Did you know that under the hood of your PS3 there are 8 (yes, eight) CPU cores that power your console? While home computers still languish in the dual-core realm, Sony has made a big step forward when it comes to technology. So why not harness all this processing power and turn our humble PS3 into a “supercomputer”? Previously this was impossible and we had to have the disdain of leaving our console playing First Person Shooters all day. Today, however, Sony has allowed Linux platforms to be installed on the PS3, turning its game console into a fully functional home computer.
However, before launching into installing Linux on your PS3, there are a few things to keep in mind. Like the infamous PSP or iPhone, you can “lock” your PS3 if you’re not careful. Here are some tips for installing Linux on a PS3.
1: One of the most important overlooked points during installation is that the game controllers will not work during the Linux installation process. It really sucks to be in the middle of the installation, but I have no way to complete it. Make sure you have a regular USB keyboard and mouse connected to your PS3 during installation. After installation, you still won’t be able to use your PS3 controller on Linux platform, but you will be able to use it as usual on PlayStation OS.
2: Make sure if there is anything on your PlayStation hard drive that you want to keep, you have a full backup. When you install Linux, you will be forced to create a new partition on your hard drive. To do this, you will need to erase all existing data to essentially start from scratch. Any data that is on the hard drive at the time of installation will be lost forever. I can’t stress this enough! Make a backup of all your data!
3: Closely related to the previous one. When backing up, make sure it’s on something like a large USB stick or even an iPod. (I’ve heard of people using their 40GB iPods solely for backup drives.) Not only will your data be lost when you try to install Linux. If Linux fills up completely and you can’t install it, you’ll want to get all your old data back as easy as possible.
4: Make sure you choose the correct version of Linux for you and your PS3. Not all Linux distributions can run on the PS3, and all must be ported to take full advantage of the 8 CPU cores. At the time of writing, only Ubuntu and Yellow Dog are available for installation on the console. You can use distributions like Fedora, but they are not fully compatible with the PS3 hardware and only cause headaches.
If you follow the tips above, you should have an easy installation. It may seem overwhelming at first, but once you’ve got your prep ready, it’s just a matter of inserting the disc and following the wizard. Good luck!