“Emulation beast”: How the Steam Machine performs in a PS3 emulator test

Even the Steam Deck can be turned into a surprisingly capable retro gaming machine with a bit of patience. However, it starts to struggle with PlayStation 3 emulation. The far more powerful Steam Machine, on the other hand, appears to handle RPCS3 much better, as demonstrated in a new YouTube video by Game Esoterica.

The tests were intentionally carried out under less-than-ideal conditions. The YouTuber skipped performance patches and didn't precompile shaders before launching the games. As a result, the video effectively shows the level of performance users can expect immediately after setting up the emulator. Once shaders have been cached and additional optimizations have been applied, many games are likely to perform even better.

The first title tested is Virtua Fighter 5. While the fighting game isn't particularly demanding, it's highly sensitive to inconsistent frame pacing and input latency. In the test, it ran flawlessly at an increased internal resolution, with no graphical glitches, noticeable frame pacing issues, or perceptible input lag.

God of War 3 also proved to be perfectly playable on the Steam Machine. Although the action game didn't maintain 60 frames per second at all times, similar frame rate drops were already present on the original PS3 hardware.

Even CPU-intensive PS3 games run smoothly

One of the more interesting tests was Katamari Forever. With countless objects on screen and constant physics calculations, the game puts heavy demands not only on the GPU but also on the CPU. Even so, the Steam Machine maintained a rock-solid 30 FPS, matching the game's intended frame rate. Dark Souls delivered similarly impressive results. The action RPG ran at a stable 30 FPS while rendering at a higher internal resolution than on the original console.

The testing wasn't entirely flawless, however. In Gran Turismo 6, Game Esoterica noticed a graphical issue affecting the rear-view mirror. That problem is believed to be related to the still-maturing RPCS3 emulator rather than the Steam Machine's hardware. Overall, though, the racing game remained fully playable.

Verdict: An "emulation beast"

The YouTuber ultimately describes the Steam Machine as an "emulation beast." Given its premium price, however, he argues that such performance should be expected. Viewers largely agreed with that assessment, with many requesting additional tests using Xbox 360, PS4, and arcade emulators.