Nick Fernandez / Android Authority
Update (0:24 am HNE, February 20, 2025): The APS3E PS3 emulator made the headlines this week as the first functional PS3 emulator on Android. Unfortunately, the application and the developer have apparently disappeared.
The GitHub project page and the developer’s Aenu account both disappeared, now offering a 404 error screen. This comes after the reports that this new emulator really used the code from the Open Source RPCS3 emulator. In addition, the developer asked $ 2,000 to publish the source code. You can consult the full report here.
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
Original article (5:53 a.m., February 17, 2025): Although there was a wave of improvements for the emulation of PS3 via RPCS3, Android users were widely left in the dust. The developer has explicitly said he will not make an Android version, so the only way to imitate PS3 on Android was via a bypass solution such as the Winlator tool. But now there is a new native PS3 emulator on the block called APS3e.
But first, a warning: it is not immediately clear that has developed it or where it comes from, which should lift red flags. If you plan to download and test this, do it at your own risk. We only know that it comes from a Chinese developer who goes through Aenu, who “missed compulsory education of nine years, is unemployed and now lives a life of birds in the countryside” (via Google Translate).
After the publication at the origin of this article, it appeared that the project was based on the Open Source RPCS3 emulator and Termux. Unfortunately, the developer asked $ 2,000 to publish the source code, which is a bad look. It would also be very contrary to the ethics of making this project closed when large parts are made up of an open-source code.
The application comes from a Chinese developer, but we do not know much else.
For the moment, the application is very naked, with a simple menu listing your game library. Compatibility is also very limited, without any of the games Android authority Tested on more recent flagship phones that have managed to start. That said, Other users on Reddit managed to launch light games like Terraria and Limbo, although the performances are late on RPCS3 on Winlorator. The L3 and R3 buttons are also handwritten, for any reason. Unfortunately, it does not support the controllers for the moment.
More complete tests by Android authority After the publication of this article revealed that light games like Rayman Origins and 3D Dot Game Heroes took place gently on the Nubia Redmagic 10 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The emulator supports games in PKG and ISO formats, but the first forces users to move the .rap file that accompanies it in the exdata case APS3E / Config / Dev_HDD0 / Home / 00000011 (via the Reddit user ghouleye). Once you start the game, it will take a while to install, and some games may never exceed this point.
The application requires Android 7 or more support and Vulkan, and you will have to provide your own Roma and Firmware. The emulator is available on the developer github page.
No matter where it ends, seeing the emulation of PS3 on Android advancing after being stuck for years is great. Most developers work on two -layer emulation solutions via Windows or Linux containers, which is much more demanding than a native application like APS3E. For the moment, however, it is better considered a work in progress. At worst, it is tied with summary but technically functional emulators like Damonps2 and Eggns for Nintendo Switch.
