rust-ps3

A Rust runtime, SDK, and toolchain for the Sony PlayStation 3 (Cell Broadband Engine) (formerly hello-cell).

#![no_std]
#![no_main]

use ps3::alloc::boxed::Box;
use ps3::alloc::format;
use ps3::allocator;
use ps3::println;
use ps3::sys::syscalls;

#[ps3::main]
fn main() -> i32 {
    println!("Hello PlayStation 3 from Rust!");

    let boxed_val = Box::new(0x1337_4242_u64);
    println!("Boxed Value: {:#X}", *boxed_val);

    let stats = allocator::get_heap_stats();
    println!("Active Allocs: {}, Active Bytes: {} bytes", stats.active_allocations, stats.active_bytes);

    0
}

See examples/ directory for sample programs (examples/hello-world and examples/http-server).

Features / Roadmap

• core & alloc support (talc fast allocator backed by sys_memory_allocate / sys_memory_free)
• PowerPC64 ELFv1 ABI support (Big-Endian Cell PPU)
• LV2 Syscall dispatcher (direct inline assembly syscalls via sc 11)
• TTY / Standard I/O output via sys_tty_write
• moldier: ELF post-linker and OPD function descriptor patcher for mold
• Automated SPRX dynamic stub generator (sprx.toml) and linker binding
• Network socket layer (sys_net / cellSysmodule stubs, TCP listener & streams)
• Direct compilation via Rust json-target-spec without legacy cross-compiler toolchains
• SPU (Synergistic Processing Unit) toolchain & inter-processor communication (MFC DMA / mailboxes)
• RSX / libgcm 3D graphics hardware acceleration
• std support
• Automated self / EBOOT.BIN packaging

What about PSL1GHT / Cell SDK?

Traditional PS3 homebrew relies on the legacy GCC-based PSL1GHT SDK or the official Sony Cell SDK.

rust-ps3 (formerly hello-cell) is a standalone, modern toolchain and runtime built directly on top of upstream LLVM/rustc:

• Targets 64-bit PowerPC ELFv1 (powerpc64-unknown-linux-gnu reference target spec, customized to powerpc64-sony-ps3 for CellOS and PPU).
• Links binaries using the modern high-performance mold linker.
• Patches the final binary with moldier, a small(ish) post-linker tool that generates SPRX import stubs from TOML definitions and patches Sony LV2 Official Procedure Descriptors (OPD) and TOC relocations directly into the final ELF.

Dependencies

To compile for the PS3, you will need a Rust nightly toolchain with the rust-src component:

$ rustup default nightly && rustup component add rust-src

You also need the mold linker installed and available in your PATH:

# macOS (Homebrew)
$ brew install mold

# Arch Linux
$ pacman -S mold

# Ubuntu / Debian
$ apt install mold

(Optional) If you want to automatically generate signed EBOOT.BIN files for retail/CFW PS3s, install make_fself into your PATH.

Building & Running Examples

To build one of the examples (e.g. hello-world or http-server), run:

# Linux / macOS
$ ./scripts/build.sh hello-world
# or
$ ./scripts/build.sh http-server

# Windows (PowerShell)
$ .\scripts\build.ps1 -TargetExample hello-world
# or
$ .\scripts\build.ps1 -TargetExample http-server

The build script will:

1. Compile the host tool moldier.
2. Generate assembly stubs (ps3/src/sys/sprx.s) from ps3/sprx.toml.
3. Compile and link the chosen example package using rustc and mold.
4. Run moldier patch on the output ELF to resolve LV2 OPD descriptors and SPRX imports.
5. Produce EBOOT.ELF (and EBOOT.BIN if make_fself is available) in the project root.

Running

RPCS3 Emulator

You can run EBOOT.ELF directly in RPCS3.

Real Hardware (PS3 with CFW / PS3HEN)

1. Place EBOOT.BIN inside a game directory on your PS3 internal HDD or USB drive:

   /dev_hdd0/game/HELLOCELL/USRDIR/EBOOT.BIN
   

2. Alternatively, mount and run directly via webMAN MOD or /app_home/PS3_GAME/.
3. Even more alternatively, use a Target Manager to upload the binary to your PS3 and run it.

SPRX Dynamic Imports (sprx.toml)

rust-ps3 allows defining Sony PRX module imports cleanly in sprx.toml. moldier parses this file, generates the appropriate assembly stubs, and binds them to the binary:

[libraries.cellSysmodule]
module_id = 0x0009
functions = [
    { name = "sysModuleLoad", fnid = 0x32267A31 },
    { name = "sysModuleUnload", fnid = 0x112A5EE9 },
]

[libraries.sys_net]
module_id = 0x0009
functions = [
    { name = "netInitializeNetworkEx", fnid = 0x139a9e9b },
    { name = "netSocket", fnid = 0x9c056962 },
    { name = "netConnect", fnid = 0x64f66d35 },
    { name = "netBind", fnid = 0xb0a59804 },
    { name = "netListen", fnid = 0x28e208bb },
    { name = "netAccept", fnid = 0xc94f6939 },
]

Debugging

Debug symbols are preserved in EBOOT.ELF. You can inspect and debug binaries using:

• RPCS3 Built-in Debugger / GDB Server: Enable GDB debugging in RPCS3 settings and connect gdb-multiarch or powerpc64-linux-gnu-gdb.
• TTY Output: View real-time standard output and panic messages via sys_tty_write in the RPCS3 log window or PS3 Net Server.

Useful tools

• OpenTM - A fully open-source Target Manager for the PlayStation 3.
• scetool - A tool for signing and verifying PS3 EBOOTs and SPRXs.

License

See LICENSE.

Contribution

Unless you explicitly state otherwise, any contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the work by you, as defined in the Apache-2.0 license, shall be dual licensed as above, without any additional terms or conditions.