Turning a dusty PS3 into a retro gaming powerhouse: a step-by-step guide

At a glance:

• PS3 Super Slim can be modded into a retro gaming console using Hybrid Firmware and PS3HEN
• Required software includes HFW 4.93, PS3HEN 3.5.0, webMAN MOD, and RetroArch
• The author's nephew preferred the PS3 retro experience over his PS5

I recently introduced my nephew to PS5, and he beats me easily in FIFA and Mortal Kombat. Considering his reaction time in action games, it makes me question why I bother playing with him at all. To take my mind off that, I pulled out an old PS3 Super Slim from the dusty attic corners. My nephew asked, "What Sony console is that?" While cleaning the PS3, I shared stories about gaming on it, pulling all-nighters, and saving up for games. Of course, most of it went over his head, since he couldn't imagine people going crazy over gaming at 720p and 1080p.

The PS3 is secretly a retro-gaming powerhouse. It's the console that played a monumental role in bringing jailbreaking and console modding into the mainstream. Sony's powerful Cell processor was incredibly advanced for its time and could emulate 8-bit, 16-bit, and 64-bit games on its hardware without breaking a sweat. That's what I learned from the homebrew community that always managed to figure out ways to leverage the console's power. The sustained development of homebrew produced a mature ecosystem that survived post-launch of the Super Slim variant.

The PS3 Super Slim and Slim models aren't supported by traditional permanent jailbreaking methods. That's limited to the original PS3 model. So you install Hybrid Firmware and pair it with a homebrew enabler: PS3HEN. It's not permanent, and you need to enable it every time the PS3 boots. It doesn't delete your games or DLCs, and is far less stressful to set up.

Once you have the PS3 and a FAT-formatted USB drive (at least 8GB) with an MBR partition scheme, here's the software you need:

• HFW 4.93
• PS3HEN 3.5.0
• webMAN MOD
• RetroArch (beta 4)
• RetroArch CE

The HFW is available for up to firmware version 4.93, which is also the latest official version. You'll need to download the PS3HEN 3.5.0 files and the latest version of webMAN MOD to get the emulator working properly. For emulation, you'll need to download the standard RetroArch v1.9.0 (Beta 4) and the unofficial beta RetroArch CE, developed by the PSX-Place community. They carry different cores for emulation. The only difference is that the standard package runs at 1080p, while the unofficial one runs at 720p.

You need to transfer the RetroArch .pkg files to the PS3 and install them using the Package Installer. After that, RetroArch appears in the XMB interface, and you can start building your emulation library. I mostly used the Snes9x core for Super Nintendo, Mupen64Plus for N64 games, and Genesis Plus GX for Sega's game catalog. I briefly tried out PS1 games using the PCSX-ReARMed core, and it worked like a charm. To access a larger catalog, you can save game ROMs to an external drive. Then, point webMAN MOD to the location to scan it and provide cover art for the games.

I always end up reaching for the PS3 on slower evenings and weekends for a nostalgia trip. The N64 and SNES titles play without an issue most of the time. I did notice a graphical dip when alternating between the standard RetroArch beta and the unofficial RetroArch CE. Aside from these minor graphical hiccups, most games ran reasonably well. It took me a while to adjust to the buttons for different emulators. The PS3 Super Slim ran quieter than other PS3 models, which gave me the confidence to enjoy extended emulation sessions.

When my nephew saw the PS3 working as a retro console, his first reaction was the obvious one — graphics. When he held the DualShock controller and kept asking me to improve the resolution. When I loaded Contra, he enjoyed playing the game in co-op mode with me without any matchmaking screen. Just two players on a single screen, blasting away to glory. He found Crazy Taxi amusing to drive around and couldn't help but compare it with GTA games. Some of the games he initially dismissed. Like he took Dig Dug lightly, but then he spent nearly an hour at it. While gaming on the PS3, he didn't mention the PS5 once. The PS3 might have old hardware, but it does retro-gaming right without lowering any standards. When it comes to fun, resolution settings don't matter. However, bringing back decades worth of joy to earn a permanent spot in the living room does.