PlayStation 5 gains near-native PS3 game support through RPCS3 on Linux

With Andy Nguyen releasing PS5-Linux, PlayStation 5 consoles that are running firmware 3.xx and 4.xx can essentially be turned into a regular PC. Of course, with the hardware that the PS5 features, it would also be capable of handling many Steam games and emulation smoothly.

Speaking of emulation, modders have started to tinker with Linux running on the PS5, and one of them has showcased how the setup handles PS3 emulation through RPCS3. For those unaware, RPCS3 is an open-source PlayStation 3 emulation software available for multiple operating systems, including Linux.

This PS3 emulator is frequently updated, and the developers have added many interesting features, including the ability to run games through dumped game files. That is, the modded PS5 with RPCS3 installed can emulate PS3 games through the disc drive, making the entire setup feel more native than a frankensteined mod. Users only need to provide decryption keys for this to work.

It's worth noting that Sony has yet to offer native PS3 game support on the PS5. Of course, it does offer some last-gen games through PlayStation Plus Premium, but this is not the same as having backward compatibility. The PS4 wasn't any different in this regard, but the fat PS3 models were different.

These select PS3 models, which include CECHAxx and CECHBxx, can natively run both PS1 and PS2 games through the disc drives. Nonetheless, for those who might be interested in this PlayStation 5 mode, it's worth noting that support for updated firmwares is planned, but for those firmwares, Linux will be forced to run within the GameOS VM, which could limit the performance.

So, this mod is basically only viable for the old PS5 consoles that are running the 3.xx and 4.xx firmware versions. @retropierdolnik's video of the modded PlayStation 5 running Motorstorm Pacific Rift (PS3 disc vailable on Amazon) through RPCS3 is attached below for you to check out.