The recent Steam Deck 3.5 update has done wonders for both the OLED and LCD models, providing brighter colors and more options. Apparently, it has also done a lot for emulation, as fans have discovered that it makes emulating PS3 games easier.
On the Steam Deck subreddit, a fan posted a video showing better PS3 emulation. Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction, a 3D platformer that was pretty hard to emulate, is now playable thanks to the update’s expanded GPU options.
When players clock the Deck’s GPU to 1200, the handheld can play Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction without much issue. Granted, the user did use the RCPS3’s recommended specs to get it running, but combining all of that with GPU 1200 has led to some great emulation.
Despite the Steam Deck’s power, emulating PS3 games can be pretty confusing, due to the system’s complicated hardware. Unfortunately, emulating the PS3 is a lot easier than doing the same for the Xbox 360, as Xenia is still not available on Linux. While there are ways to emulate 360 games on Deck, fans might be better off waiting for an official Linux release.
Since emulating both the PS3 and Xbox 360 comes with issues, it’s no surprise that most players are emulating the PS2 more. Not only is emulation for that console fairly easy but there are literally thousands of games to play from that system. Gamecube games are also pretty easy to emulate, while the original Xbox still has some issues being emulated on the Deck.
Read More: Steam Deck Emulation - best emulators for handheld gaming
For the most part, emulating PS3 games on Steam Deck can be troublesome, but there are a good number of titles that can be played. Tales of Xillia, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, and now Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction are good examples that can now be played on the Deck. Hopefully, these emulators get major updates for the handheld so that a majority of these games can be played on Deck.