected since the emulator is still early (even though the project was started in 2011).

Audio Stutter

Cannot be completely eliminated in most cases, but you can at least try to mitigate it by playing around with the "Preferred SPU Thread" setting as well as the "lower SPU thread priority" and "Bind SPU thread" to secondary core settings.

In addition manually adjusting priority and affinity of the RPCS3 process can affect it independently of the other internal settings. On Windows, this is done via the Task Manager. On Linux, CLI and GUI tools exist like System Monitor and Task Manager that can change the priority. It varies by distribution. This can influence audio stutter and performance in general but especially for Ryzen users.

Unavailable Setting(s)

If you can't find a specific setting in RPCS3, you could be using an old build, and should probably update it.

Notes

  1. The developers are currently treating version increments as milestones, not as stable builds.

References

External links