How to Install VBA on a PS3

The Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) home gaming console has dazzled both casual and more serious gamers with its unprecedented online network capabilities, multimedia compatibility, and rich library of games. But perhaps the most impressive element of the PS3 is its accessibility; the console features an HDMI port, an Ethernet port and four USB ports, not to mention a 20GB or larger internal hard drive. These varied inputs allow you to use the PS3 to do more than just play game disks by enabling data storage. Visual Boy Advance (VBA) is an emulator program that provides gamers with a non-native platform on which to play Nintendo Game Boy and Game Boy Advance game ROMs. By loading VBA onto your PS3, you enable your Sony console to play hundreds of Nintendo ROMs.

Determine your PS3's firmware build to ascertain which version of the VBA-P3S Emulator you need. Turn on your PS3. Go to "Settings" and then select "System Settings." Choose "System Information."

Navigate in your preferred Internet browser to ps3.dashhacks.com/downloads/vba-ps3-v099 to download VBA-PS3 if you have firmware 3.41. Navigate to ps3.dashhacks.com/downloads/vba-ps3-v099-355 to download VBA-PS3 355 if you have firmware 3.55.

Extract the downloaded file to your computer by right-clicking and selecting "Extract." You will extract a PS3 PKG file.

Copy the PKG file to a USB flash drive. Do not place the PKG file in a folder.

Unplug the USB flash drive from your computer, and plug it into your PS3.

Select "Install Package File" from the PS3's main menu. The PKG file on the USB will be displayed. Select it by pressing "X" on your controller. The VBA-PS3 Emulator will now install. To launch it, select it from the "Games" menu on the PS3's main menu screen.

Copy ROMs from your computer onto the USB flash drive, and plug the flash drive into your PS3 in order to play the ROMs on the emulator.