X-server for PS2

PineGreen writes: "Alllinuxdevices.com has a story today about Metrolink porting their Micro-X server to Playstation2. Sony still refuses to sell their Linux kit outside Japan, and the Blockman Trading version works on PSOne only. Now, when will I have an excuse to buy a PS2?"

Comments

Problems with the PS2 linux...

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been reading about the PS2 Linux on some Japanese sites and find the whole thing leaving a bad taste in my mouth. This version on Linux is not free (as in freedom) as you think. 1) First and foremost you have to sign a Non-Discosure agreement when you purchase the system. Because the PS2 is a closed system, Sony will like to keep it that way. 2) You have no access to the CD/DVD-ROM, firmware drivers, or bootsystem. Making a stand-alone app is impossable. 3) Anything that uses sound/graphics/BIOS routines but be done through a closed source staticly-linked lib. It is illigal to redistibute this. 4) The system requres a boot CD-ROM which you also cannot redistibute. 5) The video out reqires a moniter that can use video sync pulses only from the green channel. The PS2 does not use a normal RGB out as it will cause the DVD Macrovision not to work. 6) Odds are Sony will not release this in America beacuse America is too friendly to hackers that like to reverse-engineer things. (Sony v. Bleem & Sony v. Connectix)

Re:Problems with the PS2 linux...

[Caballero]

1) I don't know if they're making you sign an NDA. I've been allowed to talk about the unit at this point.

2) Yes, you are correct. You can not make a stand alone app. They only allow their CD/DVDs to work. You have no access to firmware and boot. This is Sony's bread and butter and they do want to protect it. If you can make a stand alone app you don't have to pay them royaltees. Royaltees are how they make money. Good or bad, that's how it works.

3) That's not correct. You get full system/programming documentation and get direct access to the sound and graphics. You get very low level libraries, so it isn't very friendly but you can do it. If I recall correctly nothing is statically linked.

4) Yep. Again, this goes back to #2.

5) Yes, it uses sync-on-green. That used to be a standard. It's not really a protection scheme. In fact, I suspect they just don't have enough lines to put the sync anywhere else.

6) Sony is looking at releasing it in the US. I have no information on how that's going. My guess is that it went over well enough in Japan that they'll do it here. If they were worried about hacking they wouldn't have released it in japan.

Re:Why dont they sell outside of japan?

[VFVTHUNTER]

The Japanese version does not come with a hard drive. The Linux Kit includes a combo hard drive/ethernet, mouse, keyboard, video/audio adapter, and Linux DVD.

The main difference between the Jap version is that everything is in Japanese. The other big thing is that some Jap versions come with a Type III PCMCIA slot, which Sony had scrapped in favor of some proprietary interface long before the PS2 began selling in the US.

Er, no you can't.

[oGMo]

The PS2 has a 256-bit pipeline, a specialized graphics CPU, and basically enough bandwidth to make your PC look like a gameboy. You could "cobble together" one of these as a Linux workstation for $500 ($300 PS2, $200 linux kit, including hdd, eth, Linux, X, GL and everything you need to program it, including the bare specialized hardware... and that's before any rumored price drop). The system would rival a SGI workstation for realtime graphics processing power. For $500. (Of course, you need to throw in some software, but you need to do that with the SGI's, too.) You could barely buy a GeForce3 for that. The PC solution would cost at least a grand, and wouldn't be nearly as powerful.

Sony is already making high end boxes using 8x of the CPUs in a PS2. Licensing the CPU technology. Just think of the PS2 + Linux as the "low end" graphics workstation, perfect for hobbiests, small businesses, etc.

It's not a toy by any means. Just because they market it to play games, doesn't mean there's not some serious technology in this box.

Re:They are targeting set tops, etc.

[Caballero]

Sorry, you don't have to buy the X server. It comes with XFree 3.3.6. I should know. I've got a japanese playstation running Linux in my bedroom. Any other questions?

Re:Why?

[GMC-jimmy]

Not everything has to `make sense`.

Sometimes it`s just out of fun.

Another thing on my wish-list is a Linux based PDA.

Re:Excuse

[bonzoesc]

SSX is fun, but I'm more of a Tony Hawk person. And I watched the first bit of the MGS2 demo at a friend's house, but I wasn't extremely impressed. You can't go wrong with giant fighting robots, though. I think 50% of the current PS2 offerings are about giant fighting robots.

Sony's Linux Comes with XFree 3.3.6

[Caballero]

There seems to be some real confusion here. The Sony PS2 Linux comes with XFree 3.3.6 running on their hardware.

Metrolink is selling their Micro-X product. That's based on XFree 4.0 and runs in a much smaller footprint. You don't need it, but with the memory limits of the PS2 it's not a bad idea.

I've got a Japanese PS2 running Linux, so if people have questions, maybe I should do a more complete piece on Slashdot. I did a presentation for my local users group not long ago that could be adapted.

Re:PS2 for...what?

[GMC-jimmy]

When I was in highschool, we took an old `76 Pinto, and modified it to hold a V-8, and worked it into a... well, sort of a hotrod.. which is where I first learn to work on my own car.

The rest of the students and I had a blast watching that old car take the 1/4 mile in just over 12 seconds.

Now think of all the fun and education I would`ve missed out on, if we had just stuck with using that car for what it was `made for`.


Be different.
Have fun.
Enjoy life.

Re:Why?

[VFVTHUNTER]

As a simple example, consider LAN parties. Instead of having to lug around a minitower, you can simply bring your small PS2, running linux and all versions of Quake. Plus, it's got tons of graphics computing power. And Sony even sells really nice backpacks to hold the box. So load your computer into your backpack, put your LCD in one hand, and off you go.

And when everyone is bored from getting fragged, you can play GT3 ;-)

For the home entertainment enthusiasts, having Linux on the PS2 means they can browse the web from their TV without having to A) get up and go to their computer or B) have a computer in their home entertainment center.

Sony's still mapping the interest for Linux

[sph]

Since Slashdot rejected my submission several days ago, I have to remind that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is now mapping the interest for PS2-Linux release in Europe, Australia and other SCEE regions as well. Also the interest registration for the US (which was noted by Slashdot here) is still up and running.

So if you want to see Linux on PS2 outside Japan, do your share and register here for European version or here for American version. And remember, this is only to see if there's interest, so the registrations don't commit either side to anything.