ChuckStation 3

A work-in-progress PlayStation® 3 emulator

ChuckStation 3 is an experimental PS3 emulator based on "ChonkyStation3" (https://github.com/liuk7071/ChonkyStation3).

The project focuses on:

• A cleaner source structure
• Cross-platform CI
• An experimental Android port
• Learning and experimentation

«⚠️ ChuckStation 3 is not ready for playing commercial games.»

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Repository

• Repository: https://github.com/ChuckStation/ChuckStation3
• Upstream: https://github.com/liuk7071/ChonkyStation3
• License: GNU GPL v3

This project is a downstream fork of ChonkyStation3. The emulator core comes from the original project.

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The project supports:

• Windows / Linux / macOS — SDL or Qt6
• Android — Experimental NativeActivity frontend

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Building

Requirements

• C++23 compiler
• GCC 13+, Clang 16+, or MSVC 2022+
• CMake 3.20+
• Ninja

Desktop

git clone --recursive https://github.com/ChuckStation/ChuckStation3.git
cd ChuckStation3

cmake --preset default
cmake --build --preset default

For Qt6:

cmake --preset qt
cmake --build --preset qt

For a debug build:

cmake --preset debug
cmake --build --preset debug

The executable will be placed in:

build//bin/

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Android

NOTE: The Android port is experimental.

Current status:

• ARM64 ("arm64-v8a") core builds successfully
• NativeActivity frontend works
• EGL rendering is initialized
• Touch controls are connected
• Audio currently uses a null backend
• Commercial games are not supported yet

Build APK

cd android
./gradlew :app:assembleRelease

APK output:

android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release-unsigned.apk

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Usage

When ChuckStation 3 starts, it creates:

Filesystem/
├── dev_flash/
└── dev_hdd0/

These folders contain the virtual PS3 filesystem.

Game Installation

ChuckStation 3 currently does not install ".pkg" files directly.

For testing:

1. Install the game using RPCS3.
2. Copy the game folder from RPCS3's "dev_hdd0/game/" into ChuckStation 3.
3. Decrypt "EBOOT.BIN" using RPCS3.
4. Put the decrypted "EBOOT.elf" beside the original "EBOOT.BIN".
5. Decrypt required ".edat" files.

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PS3 System Software

PS3 system software is required for games.

Install the PS3 firmware using RPCS3, then copy the required files into ChuckStation 3's "dev_flash".

Currently required PRX files include:

liblv2.prx libsre.prx libspurs_jq.prx libkey2char.prx libl10n.prx libfiber.prx libresc.prx libsync2.prx

This list may change as development continues.

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Acknowledgements

• ChonkyStation3 — Original emulator code
• RPCS3 — PS3 emulation research
• PSL1GHT — Open-source PS3 SDK
• psdevwiki — PS3 technical information
• Panda3DS — Logger helper
• Dolphin — "BitField" utility

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