A YouTube video has been released showing Steam's Linux client running on Sony's PlayStation 4.
The video shows creator OsirisX browsing the Steam library before launching into the game Bastion, which is then shown running at what appears to be full-speed.
Other Linux games are said to also run well, albeit with their settings not at maximum.
The video's description says the process is made possible by a combination of Arch Linux, libraries from fail0evrflow, and a console running on the now ancient firmware version 1.76.
YouTube : https://youtu.be/MHjTXYBSRck
Tux meet Ratchet
Running Linux on PlayStation hardware is nothing new. When it was originally released the PlayStation 3 officially supported the installation of the open-source operating system, but this functionality was later removed over concerns that it could facilitate piracy on the console.
The difference with the PS4 is that the console is powered by an x86 processor, which is standard in most desktop PCs. There has also been an explosion in the amount of games available for Linux, thanks in part to Valve having introduced its store to the operating system.
The practice of using a PS4 to install and run Linux games is unlikely to take off thanks to the requirement for users to use an older version of the PS4's operating system.
Sony does not make it easy for users to roll-back their firmware because of how this can reintroduce security exploits that have previously been patched.
Nevertheless it is interesting to see new functionality being hacked into the PS4, and we would be interested to see if a Linux install on a PS4 could be used alongside Steam's game-streaming functionality to bring Windows games to the PS4.
- Not sure if Linux gaming is right for you? Check out our comparison of Windows and Linux for gaming.
Via: Engadget
