ARMSX3 is here: PS3 emulation on Android just got more exciting

We’ve already seen a couple of PS3 emulators for Android, namely RPCSX-UI Android and aPS3e. However, the team behind the trusted ARMSX2 PS2 emulator has now thrown its hat into the ring with ARMSX3.

As the name implies, ARMSX3 is indeed a PS3 emulator for Android. The new emulator is available on GitHub for now, and the team explains that this is merely a proof-of-concept port of the venerable RPCS3 emulator on desktop.

However, ARMSX3 differs from previous PS3 emulators on Android by incorporating the latest Arm-specific improvements made by the RPCS3 team. This opens the door to improved performance and compatibility in a host of games.

The ARMSX3 developers caution that they’ve only tested Skate 3 on the new emulator so far. The title apparently enters gameplay and runs at 20 to 30fps on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 device.

What’s it like to use ARMSX3?

In any event, you can give the new PS3 emulator a try by downloading it on GitHub. You’ll also need the PS3’s firmware, which is freely available via Sony’s PlayStation website. But don’t expect most games to actually run at a playable frame rate, if they do run at all, owing to the experimental nature of the project. Furthermore, PS3 emulation on Android is still a bleeding-edge endeavor, which means that you should expect very high device temperatures.

The installation process is nearly identical to ARMSX2 and ARMSX1, as you choose your desired install folder (default or custom), select the firmware with the file picker, and choose a ROM directory. You’re then greeted by the same UI, showing off your game library on the main screen.

I didn’t have time to extensively test a variety of games, but I tried Skate 3, 3D Dot Game Heroes, and Catherine on a vivo X300 Ultra. Skate 3 ran slowly on the intro screens, ostensibly due to shader compilation, but froze just before entering gameplay. Meanwhile, 3D Dot Game Heroes had a frame rate in the mid-teens and seemed less playable than the same game on RPCSX-UI Android. Finally, Catherine ran at a frame rate of ~22fps, but this was playable given the puzzle-based nature of the game. Your mileage may vary, but those with budget Android phones shouldn’t expect good results. In fact, the team understandably suggests that budget phones might not ever be able to handle PS3 emulation.

It’s worth noting that the emulator understandably has its share of bugs, such as occasionally crashing when launching games or sometimes stretching the screen in landscape orientation. However, it does support both virtual and physical controllers out of the box. There’s also no shortage of options, such as resolution scaling, custom GPU driver support with a built-in downloader, and a variety of virtual controller options. Throw in the aforementioned Arm-specific improvements, and this doesn’t look bad for a proof-of-concept project.