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New generation consoles like the PS4 and the Xbox One are known to have desktop PC components. Slashgear called them 'special purpose PC's fine-tuned for gaming'.

As with all PC's, the PS4 is basically a challenge for modders and hackers. One hacker, under the pseudonym OsirisX, was able to hack into a PS4 and install a different operating system, Linux, on the console. The modder was also able to run SteamOS games on the console. OsirisX used ARCH Linux, according to the description on his Youtube video below.

The PS4 is a powerful machine, with its 8GB RAM and multiple CPU cores, but introducing another OS has caused it to slow down. Booting up the system and loading up Linux took two whole minutes, plus another two minutes to get the SteamOS up and running on the machine.

OsirisX has shown how SteamOS runs on the PS4, running popular indie action-role playing game Bastion during his demonstration. The game runs smoothly on the hacked console, but it was hardly a stress test on the system as Bastion does not particularly have high-level graphics.

Valuewalk said that while the mod is impressive, the hack is something that cannot be used everyday. Slashgear, on the other hand, wanted to see if it can withstand more resource hungry games like X-Com or Civilization 5.

It was not the first time that someone was able to hack a PS4 and install Linux. Hacking group 'fail0verflow', which was also known for their PS3, Wii and Wii U hacks and is popular in the homebrew community, has done this feat earlier this year, as reported by ExtremeTech. At that time, the group said that running SteamOS on a hacked PS4 is inevitable, and was proven recently by OsirisX's success.

Running a SteamOS on a console is most appealing, and if people know their stuff, they should be able to turn their PS4's into a mean Steam Machine. However, it is still recommended to just build your own PC.

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