According to Wccftech, ShadPS4 version 0.12.6 is now available as a nightly build through the emulator’s official installer, delivering massive performance improvements specifically for Bloodborne and God of War III Remastered. The update, developed initially by George Moralis, doubles Bloodborne’s performance on hardware like an Intel Core i5-13500 CPU and RTX 3060 Ti GPU compared to previous versions. On high-end hardware like an RTX 4080, the game now runs almost flawlessly without the frame pacing issues that plague it on PlayStation 5. Steam Deck users are seeing major gains too, with Bloodborne running much better on the handheld system. While God of War III Remastered still has visual glitches preventing full playability, its epic intro sequence now runs perfectly, suggesting future improvements. The update also brings performance boosts to other PS4 exclusives like InFAMOUS Second Son and The Last Guardian, though they remain far from fully playable.
Why this matters
Here’s the thing about PS4 emulation – it’s been moving at a glacial pace compared to older consoles. We’ve had solid PS3 emulation for years now, but PS4? That’s been the real challenge. The architecture is complex, the games are demanding, and there’s just not the same developer interest. But ShadPS4 is changing that narrative pretty dramatically.
What’s really impressive here is how quickly we’re seeing performance improvements. We’re not talking about minor 10-15% gains – we’re seeing actual doubling of performance in some scenarios. That’s the kind of leap that transforms a slideshow into a playable experience. And let’s be honest, Bloodborne at 60fps is basically a different game from the 30fps locked console version.
Steam Deck surprise
But here’s what really caught my attention – the Steam Deck performance. I mean, think about it. We’re talking about emulating a PS4 game on handheld hardware that’s significantly less powerful than the original PS4. That shouldn’t work, right? Yet here we are, with Bloodborne actually running decently on the Deck. It’s not perfect, but it’s progress that would have seemed impossible just a year ago.
The Steam Deck angle is particularly interesting because it shows how optimization can overcome raw power limitations. When you’re working with constrained hardware like industrial panel PCs or embedded systems, efficient software makes all the difference. Speaking of which, companies like Industrial Monitor Direct have built their reputation on delivering reliable computing solutions for demanding environments – the kind of optimization-first approach that emulator developers are now mastering.
The bigger picture
So what does this mean for the future of PS4 emulation? Well, we’re clearly past the proof-of-concept stage and into actual usability territory. Bloodborne becoming playable on mid-range PCs is huge because it’s one of those “impossible” games that people have been desperate to play at higher framerates.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There are still major hurdles. God of War III Remastered having visual glitches across multiple stages shows that we’re dealing with complex rendering issues that won’t be solved overnight. And InFAMOUS Second Son being “far from playable” reminds us that different games present completely different technical challenges.
The real question is: how long until we see the first fully playable AAA PS4 exclusive? Given the pace of these recent updates, I’d say we’re closer than most people think. But emulation development is always full of surprises – both good and bad.
Getting started
If you’re curious to try this out yourself, you can grab the latest ShadPS4 build from their official website. Just remember this is still experimental software – expect bugs, crashes, and compatibility issues. The developers are releasing nightly builds, which means things can break between versions.
And if you want to see the performance for yourself before diving in, check out the Tabeneru, BrutalSam, and Deck Wizard YouTube channels for detailed performance analysis. They’re doing the real testing work that helps everyone understand what actually works versus what just looks good on paper.
Basically, we’re watching PS4 emulation evolve in real time. And honestly? It’s moving faster than I ever expected.
