according to wololo its now possible to run a linux distro on a ps4 with a firmware up to 1.76. the links for the files needed are attached to the linked article. its not a cfw but some progress towards a bright future, with less forced online by sony and more functionality on your ps4.

Would be nice if Sony allowed users to run Linux without needing an exploit. I might be fantasizing but with an X86 processor, I can't imagine all the great things that would come out of it, unfortunately even malicious ones related to piracy. I would buy one just for Linux.

So is it not possible, things going both ways, to then play PS4 games on Linux installed on a PC? Otherwsise am not sure the point of it, a cfw would allow you to play games from iso no? But there is no emulator on PC for ps3 yet, so how has this come about, am confused as to the point of it.

unfotunately, sony isn't nice. sony is microsoft but painted in a nice, calming blue color. i'd say no. i don't understand what you wanted to say here

Well I just wonder why exactly ?

I mean it made sense during the PS3 era as for the price of a PS3 you had a rather powerful HTPC / Emulator / etc combo that you could plug on your TV.

But nowadays for the price of a PS4 or less you can easily find all sorts of HTPCs, from Nuc to Zotac to ASRock, etc.. which will be smaller than a PS4, have standard hardware, WiFi, Bluetooth etc... and won't require any "tricks" to have Linux installed on them.

So why buy a PS4 "just for Linux" ?

sure, but you can't play ps4 games on them

yes i see it now.

Interesting development, but I'm yet to dabble with PS3 mods, let alone PS4 ones. I'm good with playing games on the console I spent 450$ on, thank you! :p

Still, the PS3 scene looks like it finally reached its peak. I see mods and translations for older games spawn everywhere. This is possibly the time to get into it.

What I am trying to understand, is what is the point of putting linux on a console? If it allowed the playing of iso's that I can understand, and vice versa if it allowed you to rip off to play on PC through an emulator then again, makes sense, but installing an OS other than what came with the machine doesn't make sense to me, do you use it for word processing, or at work in place of a laptop?

They probably just want to boost their Folding@Home rankings.

Correct ! answer a4plz !

As for the PS3, due to the fact that Sony offered "Other OS" (an official Linux distribution for the console) from the beginning, universities and institutions with a requirement for computational power bought many solely for that purpose because it was much cheaper than other solutions with similar power.

Thing is, Sony was selling the thing at a loss, intending to make money off games and services, but people using the hardware and Other OS for number crunching weren't going to buy games or subscribe to services and thus didn't contribute to Sony's income. Also, Other OS made it easier for crackers and hackers to get to understand the hardware and enable piracy. So, Sony disabled Other OS in a patch, and hasn't offered such an option for PS4 either, likely for the same reasons the stopped supporting it for PS3.

But people hack things just for the fun of it, because it's a challenge, and some people apparently got a kick out of getting Linux to run on the PS4.

(Edit: grammar)

Ok, interesting. strange to see Sony allowing other os, when they are quite closed on the consoles. But if its tour thng best of luck. I have cfw on the psp device and its vey helpful. About time we got it for ps3.

I would assume they figured it would be a good way of gaining the interest of indie developers and geeks who would otherwise simply stay with the PC. Remember, there was a Linux kit for Playstation 2 as well, which included installation disc, keyboard, mouse, harddrive, VGA adapter, and ethernet adapter, making it a complete Linux PC.