Even the portable Steam Deck console can be used to run retro games, but emulating PlayStation 3 on it presents certain challenges. Meanwhile, the more powerful Steam Machine system delivers significantly better results with the RPCS3 emulator, as demonstrated in a recent YouTube video.

Testing Conditions

The testing was conducted without applying performance-enhancing patches or precompiling shaders. This approach allowed for an assessment of the performance level that users can expect immediately after installing the emulator. It is anticipated that, after shader caching and the implementation of additional optimizations, the performance of some games could improve further.

Game Testing Results

• Virtua Fighter 5: Despite being sensitive to unstable frame rates and input lag, the game ran smoothly at increased internal resolution, with no graphical artifacts or noticeable performance issues.
• God of War 3: The action remained fully playable, although the frame rate did not always reach 60 FPS. Similar drops were also observed on the original PlayStation 3 console.
• Katamari Forever: Despite high CPU and GPU load due to the large number of objects and physics calculations, the Steam Machine maintained a stable 30 FPS, matching the game's target frame rate.
• Dark Souls: This action RPG ran steadily at 30 FPS with a higher internal resolution compared to the original console.
• Gran Turismo 6: During testing, a graphical issue was discovered related to the rearview mirror display. This is believed to be due to the specifics of RPCS3 emulator development, rather than the Steam Machine hardware. Otherwise, the game remained fully playable.

Overall Conclusions

The Steam Machine demonstrated high performance when emulating PlayStation 3 games, including resource-intensive titles. Despite some minor graphical flaws, most games ran smoothly and were fully playable. Such a level of performance should be the standard for devices in this class, considering their price. Users have also expressed interest in further tests with emulators for other platforms, such as Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, and arcade machines.