CHD games use less Android storage
ARMSX3 1.0.6 adds support for PlayStation 3 games stored as CHD disc images. These files load in the same places as ISO images: from the library, through Launch Game and with Change Disc. Images created with chdman’s createdvd and createcd modes are supported, including encrypted images when the matching .dkey file is available.
The change can substantially reduce storage use. The release notes give Demon’s Souls as an example, shrinking from 8.76 GB as an ISO to 6.25 GB as a CHD. Bleach Soul Resurrection is listed as falling from about 4 GB to 1.8 GB. Actual savings depend on the game and source image.
The library now also keeps its list in step with files on the device. It rescans known game folders when the app starts and when the user returns to it, so replacing an ISO with a CHD no longer leaves the old entry visible until a manual refresh. Games whose files have been removed are hidden immediately. Games launched from outside the library folders also retain their proper title in the pause menu, and their per-game settings are handled as per-game settings rather than being presented as global options.
Frame generation uses less GPU time
Frame generation was redesigned to process the game image rather than the entire screen, while motion measurement now uses 432 lines. The project reports that a 720p game on an Odin 3 went from about 3.0 milliseconds to roughly 1 millisecond of GPU time per frame. Overlays are drawn afresh on generated frames instead of being blended into them.
Frame generation can now be enabled while a game is running without repeatedly displaying the same frame. The release also handles shader caches that cannot be written: translated shaders remain usable without being cached and will be translated again on the next launch. The overlay provides more useful failure messages, including whether shaders are missing, unavailable or failed, and can identify a selected Lossless.dll that contains no usable shaders.
Performance changes target SPU-heavy games
The 1.0.6 update changes how an SPU thread behaves when it has been waiting a long time for the game’s main threads. Instead of continuing to occupy its CPU core, it gives that core back, reducing contention in games that rely heavily on the PlayStation 3’s SPURS job system. ARMSX3 reports that, in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, periods containing stutters of at least 10 milliseconds fell from roughly half of the measured time to about one in ten.
Web of Shadows now has Accurate SPU Reservations disabled by default, which the release notes associate with removing most stalls while moving through the city. The option remains available under Fixes in the in-game settings and in the RPCS3 database settings for the game, allowing users to switch it back for comparison.
The emulator also replaces slow retry loops used for 16-byte atomic operations with the CPU’s compare-and-swap instruction. On Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and newer processors that support the relevant feature, plain loads and stores can be used as well. The system line in the log identifies whether LSE2 support is available with either LSE2-yes or LSE2-no. An upstream RPCS3 change also adds a faster path for SPU reservation writes when Accurate SPU Reservations is disabled. These are implementation changes rather than a universal guarantee of a particular frame rate or compatibility result.
Controls carry forward Android usability improvements
ARMSX3 1.0.6 includes the touch-control and volume-button improvements from ARMSX2 2.7.2. It also carries over quick-menu hotkeys and gyro support. The release distinguishes this gyro feature from Sixaxis motion input, so users should not treat the two as identical control methods.
Settings and library behavior receive a broad cleanup
A completely full SD card should no longer crash the app when it tries to save settings while closing. ARMSX3 now skips the save and records the reason in the log, leaving the existing settings file intact. Changes made during that session still apply until the app is closed.
The All Core Settings screen now handles resets more consistently. Forget resets a setting to its default even when that setting was also changed through a standard settings page. Rows that differ from their defaults show the red Not default indicator, and settings changed only through a normal settings screen can expose a Reset button. Settings pages also reopen at the category used previously instead of returning to the first category after the user tests a change in a game.
Custom covers are now associated with an individual game copy. Two files sharing a serial, such as a retail dump and a modified copy, can use different covers without one replacing the other. A cover named only by serial remains available to copies that do not have an individual cover.
Several smaller interface changes make the library less disruptive. Library music no longer stops immediately after being enabled or after a custom track is selected, and the selection sound is now a short click instead of a long chime. The top-right overflow menu includes PS3 Theme Info, which explains how to use a PS3 theme as the library background. Screensaver controls have moved there as well, including the switch and delay. The Shader Mode description now correctly identifies Async, rather than Async + Interp, as the default.
Version 1.0.6.1 adds Turnip controls
The follow-up build, ARMSX3 1.0.6.1, was published on September 30, 2026, at 17:23:31 UTC. Its specific addition is a pair of controls for users with a custom Turnip driver installed.
The GPU Driver section now includes a UBWC flag hint switch. The project says this can address rendering glitches seen with some recent Turnip builds on certain Adreno GPUs. A new Driver variables field accepts custom Turnip settings using one NAME=value entry per line. Supported variable prefixes are FD_, TU_, IR3_ and MESA_. Changes take effect the next time a game starts, rather than being applied to an already running game.
Android packages and project context
The release provides Android APK variants for armv8.2 with SDK 30, SDK 33 and SDK 35 targets, plus a legacy armv8.1 SDK 30 package. The listed files are ARMSX3-1.0.6.1-a11-armv8.2-sdk30.apk, ARMSX3-1.0.6.1-a13-armv8.2-sdk33.apk, ARMSX3-1.0.6.1-a15-armv8.2-sdk35.apk and ARMSX3-1.0.6.1-legacy-armv8.1-sdk30.apk. The package choice should match the Android device and software environment rather than the emulated PlayStation 3.
ARMSX3 is an Android application based on the latest RPCS3 upstream code, including its ARM64 work, and it emulates PlayStation 3 software on Android hardware. Running it requires PlayStation 3 firmware, which is not included with the project. The release information says that a closed Play Store test had been completed and production access was still pending approval at the time of the notes; it does not document a production Google Play availability date.
