While the PS3 is powerful, N64 emulation is notoriously difficult due to the N64's unique hardware architecture.
No discussion of a PS3 PKG is complete without confronting the controller. The N64 controller, for all its bizarre trident shape, introduced the analog stick and the yellow C-buttons. Ocarina of Time ’s interface is a masterwork of C-button mapping: the ocarina’s notes, the iron boots, the lens of truth—all assigned to those four yellow directional buttons. The PS3’s DualShock 3 lacks an equivalent. It has four face buttons, two analog sticks, and a D-pad. A theoretical port would have to remap the C-buttons to the right analog stick (a common N64 emulation solution), which works but loses tactile specificity. More intriguing is the Sixaxis motion control. Imagine replacing the ocarina’s melody input with Sixaxis gestures: tilting the controller to change pitch, shaking it to play a note. This would be a creative, if divisive, translation. However, the PS3 controller’s biggest flaw for Zelda is the triggers. The N64’s Z-trigger (used for targeting) was a single, satisfying digital button. The DualShock 3’s L2 and R2 are analog, mushy, and less immediate. The fluid lock-on combat of Ocarina —the very foundation of 3D action-adventure games—would feel different on Sony’s plastic. It would be like hearing a symphony played on a different instrument: the notes are the same, but the timbre is off. The PKG would function, but the kinesthetic memory of a million N64 players would recoil at the subtle wrongness of L2-targeting a Stalfos. zelda ocarina of time ps3 pkg