PlayStation 3 GPU Accessed though Linux?

QJ.net reports that "some hackers have announced that they've discovered a way to access the 3D contexts on the Graphics Processor Unit of the PlayStation 3. If what they say is true, then this will allow homebrew developers to create their own 3D applications for the console.

CNLohr posted a video on YouTube of the PlayStation 3 running some code in Linux. Allegedly, the hypervisor is talking with the nVidia RSX video card of the console to render the three animated quads in the foreground and the triangles in the background.

According to CNLohr, the demo being used is a modified version of IronPeter's libps3rsx from ps3dev.org. For those who want to try replicating his setup, the PS3 is running using a patched 2.6.24 experimental, unofficial kernel on Gentoo Linux".

[radzy]

if that happens then the ps3 will sell into the roof and the ratio of games bought to console sold is gonna get very interesting.
ps3 already struggling on that ratio already. hmmm

[Ru]

the ratio of games STOLE

[illizit]

Just because the GPU can be accessed through linux does not mean the PS3 can now Load ISO's, etc nor has it made it easier. We are far away from that. The only thing this means for now is we can play some homebrew games included N64 emulators, etc. Can't Wait!

[QuackPot]

Nearing the end of the Ps3's life cycle Sony will release its own optimized version of Linux for their machine.

This will test the water for a dual boot system for the Ps4 and will also extend the life of the Ps3 a couple of more years as you'll get a gaming machine with a huge library of games, media center & PC for < US$150.

Let's wait and see around 2012

But for the time being, Ubuntu's my favourite Distro on the Ps3.

[Muppetmeat]

Homebrew development kicks ass... What you saw on the PS2 is only a fraction of what they can do with the PS3 now.

[Ahmadinejad]

Whatever happens, these hacks always help ps3 sales and finally there is some good sales figures to look forward too

[Bladestar]

it depends.. what... hackers help sell hardware not software. As matter of fact it hurts game sells.. not only because people can download the games for free.. but because people running modded boxes will most likely not connect online with the box or buy any new game because they include firmware updates that may risk unmodding the box. Like the PSP... ohh yeah.. and remember.. SOny loses money on each console sold.. that means they would lose money... a PS3 sold that does not sell games is a move backwards for Sony.

[EZCheez]

No firmware update will ever effect how Linux runs on your PS3 because it creates it's own partition on the hard drive. Firmware updates for the PS3 are completely harmless to the Linux OS.

Also, you're giving this news a negative spin. Seriously, how many people do you know of that actually use Linux? I mean KNOW how to use Linux? This will not effect PS3 software sales because hardly anyone knows how to use it to begin with.

This is great news though because now better emulators and other programs will be able to work for the first time with Linux. Linux is a great untapped resource and I for one believe that Sony messed up by not having it already preinstalled (It only takes 10Gb and its well worth it) which I believe was an option before it launched. Have you seen some programs that people have created for Linux? Some of them are downright amazing, especially Wine, which essentially turns Linux into Windows. THAT's when access to the RSX will really show it's advantages and potential.

And did I mention it's all FREE? Fun stuff for a nerd such as myself.

[Ahmadinejad]

WEll i do think some people after they modded their console will stop buying games but a lot still do so, i think in general the install base will increase and if they add measures for online play being only availible to legit systems it should help a bit. also sony makes a lot of money on accessories so if people are buyign the console for copied games they will need to buy extra controllers and wires...

for 360 i know a lot of people that have 2 boxes, one for offline games which they download and one for online ones which they buy legit and use the unmodded box so if sony does that it might help.

personally i dont go into the whole "your stealing softwrare" argument becuase i think paying £50 for a game is legal thiefing and only allowed cause there is not other option availible.

[DongHungLong]

@EZCheez

Wrong, updated firmware can change the way the hypervisor functions and therefore make this RSX fix all but null. Pretty sure someone even mentions this on the original thread @ps2dev site where this is coming from.

[EZCheez]

Okay. That's the RSX but I wasn't talking about that. I said it doesn't affect the Linux OS, which is doesn't.

So I won't say you're wrong, you're just off topic.

[Bladestar]

that would be great.. can't wait until the PS3 becomes the home ground for homebrew like the PSP is... I would buy a PS3 on day 1... imagine playing all the old Nes, Snes, PSP, N64...

[EZCheez]

Have you heard of SNES9X? It's an easy install into the Yellow Dog Linux OS and it allows you to play old Nintendo and Super Nintendo games. I have about 100 installed right now including Castlevania, Chrono Trigger, Mario Kart, Super Mario World, and every other Super Nintendo game ever made. It's funny looking at the file size of these games in comparison to the ones out now because there only a few Mb a piece. And there a lot more and like I said in my previous post now that they have even more power to mess around with eventually someone will come up with better emulators.

Could you imagine a 360 emulator running on the PS3? Probably impossible because of RAM constraints, but you never know. Nerds are good like that.

[socomnick]

A xbox 360 emulator on the ps3 would be like having a n64 emulator on a super nintendo it wouldn't run well.

[DongHungLong]

Seriously this will have no affect on PS3 ISO loading x_x. Thats a completely different animal for those who are saying that. This will simply mean GPU support in Linux nothing more nothing less. So emulators will work but it will have no affect on the actual PS3 OS...

[Salvadore]

http://www.n4g.com/dev/News...

[AllroundGamer]

i hope Linux will be more popular in the future thx to this, cause i would like to see the fall of MS and his "OS". Hack the planet!

[tk]

The homebrew titles will become better - will never compete with the Sony commercial development tools. But it gives a hacker great pleasure just to be able to achieve something like this. Should be great for some Linux programs. Now we will most probably see Beryl 3d Desktop interface... Not that it really does anything useful - just cool.

Some graphics editing programs like Gimp will benefit I'm sure.

[Ju]

I would actually like to see a XGL integration of some kind.

[Bebedora]

it will bring more memory to work with. Graphics are handled by the Cell dedicated 256MB memory now.

[Tsukasah]

so will an N64 emulator work now??? I have one on Ubuntu Linux! =D... on my PC of course..

Is it possible to use the PS controller on linux for PS3, or do you have to use a mouse?

[actas123]

Even if they mod the PS3 it will be very risky to do the procedures in order to hack it. Remember its a 400 dollars machine. Plus, the P2P services are rapidly declining as the pressure of the IRAA and CIRA and others are massive.. its going to be probably another 6 months before they knock down all the torrent sites.. (just like what happened to napster back in the day). So if you hack your system its going to be only useful if you rent a game and copy it... but still renting services like gamefly don't charge late fees so its not really worth buying all the equipments (remember its blue ray)..

[Polluted]

Having a hacked system doesn't necessarily have to be all about pirating games. If you softmod an original xbox, you can setup a kick ass media center. There are tools out there to make it even better than a factory 360 as a media center. Not to mention you can run SNES, Neo-Geo, Genesis and a ton of other emulators on it. When there's finally a decent softmod procedure available for the PS3 through the "install other OS" option, intend to take advantage of it, but not because I want to pirate games. There's just so much these consoles are capable of that Sony/MS will never let us do using stock firmware.

[segasage]

wait till this baby is hacked.

I need to brush up my linux..

really I wanna play emulators

[Ju]

I think that's a step in the right direction. They should have opened that up from the beginning and offered a full OpenGL driver. Sure, its interesting for Homebrew and the "bedroom" coders. And it should give interested people the chance to get familiar for the PS3 architecture, which I think can lead to a bigger pool of good trained programmers and eventually PS3 games. I also do not believe, that this will be any competition for commercial PS3 games. Linux needs to pre-installed to run the apps, nobody will do that just to run games. And if so, no company will release a game, which runs on PS3-Linux when it can run native and the install base is 10x higher.

[xg-ei8ht]

Just thought i'd show you G.O.W on pc with low postprocessing and full postprocessing.

Gears does have colour/

http://members.aol.com/xgme...

oops wrong thread, but hey worth having a looksie:)

[PS3PCFTW]

fact: this opens a sh1tload of possibilities.......
truth: poster @3.1 is a idiot. every post i read from him goes the same way. He thinks he knows what hes talking about, but has no freaking clue.

ps3 owners: http://www.youtube.com/watc...