PS3 as Linux rom box?

[thirdkind]

So I was reading an article about installing Ubuntu on the PS3 today, and it got me thinking about my current side project of building a dedicated rom box. I have a proof of concept up and running in the form of an old laptop running XP outputting 640x480@60Hz on a nice 21" Hitachi CRT I've had in storage for years. Looks fantastic. Unfortunately, the old lappy spins up its cooling fans after ten seconds of gaming and completely shuts down after about five minutes, so I need to build/buy something (please don't say an Xbox, not interested).

Back to Ubuntu...the PS3 can run Linux. Why not run emulators on Linux with the PS3? Is the PS3 powerful enough? Are Linux emulators compiled for the PPC architecture good enough to make all this worth it?

I also need to tackle the video output since the PS3 doesn't output VGA natively. I looked at component > RGB transcoders at first, but then found this bad boy, which is a combination HDCP stripper/HDMI > VGA converter typically used by home theater enthusiasts who want to watch Blu-ray movies at full resolution but refuse to give up their monster CRT projectors. It should yield considerably better results I would think.

So what's the state of emulation on Linux? I'm primarily looking at older consoles right now (Genesis and SNES to start). The plan is to run the PS3 at 640x480@60Hz like I'm doing now to get a perfect double of the original 320x240 source and feed it into the CRT using the adapter.

Crazy? Should I just build a cheap Windows box (I have a nice Lian Li case and DVD-ROM drive already) and avoid the hassle? Keep in mind I'm not a Linux guy, but I have Ubuntu running as a VM on my Mac and it seems fairly easy to use.

 

[Mithos]

The PS3 can run roms and as far as I know they run just fine. Though if you're gonna run Linux on your PS3 I'd run Yellowdog since it's made specifically for the PS3. But, yeah it probably would be cheaper and easier to use an old PC than to fool around with getting roms onto the PS3 and such...

 

[thirdkind]

Thanks for the tip on Yellow Dog.

I watched a few YouTube videos last night of some guy running every emulator in existence on his PS3. Seems like it all runs fairly well and he put together this guide to installing Linux on the PS3, which looks a bit complicated for someone who isn't fluent in Linux.

I don't want to give up on it just because I'm a GUI retard who's used to OS X and XP. Could be a cool project. However, the $150 I spend on that HDMI > VGA adapter could pay for my rom box parts easily (mobo with onboard A/V, CPU, and RAM). Maybe I'll go ahead with that and install Linux on my PS3 as something to screw around with for now.

 

[BigTinz]

I've wanted to do this for a while now, thanks for linking to that guide...it seems to cover everything.

 

[kernow]

A modded xbox is better, seriously.

http://www.arcadeotaku.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2526&p=29510

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=93561

 

[payment_due]

Just get yourself a modded xbox, or build a small pc and put it in one of those shuttle pc cases.

 

[thirdkind]

or build a small pc and put it in one of those shuttle pc cases.

That's the plan at this point. Motherboards with onboard A/V good enough to run emulators are cheap as hell. I already have a Lian Li case, so I'm covered there.

Don't want to go the Xbox route. No native VGA and I want to hook this up to that bigass CRT, that's kind of the point of the whole project. I used to have a modded Xbox and I hated the way emulators looked on my 1080p plasma.

Thanks for your advice everyone.