Fans of the PS3’s infamous OtherOS feature – which was axed from the console, leading to a class action lawsuit – may be excited to learn there’s now a way to install Linux on your PS5.
We saw footage of boffin Andy Nguyen’s custom installation earlier in the year, where he managed to get GTA 5 running with enhanced ray tracing at 60fps via Ubuntu.
And now he’s shared the installation steps on GitHub, so you can try it out for yourself. While he says there’s no risk to your hardware, obviously approach this with caution if you do decide to give it a go.
The catch is you’ll need a disc-based console running firmware versions 3.xx or 4.xx. There’s no support for the latest 5.xx firmware iterations, or the older 1.xx or 2.xx builds right now.
It’s also worth noting that this is a soft mod, which means it will be wiped with each reboot. Nguyen is working on a way to retain the Linux install in Rest Mode, and says that feature may roll out in the future. For now, though, be aware you’ll need to reinstall the OS each time you power cycle your system.
Output at 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p is supported, but only currently at 60Hz. Again, the dev is looking into expanding support for 30Hz and 120Hz.
Obviously, this is something that will only really primarily appeal to tinkerers, but if you have the requisite hardware – running the right firmware version – and you want to give it a try for yourself, you can find all the information you need on GitHub.
There’s also a Discord available if you require further troubleshooting support.
