PlayStation 3 HDD to Ship With Linux 548
timtwobuck writes "Gamespot.com is reporting that Ken Kutaragi, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, has disclosed in an interview that PlayStation 3 will natively run Linux. In fact, it will come bundled with it, if you purchase the HDD peripheral." From the article: "But while Linux would require a hard drive to run on, Kutaragi told Impress PC Watch, 'We're not going to equip [the PS3 with] a HDD by default, because no matter how much [capacity] we put in it, it won't be enough.' It was unclear whether he was referring to the previously known fact that the PS3 would not have an internal hard drive or whether he was indicating that the device would not come with the external 2.5-inch detachable HDD outlined in the specs revealed at E3."
Not suprising. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Not suprising. (Score:4, Informative)
And unless they buy a copy from india (1$), I don't think they will change the price of the PS3 just to include Windows.
Re:Not suprising. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Not suprising. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not suprising. (Score:5, Interesting)
Of course, no matter what exact words are coming out of Kutaragi's mouth, I'm sure what he *really* means is closer to the second statement. But it's interesting that they are trying to position the PS3 as a real computer, not just a game console. If they really do equip it with Linux and provide dev tools, they won't be able to control the resulting flood of hacks, emulators, media center applications, indie games, and the like.
Re:Not suprising. (Score:2)
Re:Not suprising. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Not suprising. (Score:5, Insightful)
Damn, this looks like a bad move on their part.
Re:Not suprising. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not suprising. (Score:3, Insightful)
But the more I thought about it the more putting linux on the PS3 makes sense.
Re:Not suprising. (Score:3, Interesting)
TFA alludes to this when Kutaragi says "...So even though we'
Re:Not suprising. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Not suprising. (Score:2)
While that is a nice idea, where is the flood of games for the existing Linux base? There are some, but it's not
Re:Not suprising. (Score:3, Interesting)
I probably missed the point in a previous post you made, but what are your thoughts on why they decided to put Linux on the HD?
While it is possible Sony has a developer that is working on an app that uses Linux based app they that want for the PS3;
a scenario I find more plausable is Sony has some custom app they are developing and want to run it on Linux (no licensing fees to MS), and HDD is an easy w
Re:Not suprising. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not suprising. (Score:3, Interesting)
The Linux on PS/2 had some serious limitations. It didn't run on the raw hardware, it ran on a bit of an abstraction layer, that enforced some limitations, like no DVD playing, as I understand it. I saw a presentation by the one of the guys who made the compute cluster out of PS2s [uiuc.edu] and he said that the access checks in that abstraction layer seriously slowed down certain operations.
Making games for PS3 Linux will probably have
Open source? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Open source? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Open source? (Score:3, Informative)
So wine could work using either of these options.
Re:Open source? (Score:2)
But Bochs [sourceforge.net] is. And running ReactOS [reactos.com] on top of it would give a completely free Windows replacement. If ReactOS were already ready, of course
Re:Open source? (Score:2)
you're right wine is not an emulator, it is a library and program loader. similar to ld.so and gtk.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Open source? (Score:4, Interesting)
The other issue will be the tool chain. Can you get a compiler for the Cell? Most emulators do not do a lot of FP so the Cells will probably not be used much for the lower end emulators.
The compiler/tool chain is going to be critical. GCC for what I have seen is not very good at vectors. For a lot of Cell development a compiler the can generate vector code will be extermly useful if not vital. Maybe Intel and or IBM could help out GCC in that area?
Re:Open source? (Score:2)
Are you sure the Cells are only useful for FP? Since one of the main features of the Cells is that they can be pipelined, I could imagine an emulator using them in a similar way as real processors use their pipeline.
Re:Open source? (Score:2)
Re:Open source? (Score:3, Insightful)
Linux bluetoooth support ? (Score:2, Offtopic)
Re:Linux bluetoooth support ? (Score:4, Informative)
new device, and at least on my belkin parts you have to manually switch crypto off and then back on.
Oh, and anybody in the world can listen in on your keypress events, but that's not a Linux thing,
that's an auto-selected 4 numeral PIN thing
Re:Linux bluetoooth support ? (Score:3, Informative)
You'll also need to setup HIDD and after the drivers and bluez-util init script has been ran just run "hidd --connect ".
For bluetooth keyboards you'll need another keyboard around to type a pin in. then type the pin into your new bluetooth keyboard to pair it.
It takes me about 5 minutes at worst these days to get a new blueto
Re:Linux bluetoooth support ? (Score:3, Informative)
Not listening to anything re HDD (Score:5, Interesting)
Personally, I think it would be a mistake that they not include an HDD with the console, but considering the rumoured cost of the PS3, it is probably doubtful that it will include one at launch.
Re:Not listening to anything re HDD (Score:2)
According to Sony [theregister.co.uk] the PS3 will have a 2.5 inch removable hard disk, 6 USB2 ports and gigabit ethernet. Yummy enough?
Re:Not listening to anything re HDD (Score:2)
What's the point of a hard drive in a console? Put in CD. Play. Save to a little memory card thingy. A hard drive just adds to the amount of stuff that can break/get FUBAR'ed. If I want to dick around with stuff that needs a hard drive (ie: more complexity), I'll sit in front of my computer.
Re:Not listening to anything re HDD (Score:3, Interesting)
And wait, because loading all of the code, maps, textures, etc. takes a long time. With a HDD, a game can cache this stuff, allow downloadable content and patches, etc.
Lots of small, handheld devices use hard drives, why is it a stretch to make it a standard console component? It wouldn't need to have much capacity, and with a quick glance at pricewatch, it seems that 20GB 3.5" drives are less than $30, which is less than 10% of what the co
Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Any more middle-aged geeks out there... (Score:2)
Re:Any more middle-aged geeks out there... (Score:2)
Listen, if anyone ever needed anything more powerful than Notepad, they could simply use Microsoft Word!
Re:Any more middle-aged geeks out there... (Score:3, Funny)
Why? (Score:2)
Why not just let those people who really want to download Linux and run it on their PS3 (all, what, a couple of thousand maybe, if that?) to do that and spend your corporate time and effort into something else?
Hell, I'm all for adoption of other operating systems, but I really can't work out what advantages this is going to give anyone - save for about 10 minutes of downloading and tra
Re:Why? (Score:2)
Just off the top of my head, it adds a full suite of internet applications. Adding Linux lets the console become an internet appliance. Besides, someone is going to port Linux to it as soon as it comes out. Why not let the manufacturer do it.
Re:Why? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Why? (Score:2)
It's not like setting up Linux for PPC to boot to a blank screen with a web browser re
Re:Why? (Score:2)
DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS!
DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS!
DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS!
(now jump around waving your arms like a crack addict on fire)
Seriously, and of course this is assuming that it ships with development tools of some sort, Imagine the benefits for a company allowing unchecked development on their new platform... especially a platform using Cell which will find applications in other areas... gotta
Fundamental assumption wrong (Score:3, Insightful)
What makes you think that is true?
To start with, some fringe people WILL buy the device if it supports Linux, that may otherwise have bought soemthing else.
Now consider the whole XBox hacking scene with stuff like media player and the like. If in the next round the PS3 supports Linux with no hacks, then where are the people working on those projects going to go? Probably the PS3.
Then
Gotta go. (Score:2, Insightful)
YES! OMG YES!!!! This is a dream come true. Thank you Sony. Thank you IBM. WTF is this in the Games section? This is big news for a sub set of geeks. This will be the largest installed base linux has, on interesting hardware.
Won't be enough? (Score:5, Insightful)
Nonesense. Never came close to filling up the 8gig on my Xbox, but every game I've played has made use of the HD because they KNOW it will be there.
Of course, since the HD is optional with the PS3, devs will have to assume that it will not be there to reach a wider installed base. PS3 has just made developing for their system more difficult by releasing two products - ones with HDs and ones without.
Even just a small 4gig drive might have been helpful and inexpensive.
Re:Won't be enough? (Score:5, Funny)
I think what he really meant to say was:
We're not going to equip [the PS3 with] a HDD by default, because no matter how much [money we make on the PS3] it won't be enough [when we can make a bit more by milking extra money out of customers for a HDD]
Re:Won't be enough? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Won't be enough? (Score:2)
It supposedly has slots for CF, SD, MS flash, so perhaps, like the PSP, it'll come with a flash card. Although, hopefully, unlike the PSP, it'll come with more than 32MB ;-)
Re:Won't be enough? (Score:4, Informative)
Good strategy (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Good strategy (Score:2)
For the average gamer this is enough. It is all about the titles and the hardware is far, far less relevant.
Re:Good strategy (Score:2)
Re:Good strategy (Score:2)
Only if they both run Linux natively.
Re:Good strategy (Score:2)
Who's doing the port? (Score:2)
obligitory.... (Score:3, Funny)
;P
Re:obligitory.... (Score:2)
I realize that this comment is meant as a joke, but from TFA:
If Linux can run, so can Lindows. Other PC Operating Systems can run too, such as Windows and Tiger (Max OS X 10.4), if the publishers want [them] to do so.
Windows or Mac on PS3! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Windows or Mac on PS3! (Score:2)
ps3 as pc? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:ps3 as pc? (Score:2, Insightful)
Can a computer spin in its own grave?
Pnoppix (Score:2)
Re:Pnoppix (Score:2)
Re:Pnoppix (Score:2, Funny)
Sony Taking Advantage of the Homebrew Crowd? (Score:2)
It kills two birds with one stone very efficiently dontcha think?
Re:Sony Taking Advantage of the Homebrew Crowd? (Score:3)
The irony will be tragic.
My Wish (Score:2, Interesting)
With what apps? (Score:2)
With what linux apps. A bare OS is kind of useless. Particularly if they don't include init, some getty, X, or even a frame buffer console.
A PS3 on a HDTV, running KDE, kword, and konqueror would be sweet. (If you are GNOME fan just substitute their equivalents) Unfortunately, nearly all homes have a computer these days, so it isn't the advantage that it could have been in the past.
Then again Atari's XEGS didn't sell, despite having a good enough word processor (for the day).
Re:With what apps? (Score:2)
You don't know much about Linux do you? A bare OS version of Linux still has more apps then $1000 worth of windows and software addons.
Huh? (Score:3, Interesting)
"We're not going to equip [the PS3 with] an HDD by default."
"So in order to declare that the PS3 is a computer, I think we'll have [the PS3's HDD] preinstalled with Linux as a bonus."
Basically he wants to have PS3 seen as a computer not just a game machine. OK, fine. He says to do this it will need as OS (Linux) to be installed on the HDD. OK, fine. But PS3 won't ship with a HDD. OK,
linux fetish (Score:2, Insightful)
Optional Hard Drive? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Optional Hard Drive? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Optional Hard Drive? (Score:2)
Agreed! But keep in mind it's Sony. (Score:3, Insightful)
I couldn't agree more. Besides the cost implications of having the HD come standard, I'm sure that Sony feels that the reception of the ps3 by the media and gamer community was so much greater than Xbox360 that they could safely take the hit in perception and still wind up a winner. An expensive gamble. I'd agree that ps3 probably has more buzz... but not THAT much more buzz.
You can almost hear the sound of mass high-fiving coming from Redmond. Not only does do they have the HD advantage, but ther
Reason shining through (Score:2)
Sounds like a sensible approach, well explained. Why cannot more tech companies show the same restraint on features and hype??
Becoming hyped and ruining gaming simultaneously. (Score:2, Insightful)
In TFA, Kutaragi says "even though we're making something that has the capability to be recognized as a supercomputer and requires paperwork when exporting or importing, the government sees it as a 'toy.'" Obviously
Re:Becoming hyped and ruining gaming simultaneousl (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm over my blood and gore phase, but I still like games. I'm guessing I'll be playing games for the rest of my life, and I'm interested in new and fun things. If Nintendo keeps producing good stuff, I'll keep buying it. And I think a good number of people will too.
well then (Score:2)
I think. ^_^
Never buying anything, either! (Score:2, Insightful)
Any computer, stereo, car, house, mp3 player, mail-order bride I buy will never be good enough, so I'm just not going to buy anything.
And any food I eat for lunch today just won't be enough to fill me tomorrow. So I'm going to stop eating, too.
Linux as a gaming platform? I hope so! (Score:2, Interesting)
They might also realise that if their games use OpenGL [opengl.org] instead of DirectX they can run on any platform, whether it's windows or linux. So there is *no* extra cost in supporting linux.
If all games were published on linux as well as on windows, and linux was an equavalent gaming platform, gamers would sure go with linux, instead of windows, cause you don't h
MythTV (Score:5, Insightful)
One reason: MythTV frontend. It's hard to justify spending $350 on a console. Spending $350-$400 on a console that replaces a $250-$300 mini-ITX box... that's much easier to justify. You gotta figure that MythTV will be ported pretty fast to it, if the video and audio drivers are reasonable. I also rather like the idea of using MythGame to emulate other systems - really makes for an all-in-one entertainment system.
X-BOX 360 was definitely a competitor for my cash and home media network, but I just can't bring myself to deal with MCE. For all its benefits (easy setup, well-supported), it has niggling annoyances (lack of friendly open formats, multiple tuner issues, proprietary extenders).
-Erwos
Myth TV (Score:2)
Now if we could get an easy install of Myth TV for the PS3, we'd really have something!
Of course, the question is what to do for video capture/mpeg encoding? I assume that the PS/3 will have a USB2 or fireware port, so perhaps an external piece of hardware might do the trick. If nothing else, I guess it could be used as a frontend video client.
This guy doesn't appear to know shit... (Score:3, Insightful)
Legacy? Riiight. No Linux fanboy here, but I know bullshit when I see it.
In the case of the Cell, operation systems are applications.
Wah?
The kernel will be running on the Cell, and multiple OSes will be running on top of that as applications.
Bah?
Of course, the PS3 can run Linux. If Linux can run, so can Lindows.
Comparing kernels to distros here. Despite the fact that the latter is built upon the former.
Other PC Operating Systems can run too, such as Windows and Tiger (Max OS X 10.4), if the publishers want [them] to do so.
But the odds of Microsoft or Apple doing so are zero. So why say it?
I'm sure the guys clever. But he's not technical in the slightest.
The built in games? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Opening the door for game pirates? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Opening the door for game pirates? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Spelling please?: Kutaragi (Score:5, Informative)
Ken Kutaragi -- in Japanese, v'½--Ç-Ø OE', is one of those lucky fellows with a four-character surname. You can go for years among Japanese people and never meet such a person; it's like having a European-language surname that starts with "X". There are even web sites devoted to listing up all the 4+ character surnames.
And that was Useless Japanese Name Trivia for today!
Re:Spelling please?: Kutaragi (Score:5, Interesting)
I call your bluff -- ' v'½--Ç-Ø OE',' isn't a name at all! In other news, Slashdot (perhaps unsurprisingly) isn't very multilingual.
However, I did once know a Japanese lady whose family name was 'kyuuraku' as in 'long-lasting pleasure'.
I think it's one of those names awarded to artists and craftsmen way back when... they're getting pretty rare now.
There's a list of 4-character names here:
http://www.ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp/~jjksiro/4moji.html [shizuoka.ac.jp]
Re:Spelling please? (Score:2, Insightful)
EDITORS,
n.
One who edits, especially as an occupation.
The point here is that they should at least attempt to correct the mistakes that someone submits. The simplest task should be to correct simple spelling errors. Such as; changing willcom to will come. I know they get a lot of submissions, but for they few that get selected, they should check that the spelling is correct. It isn't that hard to run a paragraph through spellchecker.
I'm sure I'll get modded down to Hades f
Re:One more battle one by the good guys! (Score:2)
Yeah, it's not as if Sony had already released a linux kit for the PS2 [playstation2-linux.com] or anything...
Don't get me wrong - linux on PS3 is great news (if it's hackable) but this is evolution, not revolution.
Re:One more battle one by the good guys! (Score:2)
The big news here is that this sounds like it will be standard on every HDD (or at least every detachable HDD, since the specs are still up in t
Re:One more battle one by the good guys! (Score:2)
A few years ago (3 to 4) Sony was releasing an official distribution of Linux for the PlayStation2 [ps2linux.com].
It's not that this isn't good news, it's just not incredible.
Re:My God Is The PS3 Looking Sweet (Score:2)
Re:And lindows is no longer linux... (Score:2)
Re:Size (Score:2)
Re:entertainment supercomputer (Score:2)
Games under linux would no longer be needed. It's a console and already plays games. It should be more than fast enough to run mythfrontend and gnome desktops. I'd also replace the PC in my Arcade cabinet with one running Advancemame.
Yes, I would have to say that I really like the idea of this thi
Re:PS2 Linux (Score:5, Interesting)
If that was their idea of opening up the system, then I don't hold out much hope for Linux on PS3.
Re:But... (Score:3, Funny)
i'm so ashamed to have done that...