Linux on PS5 benchmarked, with PlayStation games impressing on Steam Machine alternative

Some fans anxious for the Valve Steam Machine release date have built their own alternatives. However, a recent development has made a console already in living rooms an option. An exploit shared by Andy Nguyen enables gamers to run Linux on the PS5. Digital Foundry conducted benchmarks of PlayStation games to compare their performance.

Is it worth it to find an old PS5?

There are roadblocks that make the exploit impractical for many users. The system needs firmware version 4.50, released late in 2021, or older, for this approach to work. Digital Foundry was also unable to achieve a higher resolution than 1080p. Nevertheless, on Ubuntu, the site could take advantage of the PS5’s GPU and CPU with few restrictions.

Geekbench 6 found that the boosted CPU mode on Sony’s hardware produced a multi-core score similar to the AMD Ryzen 5 3600. Meanwhile, with Linux on the PS5, the single-core score resembled the results of the Intel Core i7 7700.

To emulate the Steam Machine, the site relied on the Proton compatibility layer to boot Windows titles. The tests chose PlayStation games where detail settings roughly matched presets on gaming PCs. In Black Myth: Wukong, performance was almost identical to the traditional console experience. With boost mode active, frame rates were actually slightly higher.

In the occasionally CPU-heavy Crimson Desert, the PS5 version's performance mode served as the reference point. Once again, with nearly equal frame rates, the Linux exploit might fool players into thinking it's an untouched console. On the other hand, Pragmata, recently tested by Notebookcheck, highlighted some drawbacks of the hack.

Linux on PS5 exploit isn't perfect

At first, the Capcom title impressed like the other candidates. Unfortunately, once progressing past the opening level, Digital Foundry began seeing stutters. They attribute the struggles to not being able to use all of the system’s unified memory. That may be more of an issue with Sony’s first-party PC ports, which often maximize the hardware’s capabilities.

While this Steam Machine competitor has drawbacks, it shows the increasing versatility of Linux. On Sony’s console, players can run modern PC games, with PS3 emulators like RPCS3 expanding that catalog.