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from the imagine-a-beowulf-cluster...oh-never-mind! dept.
Liliputing reports
Hacker group fail0verflow recently showed off a PlayStation 4 running Linux[1] at the Console Hacking 2015 conference, marking the first time someone has managed to install a full-blown, desktop operating system on the game console.
Although others have tinkered with the PS4 in the past, including a Brazilian hacker group that used a Raspberry Pi to break into Sony's Orbis operating system, fail0verflow is the first group to successfully install a full version of Linux on the PS4.
Sony's flagship gaming console has had a tumultuous relationship with the DIY community. The third-generation PlayStation came stock with "OtherOS", which was a feature that allowed users to upload Linux to the operating system, which the company eventually removed.
The PS4 has been much less hacker-friendly in the 2 years since the console launched... at least until now. Fail0verflow took advantage of an exploit found by another hacker earlier this year, which allowed them to get around Sony's content protections.
They fiddled with a WebKit bug discovered by the programmer to trick the browser into freeing the processes from the core of the operating system. This hack essentially turns the PS4 into a fully operational PC.
[...] The group noted that some of the differences between the PS4 operating system and a PC are "crazy" and some are "batshit crazy". Oh, and the Marvell Tech engineers that designed the PS4's southbridge chip were "smoking some really good stuff".
[1] The nugget is an embedded video in an iframe, apparently. Link to the video
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 03 2016, @11:57AM
"If Sony would just open up the hardware entirely, release specs and APIs, everything they could legally do, would their sales go up or down?"
It would change into the standard PC market. Is this good or bad? Let's take a look.
1. Gaming PC hardware beats the shit out of the PS4 already. You're not likely going to get new people buying PS4 hardware/software if they're serious gamers.
2. Their traditional market WILL be affected - it WILL go down. Believe it or not there are people out there that only consider buying shit if there's absolutely no way to get it otherwise. "If it's free why pay for it." A fully opened system would be hackable to let people download and play PS4 games rather thtn spending 80+ bucks for the core game plus another 5-200 dollars worth of DLC. Even if a person was willing to pay the 80 bucks for the base game, you will have a MUCH harder time selling the DLC when people will start making and releasing their own mods/additions to games.
3. An open PS4 would mean Sony would have no way to force devs/publishers to pay their licensing fees to release games on the PS4. This might, or might not, cause a drop from the 80 dollar price tag - as pubs/devs can always just keep the excess cash for themselves. And as we've seen with digital releases which have far less costs associated with them... the bar won't be coming down so to speak. Either way, Sony themselves will be making less money from the loss of all licensing fees. They'll also lose control over what can or can not be released on the system resulting in...
4. ... introduction of malware/viruses/trojans/etc on the platform. This makes it as "secure" (or lack thereof) as a normal PC, making people wonder why they're bothering with the hardware instead of getting a stronger, upgradable PC.
So as you can see, I think your idea is off the mark. Additionally less full fledged software will be released on the hardware when it's opened up as the only reason publishers add a lot of money to their development costs to make console ports is because the console is a walled garden with low to no piracy. Even if that's a fantasy thought up in people's minds, that fantasy will go to the CEOs and more importantly the shareholders, who will prevent any development on the hardware because they will believe the incorrect assumption that 1 pirated download = 1 definite loss of sale.