ps3 ubuntu linux

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I fully intend to publish here the complete, step-by-step procedure that you can follow in order to get Ubuntu Linux up and running on your PS3.

However, I’m afraid it’s going to take me some time to write down the whole process and post it here.

If you’re not in a rush on this, please stay tuned for updates that I aim to post here over the next few weeks. In case you need to get on with this (much) faster, and don’t mind shelling out about $30, I suggest you check out this package called: Linux for PS3 Installer.

While I’ve not actually used it (simply because I’d already done the whole thing the hard way long before I came to know of the existance of this product), based on my study of it’s web site, I do think it will do the trick for you – and save you a few hours of your time too!

You can check out the Linux for PS3 Installer here.

Here are the basic items you need if you wish to install Linux on your PS3:

1. A Linux Installer CD and
2. A PS3 Console
3. A (spare) set of USB Keyboard and Mouse

Since you found my blog and you’re reading it, I assume you already have the item #2 and #3 listed above.

Moving, therefore, on to item #1, I strongly recommand that you go with Ubuntu Linux 9.04 – I’ve personally installed it on my PS3 early this month (I was using Ubuntu 8.xx earlier) – and I can swear by the fact that once everything is setup, it works quite well. As a matter of fact, I had to face, and struggle with, some glitches in terms of getting everything up and running and I’ll try my best to save you from facing the same problems.

If my experiences (or rather, mis-adventures) with installation of Linux on my PS3 are anything to go by, one of the biggest problems with this is finding a reliable version. I’ve really lost count of how many different versions I downloaded over the past few months, how many CDs I wasted, and worst of all, how many hours I spent trying to install dud versions, only to find that they don’t work in the end.

In order to save you the trouble of finding the right version, I have uploaded a copy of the working Ubuntu 9.04 image file on my blog and you can download it here. (600 megs+ so it can take a while to download, depending on what sort of connection you have – it typically takes about 5 hours for me, on my DSL connection.)

I know I need a better photograph (coming soon), but there is the default Ubuntu 9.04 login prompt on my PS3 (console on the right)