Editing RPCS3

{{Infobox emulator
|logo = RPCS3-Logo.png
|version = {{Version|RPCS3}}<ref group=N name=version>The developers are currently treating version increments as milestones, not as stable builds.</ref>
|active = Yes
|platform = [[Emulators on Windows|Windows]]<br/>[[Emulators on Linux|Linux]]<br/>[[Emulators on BSD|FreeBSD]]<br/>[[Emulators on macOS|macOS]]
|target = [[PlayStation 3 emulators|PlayStation 3]], [[PlayStation emulators|PlayStation Classics]] <small>(PSN versions)</small>
|architecture = x86_64
|orig-developer = [https://github.com/DHrpcs3 DH], Hykem
|developer = [https://rpcs3.net/about RPCS3 Team]
|prog-lang = C++
|website = [https://rpcs3.net/ RPCS3.net]
|support = [https://www.patreon.com/Nekotekina Patreon]<br/>[https://rpcs3.net/alipay Alipay]
|source = [https://github.com/rpcs3/rpcs3 GitHub]
|license = GNU GPLv2
|compatibility = [https://rpcs3.net/compatibility Compatibility list]
|bios = [[Emulator_Files#PlayStation_3|Required]]
}}

'''RPCS3''' is an open-source [[PlayStation 3 emulators|PlayStation 3]] emulator/debugger written in C++ for Windows, Linux, macOS and FreeBSD. It is the only emulator that can run commercial games, with over 2,000 considered playable. It also supports the PS3's internal [[PlayStation emulators|PlayStation 1 emulator]] through the PlayStation Classics digital re-releases.

==Download==
{| cellpadding="4"
|-
|align=center|{{Icon|Win|Lin|Mac|BSD}}
|'''[https://rpcs3.net/download Latest builds]'''<br/><small>[https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps3/system-software/ Official Firmware] needed.
|}

==Overview==
RPCS3's end-goal is for its developers to experiment, research, and educate on the topic of PlayStation 3 emulation that can be performed on compatible devices and operating systems.<ref>[https://rpcs3.net/about RPCS3: About Us page]</ref> As it is under active development, it does not have a stable release.

===History===
RPCS3 began on May 23, 2011 as an experimental project by DH and Hykem (who beta-tested and coded for [[JPCSP]] in 2008). They initially hosted the project on [https://code.google.com/archive/p/rpcs3/source/default/source Google Code], and eventually moved it to GitHub later in its development, making the repository publicly available in June of 2012. AlexAltea joined in late summer 2013 and worked on several components of the emulator, maintaining the codebase up until early 2015. DH left the project in mid-2016, turning his attention to the PlayStation 4 with the similarly named [https://github.com/RPCS4 RPCS4]. Hykem was pushed out of the scene in mid-2016 due to drama behind the scenes.<ref>[http://www.emunewz.net/forum/showthread.php?tid=174735 <nowiki>[IMPORTANT]</nowiki> Hykem says goodbye]. August 18, 2016.</ref>

After getting small homebrew apps working, the emulator could load the intros to some games with sound,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOcUcD9y51w Rpcs3 Update Quality Sound - Intro Video - The Guided Fate Paradox] (Mar 26, 2014)</ref> as well as play some portions of Disgaea 3 and The Guided Fate Paradox, but with heavy graphical glitches and no sprites.<ref name="Disgaea3 video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQEv6B6fIgA RPCS3 WIP - Disgaea 3 - Ingame!] (Mar 22, 2014)</ref> Successive improvements brought with it the ability to play lightweight titles like After Burner Climax with almost no glitches.<ref>John GodGames. (February 1, 2016) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsuKQfsu-zk RPCS3 PS3 Emulator - After Burner Climax Ingame #2! DX12]. YouTube.</ref> After getting Persona 5 working, Atlus infamously sent the developers and Patreon an DMCA takedown notice to help enforce a timed-exclusivity agreement with Sony,<ref>[https://atlus.com/atlus-and-emulation/ Atlus and Emulation].</ref> creating a [[wikipedia:Streisand effect|Streisand effect]] of spotlighting RPCS3 as a viable PS3 emulator.

For a long time, it was commonly thought that the original firmware files 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 the emulator could include the ability to extract the files. Nekotekina opened [https://www.patreon.com/Nekotekina a Patreon campaign] in 2017, with kd-11 joining not long after. In June 2018, after a few improvements and fixes, most PlayStation 1 Classic titles became playable.<ref>[https://rpcs3.net/blog/2018/07/15/progress-report-june-2018/#major Progress Report: June 2018]. § PlayStation 1 Classics.</ref> Only the PSN re-releases work; no discs can be loaded into the PS1 emulator yet. In January 2022, RPCS3 announced that the XMB could be ran on firmwares as low as 2.80.

Today, RPCS3 is able to play almost two thirds of the PS3's commercial library from start to finish. Emulating most games is demanding on hardware, though work has been done to reduce the requirements.

On May 5, 2022, RSXAudio was implemented, adding audio to the XMB. Also on that month, RPCS3 uploaded a video on YouTube showing the SPU performance improvements made at the time.

===Enhancements===
RPCS3 has (or works with) some [[PlayStation_3_emulators#Enhancements|enhancements]] for gameplay, such as:
;[https://rpcs3.net/blog/2018/08/08/eliminating-stutter-with-asynchronous-shader-implementation/ Asynchronous Shader Recompilation]
:Compiles shaders as the game runs, allowing for [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu-HwEEU5K0 virtually stutter free performance] at the cost of objects and textures [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59q7wbeJLOo popping into existence] as you play. It only gives a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGWk1p7pCVk tiny performance boost] - a powerful computer and further optimizations from the emulator will be needed to get the more demanding titles to run at full speeds like 30 FPS or 60 FPS. Many demanding games may utilize multiple secondary cores plus the primary core of the PS3's CPU so parallelization techniques will be needed, perhaps running on a user's GPU or 8-core and better CPU.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sag4SF7dDrw ReShade]:A third-party suite that hooks into the renderer. Makes many games appear [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPcHjnTZC_o more vibrant or saturated], particularly more pronounced in those with dull textures like the Tales of series, Naruto series, and other anime-based titles.

;[https://www.rewasd.com/releases/release-6.3.0 reWASD]:A third-party application which can emulate any controlling device (gamepad/keyboard/mouse) as a PS3 controller. After installing [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Controller:DualShock_3#Wired_connection_-_official_drivers Official Sony Drivers], Virtual DualShock 3 is visible in RPCS3 as native device and allows to map theirs pressure-sensitive buttons with modifiers eg. pressing left back button+× is decreasing pressure-sensitivity of × to 50%, but right back button+× is decreasing pressure-sensitivity of × to 20%. Exclusively software allows to use Official Sony Driver wirelessly. ReWASD works with Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam, Nvidia, Logitech controllers and [https://help.rewasd.com/how-to-remap/supported-devices.html others]. Pressure-sensitive buttons option is helpful in games like "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" or "Gran Turismo 5". See the [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_games_that_support_Pressure-Sensitive_Face_Buttons#PlayStation_3_Emulation list of games that support Pressure-Sensitive Face Buttons on PlayStation 3].

;See [[PlayStation_3_emulators#Enhancements]] section for more information about RPCS3 enhancements capabilities.

===System requirements===
See [[Computer_specifications#RPCS3]].

==Setting up==
===Installing the firmware===
RPCS3 uses the original system firmware libraries to interface with the games, such as Bluetooth, PlayStation Eye, and so on.

[https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps3/system-software/ You can extract them from the official update files that Sony distributes through their website.] Download the file, 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 <code>InsertGameNameHere + Region ID</code> 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 <code>B</code>. First-party Sony games use <code>BC</code>, while third-party games use <code>BL</code>. For example: <code>BCAS20071</code> (Demon's Souls Asia retail), <code>BLUS31197</code> (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 <code>\dev_hdd0\disc</code> or ''anywhere'' really... '''except''' the folder used for digital games (<code>\dev_hdd0\game</code>) 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 <code>N</code>, for example <code>NPEB02436</code> (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 <code>\dev_hdd0\game</code>, as intended by design on real hardware. Using the '''Install .pkg''' option does that automatically for you.

'''Paid digital releases''' <u>require</u> a '''.RAP license file''' to decrypt a few important files before they can be booted.

* Maybe dumped from the <code>\dev_hdd0\home\00000001\exdata</code> 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 are 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. The last resort can be to try searching for a fix for the specific release.
* Must be placed under <code>\dev_hdd0\home\00000001\exdata\</code>

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 <code>.66600x</code> extensions''' are split files that accommodate for the 4-gigabyte file size 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====
Newer versions of RPCS3 feature an automatic update checker. The emulator will automatically check for updates when loaded, and will prompt you to update if a new version is detected.

====Linux====
RPCS3 is compiled to AppImages using Azure. To update RPCS3, [[{{PAGENAME}}#Download|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.

==Netplay==
[https://wiki.rpcs3.net/index.php?title=Help:Netplay RPCS3 uses RPCN for netplay,] which emulates some P2P matchmaking servers for PS3 games. Only a few titles are supported, but more are expected. See [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Xp-662d12W13CZSzSiaBfB4BHwU2PyOFMdp_W4sA5Bo/edit#gid=0 this compatibility list].

==Notes==
<references group=N />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://wiki.rpcs3.net/ Official wiki]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz3-0QxNr4S4gK0xaWy7exQ Official YouTube channel]
*[https://discordapp.com/invite/EWMQZ8 Official Discord server]
*[https://forums.rpcs3.net/ Official forums]
*[http://www.youtube.com/user/B1ackDaemon B1ackDaemon] (RPCS3 Developer)

[[Category:Emulators]]
[[Category:Console emulators]]
[[Category:Home console emulators]]
[[Category:PlayStation emulators]]
[[Category:PlayStation 3 emulators]]
[[Category:Windows emulation software]]
[[Category:Linux emulation software]]
[[Category:BSD emulation software]]
<!--[[Category:Netplay]]-->