Unfortunately, ripping them still isn't an easy process. Last time I did this I needed three different programs: A generic ISO creator followed by "PS3 ISO Patcher" and then finally "3k3y ISO Tools".

This is an area where I'm actually a bit disappointed in emulator developers—RPCS3 ought to automate this process. I realize they're working for free in their spare time, but... if you're going to say that your software is intended to be used legally, I think you have some responsibility to make that the legal path accessible.

> I think I would probably buy the game and then download from an internet source, if I wanted to emulate but stay honest.

Sure, and I've done this to, but there's basically zero chance of anyone doing that at a larger scale. What we want is for the level of friction required to acquire and play a legitimate copy of a game in an emulator to be at least somewhat comparable to the effort required to find and download a pirated copy.

People who play on real hardware are much more likely than emulator users to track down actual games. I suspect that's because—even though piracy is readily available and quite easy on these consoles—using a real disc can feel a lot more straight forward.