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PlayStation 2 Linux Kit Reduced To $99

Posted by simoniker on from the penguin-slashing dept.

SyniK writes "After buying a PS2 Network Adapter 2 days ago and trying some unofficial media players, turns out I'll be getting a second adapter because the PlayStation 2 Linux kit is now $99 - half of its former price. The kits, which include an internal 40 GB hard drive, a Network Adapter, a monitor cable, a USB keyboard and Linux on 2 DVD-ROMs, are now 'slightly limited edition' as they will not be replenished in the future."

41 comments

  1. If they're discontinuing these... by benjamindees · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Maybe they could just sell the software and some enterprising hacker could put together the rest of the (necessary) parts?

    I wonder if Sony would mind enough not to DMCA them into oblivion?

    --
    "I assumed blithely that there were no elves out there in the darkness"
    1. Re:If they're discontinuing these... by torpor · · Score: 2, Interesting

      the IDE disks need to be modified, somehow, to work on the PS2...

      some ps2 hacker please correct me, but other than that, I think it would be pretty easy to put together a free linuxPS2 kit, now with xRhino about?

      --
      ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
  2. In light of FFXI... by Qzukk · · Score: 1

    will there be a version of this without the network adapter and harddrive, or a version of FFXI without it?

    --
    If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    1. Re:In light of FFXI... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Not sure what you are asking really. My guess is can you get just the linux software w/o the HD and network adapter. The HD is formated for use only with linux so it would be useless for use with FF XI. So the HD for FF XI and Linux are muttually exclusive...so you would either need two PS2s with a HD for each "game". Or you would have to constantly swap drives. Hope that helps. Cheers.

    2. Re:In light of FFXI... by SyniK · · Score: 4, Informative

      I doubt they will "unbundle" it. It's been out for a while and it seems like they have no intention of selling the individal components. They want to make sure whoever buys it can use Linux immediately (assuming they have a PS2 and memeory card).

      Here's the link to the PS2 Linux FAQ discussing the HD and other games: PS2 Linux FAQ
      IMHO, I think the HD will work for FFXI, but either PS2 Linux or FFXI at a time (requiring a format in between). Will we ever see FFXI without a harddrive? I dunno.

      --
      -Tom
    3. Re:In light of FFXI... by suyashs · · Score: 1

      Do you think there will be a way to partition a retail hard drive unit so that I can load Linux on 1 partition and play FFXI on another? I am seriously considering getting the Linux kit only though since I am more intrested in streaming video to my TV rather than playing FFXI and I am sure that the retail hard drive won't ship with a network media player of any sort...perhaps an MP3 ripper but no VLC like software.

      --
      http://chrono.posterous.com/
  3. A Real Solution? by trans_err · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does playstation-linux offer a real desktop solution, or is it simply a fun hobbiest toy? And secondly do the graphics chips actually recieve full support while booted under linux, thus is PC gaming (ignoring the obvious ARCH difference) even possible? All that aside I wouldnt mind burning $99 on such a kit- sounds like a lot of fun, but I want some peace of mind that after I'm bored hacking I can turn it into a media station or something of some practical use.

    --

    transmission_err

    1. Re:A Real Solution? by lvdrproject · · Score: 4, Informative
      Definitely more of a fun hobbiest toy. The PS2 is about (or is about equivalent to) a 200-MHz system, so it's not exactly what you'd call blazing. You can't do a whole lot of desk-top stuff on it without getting pretty annoyed pretty quick. (The Browser Formerly Known As) Firebird takes a full minute to load up on my PS2.

      As far as 'full support' goes, i'm not quite sure what you mean, or really how to answer what i think you mean. The graphics chips are about as fully supported as they can get, but the thing about PS2 Linux is that everything runs on top of Sony's run-time environment. That is to say, you can't program an actual game using Linux that runs on the PS2. You can program a game that runs on Linux, which runs on top of the RTE, which runs on the PS2. Other than that, though, it's pretty much open to whatever.

      That said, i think i wish i'd waited for the price to drop. I haven't really done much of anything with my Linux kit. In fact, the part i love the most about it is the mouse and keyboard. Best mouse and keyboard ever. <3

    2. Re:A Real Solution? by jabberjaw · · Score: 1

      From what I gather it is more of a hobbiest toy. Yet if you are interested in game development, word is that this is a good way to get your feet wet.

    3. Re:A Real Solution? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I agree with the parent. The linux kit is neat and all but not all that great. One thing that is kind of interesting is that it comes with the majority of the hardware docs that the "real" ps2 developers get.

      As an somewhat ironic aside, Since the keyboard that came with my ps2 linux kit is the only usb keyboard I have available, I use it as the input devices for my xbox running linux. now I need to get a Gamecube LCD hooked up to make the set complete :)

    4. Re:A Real Solution? by wed128 · · Score: 1

      to add to the miriad of questions...after being linuxified, does it still play PS2 games?

    5. Re:A Real Solution? by SyniK · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yes. (Reboot out of Linux and boot a normal game.) PS2 Linux FAQ - Can I Play PS2 Games under Linux?
      It takes some memory card space and installs itself to the included harddrive. Other than that, it doesn't change the PS2 at all.

      --
      -Tom
    6. Re:A Real Solution? by qoa · · Score: 1

      There's some technical information on the PS2 here.

      --
      Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
  4. Go get it by Kris_J · · Score: 4, Informative

    I paid full price for the PS2 Linux kit and even though I don't boot to Linux all that often, it's great to have a 40Gig network device I can boot when I want. I've got Mozilla, xmms, moria and a bunch of other stuff on it. It holds my music collection backup (sure, I could re-rip it, but there's a lot of tagging work in my collection) and if I feel so inclined I can use it as a great music player. xmms even has a joystick plug-in and my DVD remote can be used to play/pause, FF, etc.

  5. It comes with a mouse by servicepack158 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It comes with a USB mouse that connects to the keyboard also.

    I'm the sucker who bought it for $200 when i came out a long time ago.

    It's pretty cool, but the Ps2 only has 32MB ram so it sucks as a desktop. You could use it to check your emails on tv, but you would have to swap the video cable and the memory card (which acts as a boot disk) to play a game on it.

    I honestly haven't touched it since i got it, it provided a week of entertainment.

    1. Re:It comes with a mouse by SyniK · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Did you code on it at all? I'm sure it sucks as a desktop, but using it to play around with a (decently) powerful embeded device might be kinda fun. Either way, mine is on the way :).

      --
      -Tom
    2. Re:It comes with a mouse by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 2, Informative

      > It's pretty cool, but the Ps2 only has 32MB ram

      You mean 32 megs of main ram. It has 40 megs total, including VRAM, SPU, and IOP memory.

    3. Re:It comes with a mouse by Kris_J · · Score: 1
      but you would have to swap the video cable and the memory card (which acts as a boot disk) to play a game on it.
      This is not the case. You can run Linux in PAL or NTSC mode using a normal (I use S-Video) cable. Also, you don't need to swap the memory card, just put another one in the second slot. Actually, after Linux is installed there's still room on the card for savegames, it's just that they all get erased during the initial install.

      I don't play (commericial) games on my PS2 anymore. It's either my DVD player or I boot to Linux. I've got about a dozen games, but I haven't bought a PS2 game for probably as much as a year.

  6. Is this a US only deal? by happyhippy · · Score: 1

    Coz on the Europe site its still about 135 euros.

    1. Re:Is this a US only deal? by happyhippy · · Score: 1

      Sorry, please ignore, I just found the new europe price.

  7. Can it help you get into the games market? by happyhippy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Can you write games on it that are comparable to actual PS2 games? Not in complexity but in the same way they are coded in a games company?Ive been thinking of getting one if it can help me get a job as a games programmer. Is it useful at all in this respect?

    1. Re:Can it help you get into the games market? by notamac · · Score: 1

      Your PC is probably better in this respect: PS3 isn't all that far away, and the specs for that are pretty much unknown at this time. Games companies are going to be hiring seasoned PS2 developers for any remaining projects on that platform (why not, there's a bunch out there).

      Besides, there's much more to gaming than knowing how to tweak a shader on any particular chip. Do some stuff in DX9 that looks good (team up with an artist friend if you need to), and submit it all over the place with your CV that shows you know how to code and have some experience doing so.

      If graphics isn't your thing, then script up a game using another engine (mods are a good thing here) - just do something.

    2. Re:Can it help you get into the games market? by happyhippy · · Score: 1
      Thanks notamac. But in the current climate any advantage is a plus, even if its being able to do stuff on the machine.

      One other question, do game companies use the linux kit to make games? Or does the PS2 have a seperate dev kit?

    3. Re:Can it help you get into the games market? by ctid · · Score: 3, Informative
      Yes you can. The kit comes with pdf files which represent six of the seven manuals that a "real" development kit has. A real dev kit has more memory, however.


      You can't create CDs which run in an ordinary PS2, so I think that you can only run games on PS2s which also have the dev kit. But in terms of the code you are writing, I think it is comparable. You should be aware that is is very difficult to get the best out of the PS2 architecture. My feeling is that if you want to impress a would-be employer you should write a complete game using some simpler tools, for example SDL.

      --
      Reality is defined by the maddest person in the room
    4. Re:Can it help you get into the games market? by notamac · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Games companies don't use the Linux kit... they use the (much much much much) more expensive dev kit that lets them get really close to the hardware.

      If you were being hired for a PS2 project now you're unlikely to be the guy that writes the machine specific bits.

    5. Re:Can it help you get into the games market? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seven is a very modest number for the number of manuals shipped with the real dev kit. Try over 50, plus many more documents that cover every undocumented aspect of the PS2.

  8. hard drive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If this hard drive can work with FFXI and other PS2 games then this is a steal.

    1. Re:hard drive by Stubtify · · Score: 1

      why would it be a steal? You'd still have to find FFXI without the harddrive, or else you'd end up buying two harddrives. I guess someone might sell their used game if it turns out to suck.

  9. Re:$0.02 from an AC by SyniK · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I suppose I'm just biased because the Net Yaroze (Playstation 1 hobbyist kit) was $800 and you had to sign your life, first born child, and all code you wrote to Sony to get your hands on it. For $99 you get the hardware and some crippled access to the real DVD drive (use a USB one instead...) -- Seems like a good exchange to me.

    --
    -Tom
  10. Love the Linux kit by wandazulu · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I bought the PS2 Linux kit when it first came out, and ended up selling all of my PS2 games and using it as my primary server on my network. Pretty much everything compiles and runs on it, so I use Samba as a file server and it acts as my front end ftp/web server so I don't have to deal with reassigning IP addresses when I want to make a file availaable (I just use Samba to connect to the remote machine and have a link). As far as straight Linux use, it's pretty nice and speed isn't really a factor as only a couple of people use it at any given time.

    As far as game development, Sony doesn't really go out of their way to tell you how to use it, but you really do have a full PS2 development platform insofar as that you can use GCC to compile code that uses the Emotion engine as well as the gamepads. I wrote a quick little demo of an OpenGL cube that moved based on moving the left joystick in pretty short order.

    It's obviously not a *real* development system in that you are writing stuff that only other people with the Linux system can use. The way I see it, if you wrote some amazing kick-ass game for PS2 Linux, and showed it to enough folks, and created a buzz, perhaps someone at Sony would take notice and go from there. That's the fantasy, anyway.

  11. linux harddrive wont work on FF11 by cyrax777 · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://www.us.playstation.com/peripherals.aspx?id= SCPH-97047 "The hard disk drive formatted for Linux cannot be used with HDD-compatible PlayStation 2 games. Basic understanding of the Linux operating system is strongly recommended for installation and use." so that answeres that question you can still play non HDD games on it thu.

  12. A supercomputing solution by the_ed_dawg · · Score: 1

    Actually, it can be way more than a hobbyist's tool. The University of Illinois has made a supercomputer out of a cluster of them! Laboratory website and press release. 1 GFLOP during matrix multiplication.

    --
    There are two types of people: those prepared for the zombie apocalypse and those who will be eaten.
  13. real PS2 dev kit by obtuse · · Score: 1

    I worked at a games studio a few years ago. The real thing costs around $100,000. I also remember the Playstation (one) dev station that got tossed out because it was an obsolete 486, just running special software that was no longer worth anything.

    --
    Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.
  14. vga cable by shione · · Score: 1

    CAn I use the vga cable that comes with the linux kit to play all my ps2 games on a computer monitor?

    1. Re:vga cable by Moonpie+Madness · · Score: 1

      No offense buddy, but I believe that PS2 games are like 640 by 480 might look better on a blurry TV set. And I don't think you can use the system with a monitor practically. Remember, it boots and operates from a memory card, you have to switch that out to play games.... Anyway, there are better ways to get RCA to VGA. By better I mean cheaper. Run Linux on your home box... novelty is an expensive passion

    2. Re:vga cable by jjsoh · · Score: 1
      No offense buddy, but I believe that PS2 games are like 640 by 480 might look better on a blurry TV set.

      If you've ever owned a Dreamcast and have used the Dreamcast VGA cable to play on your monitor, it was significantly better than on TV in video quality despite only being able to display 640x480 resolution. Unfortunately, not all DC games supported this "high" VGA resolution; usually, only the older games lacked VGA support.

      But going back to the grandparent post, here's the answer which is listed in the FAQ section of PS2 Linux Community site:

      • Can I use the monitor cable with commercial PlayStation 2 games and a monitor ?

        In general, no. The Computer Monitor Cable (for PlayStation 2) (with audio connectors) which is provided in the kit will work with PlayStation 2 software that outputs VESA compatible signals. Currently, there are very few commercial PlayStation 2 games available that output in VESA display modes (varies within territory). Very few games offer alternatives to the TV signal standards NTSC and PAL, which cannot be displayed on most computer monitors.

        The list is growing however, with games such as Socom offering 'progressive scan' options. Some users have been able to play games that support progressive scan options on their monitors. Please note that playstation2-linux.com does not offer customer support in configuring this to work.
  15. And, once again, Sony discriminates Europe. by MarcOiL · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Just go to a currency converter and enter $99. You'll see that it is about 80. But the PS2 Linux Kit will cost 149, which is around $183. All of this before taxes, of course, so it's not because of that.

    So why does the Linux kit cost double in Europe? According to the latest charts, there are more PS2s in Europe than in the USA (remember that, for Sony, Europe includes non-Japan Asia and Africa), yet games are always released later here. Sometimes they are released six months later, and sometimes they are not released at all.

    Piracy, they'll tell you. But maybe we resort to piracy because we don't have other options. I would have never thought of modding my PS2 until I saw that I'd never be able to play some games unless I did so. So I modded it, and now I can play Disgaea. I would have bought it, certainly, but it wasn't released here so I had to download it and patch it to PAL. It was worth it.

    I'd just like an explanation for all these discrimination that made sense, even if it was from a strictly business point of view.

    --
    If I have posted far, it is because I replied to giants.
    1. Re:And, once again, Sony discriminates Europe. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Blah blah blah.

      You know there are plenty of people in the US and Europe that buy Japanese PS2's and import the games at $70-$80 each? Keep in mind that the games in Japan are about 6900 yen or $65 USD not including shipping.

      So stop whining. There are legitimate gamers that have been getting by just fine for years. It costs more, sure, but it costs money. That's part of it!

      Jeesh. Cry me a river.