Sony’s PlayStation 3 has one more semi-secret feature left that most users would hardly have ever noticed, even over two decades after the console first came out: printing. A seventh-generation colossus, the PlayStation 3 faced a number of issues over its life cycle, but the biggest of them all was just how taxing it was to develop games for it.
Given PlayStation 3’s incredible roster of games, it’s no surprise at all that many want to emulate the console from the ground up. Projects like RPCS3 make CELL processor emulation a distinctive possibility even on really low-spec hardware, such as the Steam Deck, but PS3’s eclectic presence goes well beyond games and questionable processing architectures alone. Printing functionality is proof enough of that.
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PlayStation 3 Could Print Photos and More
Reddit user geeelectronica posted about the PlayStation 3’s “Printer Settings” functionality over on r/PS3, wondering if anyone ever used the feature. While it was possible (though not necessarily advisable) to install Linux on the PS3 early on, the console’s game mode used its own printer drivers for the feature, making it possible to print game photos or documents found via the PS3’s built-in web browser. This is, presumably, not one of the features Sony is looking to emulate on PS5 via backwards compatibility with PS3.
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The fascinating bit about geeelectronica’s post is that some people commented about using PS3’s printing feature. Some printed out Grand Theft Auto cheat codes to use while playing, while others relied on the PS3’s SD card reader to print camera photos. It’s still very much a niche use-case, but it speaks to the PlayStation 3’s remarkable flexibility as a comprehensive multimedia device, rather than just being a gaming console. In some ways, the PS3 was more impressive than the PS5 when it comes to pure feature offerings, but that’s also why it was such an expensive device to begin with.
While the possibility of natively playing PS3 games on PS5 is extremely exciting, there’s something to be said about the seventh generation of consoles in general and the experimental nature of it. It wasn’t really just about the games themselves at the time, but about the broader excitement about cutting-edge technology and the unexpected, wild use cases people might find for it.
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For those who don’t yet feel old, it may be worth reconsidering, because PlayStation 3 is officially considered a retro console as of 2026. That’s GameStop’s assessment, to be fair, but the fact that the PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii are now actual retro devices may well give some whiplash with how much time has passed since their heyday. On that note, it may be worth wondering about how many PlayStation 3 consoles in working condition are out there still. As time goes on, fewer and fewer of these remarkable consoles will be available for retro gamers to use, especially if they’re chasing after the coveted first-gen PS3s.
