PS5 moves closer to becoming a Steam Machine alternative with Bazzite-deck port

Whether Sony likes it or not, it seems like PlayStation 5 will soon become an easy alternative to systems like the Steam Machine, and there might not even be a debate on whether to stick with PC or console. The Linux scene for the PS5 has been advancing rapidly over the last few months, and now Bazzite-deck has just been ported.

This port relies on rmux's PS5 Linux loader, and the best part is that users can run it from an external drive (2TB Samsung T9 external SSD curr. $429.99 on Amazon). That means there won't be any need to wipe out the existing operating system to play Steam games on the console. Of course, the PlayStation 5 does need to be jailbroken for this to work.

Like Bazzite-deck for handhelds like the ROG Ally, this port boots right into Steam Game Mode, and if needed, there's a full KDE desktop available, which can be switched to in a few clicks. Early users are reporting that the developer is pushing constant updates to fix bugs, and one reports that games like Genshin Impact, Palworld, and Rimworld are running well on the modded PS5.

Another nifty trick of this Bazzite-deck port is that it has an optional GPU modification, which unlocks the full 40 CU GPU stack on the standard PS5. To fill you in, there are 40 physical compute units available on the RDNA 2 APU of the console, but Sony enables only 36 of them through the firmware.

However, these extra 4 compute units don't guarantee any meaningful performance upgrades. As a matter of fact, the developer warns against using the option, as it may cause crashes and GPU-related issues.

For those who want to give it a try, the Bazzite-deck port for PS5 is available on GitHub, along with a proper installation guide.