Watch this YouTuber running Steam on his PS4

[midian182]

Playing PC games on a PlayStation 4 has always seemed like a virtual impossibility, but with Sony and Microsoft switching to x86 architecture for the PS4 and Xbox One, there isn't a huge difference between the new consoles and home computers. Now, a YouTuber called OsirisX has turned fantasy into reality by getting Steam’s Linux client running on his PS4.

OsirisX had to jump through quite a few hoops to achieve this feat. He used a PlayStation 4 running the very old Firmware 1.76 in order to jailbreak it, installed Arch Linux, and used some files from console hacking team "fail0verflow.”

In the video, we see OsirisX browsing his Steam library in Big Picture mode before playing action-RPG Bastion. Other games can also be played, but as the PS4 wasn’t designed for this kind of thing they need to have their graphical settings turned down to run smoothly. Even on an undemanding game like Bastion you can see the occasional stuttering.

The process isn’t possible on consoles running Sony’s current PS4 operating system (3.50), though there are rumors that a new jailbreak for this firmware version is on its way. Sony doesn't make it easy for users to roll-back firmware for security reasons, but Fail0verflow’s files are still available on Github for anyone who wants to give it a try.

While the majority of PS4 owners won't be able to use OsirisX’s process, it’s still pretty amazing to see Steam running on a console, even if it does require a lot of work and the games don’t look that great.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/64932-watch-youtuber-running-steam-ps4.html

 

[Greg S]

Consoles are really just another way to overcharge consumers for the same exact thing that can be had on a desktop for far less. $20-$40 a game on PC vs. $60 on consoles is kind of ridiculous. Steam has sales all the time too, so I think we can all agree paying $60 for a game with tons of DLC is a waste.

 

[oldikes]

Consoles are really just another way to overcharge consumers for the same exact thing that can be had on a desktop for far less. $20-$40 a game on PC vs. $60 on consoles is kind of ridiculous. Steam has sales all the time too, so I think we can all agree paying $60 for a game with tons of DLC is a waste.

Physical copies of console games can be found new for 45-50 on release day now from legit retailers if you look around. games that came out last november are already around for $20-30 new.

Consoles offer something that PCs struggle with - consistency. Its nice to sit down and play games without having to finagle with settings or install driver updates or mess with settings to fix issues. Not that thats always the case (I game on console and PC) but there is a nice difference. Not to mention you cant really build a PC that performs as well as consoles for $300, which is what many xbox and PS4 can be found for now. At least not without getting dangerously cheap PSU and motherboard.

 

[risc32]

Consoles are really just another way to overcharge consumers for the same exact thing that can be had on a desktop for far less. $20-$40 a game on PC vs. $60 on consoles is kind of ridiculous. Steam has sales all the time too, so I think we can all agree paying $60 for a game with tons of DLC is a waste.

Physical copies of console games can be found new for 45-50 on release day now from legit retailers if you look around. games that came out last november are already around for $20-30 new.

Consoles offer something that PCs struggle with - consistency. Its nice to sit down and play games without having to finagle with settings or install driver updates or mess with settings to fix issues. Not that thats always the case (I game on console and PC) but there is a nice difference. Not to mention you cant really build a PC that performs as well as consoles for $300, which is what many xbox and PS4 can be found for now. At least not without getting dangerously cheap PSU and motherboard.

What this guy said. Exactly.
I've been letting my son play a bit of far cry 4 recently. He's been mostly just running around the huge open world hunting animals and having a good time. I thought, this is really cool and it's a bit of a shame that there isn't a pg or pg-13 type setting for games. I mean, it's beautiful and huge with many things to do and explore, it's just a shame that younger kids (with parents that aren't twits)can't access it. but that's really off topic. Anyway, you see, my computer just started acting funny when it would wake from sleep. This made gaming impossible and most other things very annoying. So I had to delve into it and fix the problem. That sort of monkey business just doesn't happen on consoles. you also don't have to learn about a hundred different graphic options and tweak things. who has time for that stuff anyway? I have to say though, that the ps4 crashes more than any console I've ever owned. it crashes all the time infact. my kids get screen freezes while playing minecraft perhaps every other day of use. granted all it takes is a closing and reloading of the program to get it working fine again, but.......

 

[techsoup]

Consoles are really just another way to overcharge consumers for the same exact thing that can be had on a desktop for far less. $20-$40 a game on PC vs. $60 on consoles is kind of ridiculous. Steam has sales all the time too, so I think we can all agree paying $60 for a game with tons of DLC is a waste.

Well, of course it's not that simple.

You forget that people have to buy a system that can run these games. And I am sorry, but finding a PC for 299 that can run these games equally good, seems like a stretch to me.