PS3 running... Windows?

By now you've no doubt heard about (or possibly even attempted) installing PowerPC builds of Linux on your PlayStation 3, namely Yellow Dog and Fedora. Well, it would appear some clever devil in Japan has managed to shoehorn QEMU (a virtual machine and processor emulator) onto the PS3 as well, resulting in a rather sluggish but no less functional version of PlayStation 3 Windows. Oh, and just in case you're feeling a bit skeptical today, at about 15:00 is where dude boots out of Linux and back into the the PS3 XMB (not that that really proves anything).

[Thanks, Stafford]

[kadajawi @ Nov 25th 2006 1:52PM]

The windows part, yes. But that would probably be independant from the PS3 OS, so it won't affect games.

I would prefer to see OS X running on the PS3... if it does, and runs very fine and fast... mhh... might get a PS3 then too... :D

[shirizaki @ Nov 26th 2006 12:11PM]

The PS3 can, but the system files would be affected. Since it isn't an install and just a VM, it won't affect your PS3 saves. It might corrupt the HD partition, but that can easily be formatted.

[shirizaki @ Nov 26th 2006 12:11PM]

The PS3 can, but the system files would be affected. Since it isn't an install and just a VM, it won't affect your PS3 saves. It might corrupt the HD partition, but that can easily be formatted.

[Jshw @ Nov 26th 2006 4:54AM]

"What's up with that last sentence? You people at Engadget are consistently bad at sentence structure."

Should be - What's up with that last sentence? You people at Engadget are consistently bad at structuring sentences...

I had to mention it...

[......... @ May 23rd 2008 9:02PM]

Other than all the "we did it" exitement, it's really rediculous to do this. "Emulators" are really slow on fast computers. It would be better to run a virtualizer like VBox or VMware.

The PS3 has a 1/4 gig of ram and a good processor. Just not good for linux. This is like comparing an Intel CPU to an ATI graphics card. There's not really anything to compare.

If you really want to see "windows" on the ps3, you should download one of the PPC ports of ReactOS (which don't actually exist yet...soon...)

That's what I love to see.

Now, it would make more sense to run Windows 98 in a virtual enviornment. Or run a native PPC OS. That's what I'd love to see. Look into ReactOS, with an otheros.bld, it could be even more important than Linux - the best PC games on your ps3, at decent speeds.

Although, the non-native OS on a PS3, for whatever reason, doesn't get to use hardware-accelerated graphics, so games would actually suck. That's the little hint of MS in Sony. They want you to game with their OS, not yours ;)

The best solution for gaming is...use the ps3 normally. That's what the whole point of the console is, right?

[true_blue309 @ Mar 13th 2009 7:19PM]

Is there another OS that will run on PS3 like Mac OS for example? One that will allow speed and visuals to remain un hampered and not compromise the integrity of the game settings on the PS3??
Any help really appreciated.thanks.
Joe.

[PreGHz @ Nov 25th 2006 1:40PM]

Another system joins the Windows masses.

Another system soon succumbs to spyware and worms.

[TheWakeUpCall @ Nov 25th 2006 2:14PM]

I've never had spyware, worms, viruses or anything like that on my PC.

[PeteC @ Nov 25th 2006 2:32PM]

You missed out saying "first post", Otherwise that is exactly what i expected to read in the first post about this article! So predictable.

[Ahlfs @ Oct 30th 2007 1:56AM]

Windows NT 4.0 Runs great on my PS3, Its alot like windows 95 but made to run on the PowerPC.

[MASA @ Nov 25th 2006 1:41PM]

Cool, halo on the ps3. When is the black friday winners going to be announced?

[xVariable @ Nov 25th 2006 1:55PM]

There's hardly reason to be skeptical. This is just QEMU, an emulator, running Windows XP. Now if someone can just steal the Windows source and compile it for the Cell, THAT would be a gas. :p

[Andir3.0 @ Nov 25th 2006 2:00PM]

It won't happen anyway, they'd have to re-write the kernel to work with the Cell (Power-PC, aka non-x86) architecture, and even then, you'd have to clean up the craptastic code to make it better. You'd be better off writing your own OS to play Window's EXEs, but Microsoft would never allow that.

[Chase M. @ Nov 25th 2006 3:46PM]

OS X on PS3 would be the PS3's killer app.

[Deviorian @ Nov 25th 2006 1:59PM]

Are you nuts? What games? Solitare maybe? It`s sooo freaking slow!

[Karl @ Nov 25th 2006 2:11PM]

what, you mean like ReactOS (http://reactos.org) ?

There is a PPC version of ROS in the works. Should be fun.

[Andir3.0 @ Nov 25th 2006 5:44PM]

Very interesting Karl...thanks for that link.

[Carlos @ Nov 25th 2006 7:33PM]

WOW THE PS3 ITS AMAZING!!!

[TheWakeUpCall @ Nov 25th 2006 2:13PM]

Yes, i would rather see OS X hacked onto the PS3. That MUST happen soon. Windows, it's believable as there are emulators for linux.

[Thai Luong @ Nov 25th 2006 2:39PM]

Some people live their whole lives without realizing that they do.

;)

[Steve Ehrenberg @ Nov 25th 2006 2:31PM]

Can anyone tell me if the PS3 really boots up linux that slow?? It seemed to take forever. My AthonXP 2800+ boots into linux quite briskly. I can understand that Qemu needs to emulate an x86 system, so it makes sense that windows would be slow, but I thought these version's of Linux that were availiable to install were somewhat compiled for the PS3. I would only call shenanegans for that reason only. It appeared like it was running on a Pentium 3 or something.

[PreGHz @ Nov 25th 2006 2:40PM]

Dude, my bad. I'll remember to next time. :)

[Chris Chance @ Nov 25th 2006 2:52PM]

Running qemu and xp is just about as ignorany and stupid as running linux on the ps3... the damn ps3 runs the cell a crappy inefficient processor when it comes to general computing... so why the hell even do it ...

i mean beyond the "we did it" motif... i mean this is about as generally useful as say... ipod linux

[Chris Chance @ Nov 25th 2006 2:52PM]

as a note the ps3's processor when compared to a pentium would probably compair to that of a p3... but the fact its a in order executive processor actually places it in the runnings feature wise with a pentium 1 actually... sorry but its true. The ps3 is designed for stream based computing to the spe's not for general processing end of story.

[Wayne @ Nov 25th 2006 9:01PM]

Chris, a few companies are building multi-processor HPC systems for commercial and military use. Research has been completed on the viability of the Cell as a processor for general purpose HPC work, either as part of a hybrid system or even as a cell only system. That research found that the Cell was nearly ideal for HPC because of its expected low cost and high computing speed for HPC style work. With a few changes to the processor to speed up 64 bit floating point it would be ideal. If it was as inefficient as you claim there wouldn't be any point. Frankly I'm more likely to believe people who have independently researched the processor and worked with it for several months.

[Matt @ Nov 25th 2006 3:04PM]

Steve:
My impression is that these are just PPC builds of linux in which case they are only using the PPE which is not built for doing much processing but rather managing the SPE's and the base OS. Running a fully featured OS on it really isn't a very good idea.

This whole linux on the PS3 will only be interesting if people manage to take advantage of the SPE's. Though frankly the amount of changes needed makes me skeptical.

[Michael @ Nov 25th 2006 3:51PM]

Take it with some NaCl.

[ark_v2 @ Nov 25th 2006 4:06PM]

Ha, OS X? Vista? WTF!!! Install XGL on Fedora Core or whichever distro you take into the ps3's HDD and pwn them all!

[jdeberhart @ Nov 25th 2006 5:13PM]

I used to have a 486 that would boot linux faster than that!

[Vineet Dixit @ Nov 26th 2006 3:05AM]

awesome. too bad it is slow as sony's shipments of new PS3s...

[RogueStorm @ Nov 25th 2006 6:02PM]

This will be the demise of Sony's domination of the console market, mark my words.

[Scott @ Oct 20th 2008 10:47AM]

Mate how will this be sonys demise? normal ppl buy it to play PS3 games and your complaining bout it no having other OS's?? buy a PC mate

[Ernest @ Nov 28th 2006 2:20AM]

Can PS3 really run Windows? Does the PS3 come Windows Pre-Installed? and; Is it compatible to install the new Windows Vista on PS3?

[LinuxReuben @ Aug 27th 2007 7:12PM]

the ps3 DOES not come with linux or windows so u have to install both . Yes , if u make a linux swap partition big enough u can install winxp , but vista is a different story ( although it MIGHT work).The reason fedora is slow on the ps3 is becuase fedora core is REALLY ram hungry , 512+ ram is ideal to run fedora core especially if u use gnome or kde . By the way , making a large swap partition would r-e-a-l-l-y help increase proformance of any linux system .