We may have all been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the PS3 slim, but don’t get too excited yet. According to an official press release from Sony, the PS3’s slimmer counterpart is dropping the ability to install Linux or another operating system. It’s always a shame when new products come packed with less features, but this time, it’s preventing us from doing things like cracking SSL using 200 of the consoles, or running emulators from an Ubuntu install on the console. For those of us that still plan on keeping our “old” PS3s, Yellow Dog Linux has been released on a USB stick and allows you to run without having to do a full installation.
[via Joystiq]
Lol, at this. I got my ps3 slim free when I bought my 73″ plasma screen tv, so personally don’t care. And for 300 dollars the ps3 is amazing, its a decent blu ray player, which would cost you 200+ for one of the same degree. And you can play games and surf the web store music all that good stuff. 300 dollars, sure why not, especially if your going to buy a blu ray player spend a few more dollars and get an entertainment powerhouse, for a mere 300 dollars. If you think thats a large sum of money, get a damn job ;)
I’m thinking about installing Ubuntu on PS3 version which supports “Install Other OS” option and then connect this hard disk (with installed Linux) to PS3 Slim. Do you know where this Linux bootloader is installed? (hard disk or flash memory inside PS3)
Yeah, that sucks. When I first bought my PS3 (I was lucky enough to pick up the 60 gig before Sony started cutting features), I sold my computer and used my PS3 for all of the things I needed a computer for. It worked very well, actually. But then, I spent a good amount of time setting up Gentoo’s portage to compile programs specifically for the Cell processor. I had the whole thing set up to compile programs so that they could make use of the SPEs and everything.
I had a great deal of fun on that – I even developed most of my computer science projects for Web Programming, Graphics (in OpenGL), and Software Engineering on that thing. It was much easier to carry around than a mid or full tower and was snappy enough for my uses.
I got very, very, very scared when my PS3 stopped reading discs a while ago – I definitely didn’t want a non-60GB model. But then it turned out to be a simple fix – I just picked up a replacement bluray laser, pulled apart the PS3 and bluray drive, and replaced the old laser with a new one.
@therian:
The point of turning a ps3 into a pc is because the PS3 has a very powerful processor that can be used for cheap parallel processing, especially if you link multiple ps3s together… then you have a cheap parallel computing cluster… duh
The one thing not mentioned in any of these posts thus far (and, to be fair, it’s an article about Linux support)…. is the fact that Sony continues to refuse to support FLAC (free lossless audio codec) via a firmware upgrade.
A PS3 for me would perform 3 primary duties, listed in order of importance:
1. Networked FLAC UPnP client from Linux server’s FLAC library
2. Blu-Ray Disc player
3. PS3 games (just a handful)
FLAC support is the biggest thing preventing me from purchasing a PS3 — I want the ability to sit down in front of the 54″ Panasonic plasma and browse through my library of 2,000+ FLAC’d albums, and stream them over the home audio theatre. This is doable with lossy mp3s, but Sony refuses to do an EASY firmware upgrade to support FLAC playback. Kills me! I’m sure Sony have their selfish reasons for not doing this, and it is their right to do so, but it still frustrates. The thing I want the PS3 for the most, is the one feature it doesn’t supply.
At this point, until/unless Sony supplies FLAC support, I’m likely best off purchasing a $120 BD player, and then spending the rest of the cash on a true FLAC UPnP client solution (such as the Denon AVR-3808ci A/V receiver, pricey as it is).
Normaster
I hope someone manages to get an unofficial firmware with the hypervisor reenabled sometime. I was hoping to get a PS3 to use as a backup NAS box (i.e. hook into network, plug in a USB disk, set up a clonezilla server, profit!) but now it looks like I can’t, unless I invest in a PS3 phat. Looks like I’m going to have to buy a NAS after all…
doesnt the ps3 just search for a code on the hard drive that matches the system?if yes why cant you use a fat ps3 to put its os on an extra hard drive and take them both to your computer and just copy the code over from the slims hard drive to the fat ps3s hard drive?
srry guys i didnt want to post that on here i had 2 sites up and got rid of the wrong one and didnt relize it till i went back through the comments/again im very srry for that
I just got a 250 GB PS3 slim for christmas. My mom and me were saying about how she paid roughly 400 dollars with tax and everything for it and it did not even come with a GAME, can you believe that shit? Theres only 2 USB ports, my old one had like 4 or 6 I forget. Now it’s got buttons on the front you press where before you’d touch it to eject a disc. It does still look really good and its not really slim its the same length but shorter height and width of it. I think the games run a little bit faster to me, seems like it atleast. I just wish you could install linux on it, and play PS2 games (it says PS2/PS Saved Data but in the booklet it says it will not play PS2 games). The guide booklets aren’t even colored anymore. One cool thing is that they are Netflix streaming ready so if you have a netflix account you can start watching movies instantly (don’t need the disc from netflix).
The New slim sucks ass. I should of bought a blueray and fuck sony. The fetures they took away didn’t cost them shit. They never gave you the other OS so eat my ass crack and choke on my dick you piece of shit that wanted to get ahead in sony had to fuck it up for the rest of us. Untill sony gives the PS2 update they can burn in hell.
If anyone thinks the ps3 linux can replace a fast pc, you’re dead wrong. Running Linux it’s slow as hell. Not enough RAM and I/O is heavily crippled. This is not a preferred platform for a desktop.
I had follow this guide http://bit.ly/6IS2AY for my Think PS3 and it works well. Even I can use emulator to run Windows within it! If PS3 slim can’t use Linux then I will stick with my Thick PS3.
Well the slim ps3 looks beautifull and its said that it saves energy. Another good thing about it is that it doesnt make any sound while reading the disc or significantly less than fat ps3. Apart from the noise it freezes less which is ps3s major defect not fully fixed yet. As for cons you guys ar aware of them that is removed features.
while sony has been ditching some of the ps3’s extraneous functionality (memory card readers?) it has maintained the same level of performance for it intended functions, that is gaming and home media access. increasing the hard drive allows for improved functioning and the price drop allows for greater accessibility. the only really upsetting change has been the lack of backwards compatibility to ps1 (short of the downloads) and ps2 games.
the fact that you can no longer hack and link 30 consoles (which were meant for gaming mind you) into a super-computing cluster or install a completely different os should be a non issue. that’s not what the machine was designed or intended to do; RATHER the fact that it could be done was just a credit to the ingenuity and talent of the people who did so.
getting a ps3 to play ps2 games ; yeah way to go!
i’m gonna turn my ps3 into a pc so i could ditch my crappy pc, yay!
oh oh i wish ps4 can play ps2 games too
I wanna make a server, whoooooo ima buy 3 ps3 to make it even more powerful, yay!
i wanna pirate blu ray yay! play games for free! yay! watch movies for free, yay! ripoff toiling companies, yay! ownage! yay!
ima hypocrite yay!
dude! just lay off the fucking “jay” crap.
Linux support was removed from the PS3 because of Sony’s partnership with IBM & Toshiba and its own stake in the computer market.
Clustering PS3s to produce GFlop+ clouds was more cost effective than the associated server hardware produced by any of the group.
Hence: PS3s no longer officially support Linux to drive sales of IBM/Sony/Toshiba servers.
I have not seen the rest of the posts only a few, but I just want to clarify. Sony sells the ps3 at a lost still because it has very new technology that has to be made at certain facilities. The IBM power pc cell is expensive enough, but then you have a blue ray drive and crazy xdr rambus memory. The sell consoles at a loss and make up the money lost with game sales. If you have government agencies and universities all around the world buying thousands of ps3s for scientific and computational work and not buying games, then that would put you more in the red. The reason for buying them is because IBM’s power pc cell computers are way too much money when you can pick up cheap ps3’s that come stock with gigabit ethernet that is great for computing clusters. Thus the ps3 slim took the funcionality out. The slims run more efficient and use less power and if you know about clustering, that would give more incentive to buy more of the slims with linux functionality. I honestly think that the RSX was locked out from the hypervisor because of Nvidia and how they look at OSS. (Open the damn code already!) Think about this, with GPGPUs. If the RSX was unlocked and people were using cuda or opencl for gpgpu calculations and the cell bbe combined, we would have something freaking ridiculous!
My guess and understanding as to why Linux may have been taken out was
1) Many were hacking the RSX and they are becoming successfull.
though it is a way off there have been some to get the RSX to “Dump” the RSX Code.
2) Many of us use Linux not just fro the graphics but for many other uses.
K3b , (softare that can burn ISO files) can be used for an external DVD Burner.
Because of this people can down load “torrents” and burn them. (in no way am I defering to pirated soft ware) for Example one can down load Ubuntu with out tying up there computer.
3) Some people in College want to do both Home work and gaming. the PS3 offered that.
Linux has a but load of Scientific and educational softare that is great for college people and some of that software could be worth thousands of dollars. Like Blender. how ever Linux is weak inthe erea of Video Editing.
4) Sony is noted for “Dumbing Down” there products when a newer product is coming out.
case in point, the origional PS2 had an interface in the console and a HDD. Just befor the PS3 came out the “Slim” (oops I touched it and it broke lol) came out. They removed several features liek the HDD and such and then built in the modems for the internet.
In my beliefe, sony isn’t saving money as it costs money to print up new plans and such. then the cost of faield attempts.
Iin my opinion, sony is either nixing its gaming consoles all to gether or, it is planning to role out something. Maybe a ps4 is coming out who knows, but the fact remains, sony should leav the things as they are and not just Sony, but Microsft as well.
Take Windows 7 for example, all though pesky vista had a video editor they removed that feature from Windows 7 and gave to us a Video editor from HELL. No wonder why people are pirating the stuff, Heck no one can afford what they need because the companies mark up a high cost to everything. Again I am saying I don’t condone the technique but hey, companies need to stop and think … Oh wait, theses comapnies that make millions could care less about us the consumers.
They Pretend to hear us, but they never give us what we want.
The other factor is tht ther countires get certain “Privalages” we don’t get here inthe US like a DVR recording device for the PS3.
I beleive technology should be fair for all.
it should be equal use by any one be it in the US, Canada, Austrailia or Japan.
Hell it would be cheaper for all the gaming industry if they had same rules for everyone then they wouldn’t be wasting money on layers and contracts stating one one country can be allowed to use the DVR feature, while the other will be “Blacklisted” And there are complaints on bothe sides.
The truth is it makes no difference wether we run Games or Not, if a feature is given it should never be changed, it should be fail for all, and there should be no reason it should change.
This bull pucky about removing features to make somehting cheaper is rediculus, they jsut have to make an execuse to cause the un educated say oh that makes sense.
Yes it costs to design and build, but today, Heck have you actually priced the chips them selves?
so inessence it would cost no different to build a machine that has the emotion chip, built in card reader, and such as it would have costed when the first machine came out. Of coarse it would be expensive at first, but now after the technologys been around, it would naturaly go down in cost.
I essence, we are the consumers, we purchase things, but we really no longer own what we have We have a “license” and a license by definition “Is being granted permision to do something that is othwise illegal to do”
So we need a license to use MS but we don’t need a license to run Linux, well sorta they had to create soem kind of wierd license called “Coppy Left” but it basically gives the user the right to do as they wish with the software. taht doesn’t mean one can break the law it jsut means tht the person can go in “Under the Hood” and change what ever it is they want to change with out it being illegal.
So, in essence its not aobut Gaming, Its not about what console is better or worse, it comes down to we the consumers, no longer have a say in what we want, we have lost that freedom . We can complain and write letters untill were blue in the face, but untill we get united and put a hurt on there sales there is nothing that can be done about it.
I yeld my time for the next speaker.
Oh I fergot to metion, I trust my PS3 in storing my Videos, Music and Pictures way over then storing them on …a…PC. Wiht all the issues that have come around with the PC stuff like in FFXI with gill sellers and hacks and such, I reverted to using my PS2 console for playing the games.
I do realize the necessity for computers, but, for heavens sakes, get rid of the MONOPLYs. We can’t even use our name and address for registering MS main OS any more as doing so would enable us certain rights I guess.
To me companys aren’t worried about security any more, there worried about us having freedom to freely access stuff.
Giving us access to the RSX isn’t risking the pentagon or anything. all it does is encourage hackers to want to access it even more.
heck why is the RSX off limits any ways.
I asked Sony this question and never got a reply save for there robtic reply.
To me Security means restricting access for reasons that may be detramentle to one safety and well being. How is the RSX detremtle to our safety and well being?
I appologise for the double posting jsut a thaught popped into my brain.
To me its about power and control. Sony has both the power and control. I have a great camera of theres and I like the abillity to use save the videos on to the PS3 Heck, if they implemented it where the EYE Create could edit video and where it could add titles and a few fades heck, then it would be an awsome machine that really can do everything..oh wait.. in order for it to do everything it would need to be able to use a word processor as well as printing it up.
But why does Sont Hold back? Its not because of waht it is limmited in doing, but it would kick any all PCs but if it hadd access to video editing, Photo editing, and a word processor.
also add a calulator, a way to burn to an exteranl HDD and Bam you have something that would truely be easy, workable and such..But wait..
A stable OS, a system with wroking drivers and very few crashes..this would literally put MS on notice.
Pesonally I think computers should be built around the console idea. Playing games I think uses more opperations then a word processor.
I see that java apps are being used and changed aswell.
how often does the PS3 crash sny ways unless it is surfing the web.. but is that the So called Crappy Browser, or the Crappy coding of the page?
so theres still no way to put linux on ps3 slim??????
i think i have found a way. actually testing it out today. i’m tossing my ps3 slims HD into a computer and installing the ps3 ubuntu to it. after that going to try the ydl. IF it works. However i’m going to edit its sectors manually from the backend with gparted on an existing linux so the fucking hd doesnt detect the tampering.sony heh. try to stop me from doing what I want with hardware I bought. but yeah lets just say this. either it will work. or i will toss that 250 gig in an old ps3 fat install the os to it toss it back or just do a quick transfer offa an existing ps3 with other os onto the new one or perhaps downgrading that pesky flash memory chip will do the job? i found a few nice looking mod chips. but it will be done. and if i’m the one to do it. You’ll know about it guys. they can’t take something away if a hacker really wants it. dont they know that by now???
Good luck morbid, let us know how you do. And oh yeah, THANKS A FRIGGIN LOT SONY! Now we’ll have to wait for NewEgg to supply CellBE chips & motherboards. Either that or win the lotto so we can afford IBM’s blade servers. (and afford the power bill too!)
does the ps reformat if u take hdd from phat to slim????????????
u know it sickens me that a game company can do this…i bought a ps3 last year (told that it was backwards compatable when i bought it, even asked specifically) and brought it home….well guess what…it wasn’t….finally get up the money to buy a backwards compatable unit…and guess what…doesn’t play all games…wtf…i’ve given plenty of money along with many other to play these games legally (not mod my ps and d/l an iso to burn) and they still cut the best feature out in order to save money…save money by closing down copyright support and shit like that and give me what i pay for a great system that and i quote (DOES IT ALLLLL)…isn’t that there sales pitch?????
WHY would anyone with at least half a brain go so far and pay so much to play ps2 games by buying ps3s if your going crazy trying to play ps2 games buy a ps2 dont buy 10 ps3s in the procsess i haven’t got rid of my ps2 yet when i upgraded 2 ps3 i kept it around so if there ever comes a time when i choose a ps2 game over a ps3 game which has not yet to come i can just switch my slim model and put my ps2 without any wire hassle
guys i think its time we give darkalex a call about this problem, he did make firmware for new games and psn and probaly even windows os for ps3
he did a dam good job of the psp his hacks makes my psp look like a peice of heaven
Hey, I’m thinking about getting one of the new (and much more affordable) SLIM PS3s but if I can’t install Linux on it and take advantage of those fancy cores then it’s just an expensive paper weight to me.
Has anyone gotten Linux working on the PS3 SLIM yet?
well it is possible to install linux on the ps3 system, the ps3 has a certain type of linux which allows the ps3 not to be fucked up, all u need is cfw and a mod chip to sodder ito the console tht will allow you to mod your ps3 in anyway, even install linux on it