An enthusiast launched GTA V with ray tracing on PlayStation 5 running Linux

Developer Andy Nguyen made a real breakthrough by installing a Linux operating system on a Sony console and converting it into a fully-fledged gaming PC. To demonstrate the capabilities, he launched GTA V Enhanced at 1440p and 60 FPS with ray tracing enabled.

Nguyen managed to not only boot the alternative OS on the console, but also get all key components working correctly: audio and 4K video streaming via HDMI worked flawlessly, and all USB ports were also functional. At default settings, the console's chipset operates at 3.2 GHz, and the graphics chip at 2.0 GHz. Attempting to increase the settings to 3.5 and 2.23 GHz, respectively, resulted in his PS5 Slim immediately overheating.

It's important to note that this experiment does not constitute mass hacking of consoles. Installing Linux required a full exploit chain, and this trick is impossible to replicate on any modern device. Nguyen exploited the Byepervisor vulnerability, which only works with PS5 firmware versions 1.xx to 2.xx, meaning it requires an older, unpatched console.

The developer has already submitted a request to the Mesa project to enable PlayStation 5 GPU support, which could potentially simplify running Linux on the console. It's worth noting that PS5 components aren't particularly hard to obtain: AMD previously sold BC-250 mining boards based on defective chips from Sony's console, and they worked without any modifications.