PlayStation 4 Running Linux Can Now Use AMDGPU-PRO With Vulkan

[juno]

b/c you want to praise gaben?
steamos is a crap distribution.

[mitcoes]

IF the PS4 OS adds Vulkan support and if the PS4 game developers use it, THEN it will be very easy to have the same games in GNU/Linux (and OSX and MS WOS, and perhaps XBOX), but that is a big IF. I would like EA (origin) games being ported to Vulkan and GNU/Linux, and they do not plan to, also Blizard and battle.net with Warcraft plus Starcraft is not doing it, so, we will have to wait them to migrate (or not) to Vulkan, to, at least have multi plattform games and even versions of AAA titles able to run in Android TV boxes with lower resolutions. I think that at 404p (16:9) a lot of actual Steam titles would work on the new Nvidia Shield console even better with Vulkan, and perhaps that will be the cheap and good enough Steam Console they did not make with x86 SoCs or CPU GPU combos

[dimko]

AND THIS IS HOW PLAYSTATION BECAME A STEAMBOX, ROFL.

I wonder if PS processor is PC compatible?

[Jumbotron]

From marcan's comments, the PS4 Pro is not supported yet, because the GPU is different and they could not get any driver to work so far.

Which of course begs the question.....what GPU generation does the PS4 Pro AMD APU have as opposed to the non Pro PS4 ?

[Jumbotron]

AND THIS IS HOW PLAYSTATION BECAME A STEAMBOX, ROFL.

I wonder if PS processor is PC compatible?

It's an AMD APU of the Jaguar/Kabini generation. It's actually VERY similar to the AMD APU in the Xbone 1.

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/171375-reverse-engineered-ps4-apu-reveals-the-consoles-real-cpu-and-gpu-specs

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/156273-xbox-720-vs-ps4-vs-pc-how-the-hardware-specs-compare

So yeah....technically since both AMD APUs are x86 chips and indeed the Xbone 1 runs a cut down version of Windows itself, the Playstation processor is PC compatible. In fact, its base OS is FreeBSD based.....the x86 version of FreeBSD that you can run on your PC now.

[Nille_kungen]

AND THIS IS HOW PLAYSTATION BECAME A STEAMBOX, ROFL.

I wonder if PS processor is PC compatible?

Watch the video in this article http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...on-Driver-Mods
It answers your question.

[chithanh]

Which of course begs the question.....what GPU generation does the PS4 Pro AMD APU have as opposed to the non Pro PS4 ?

We don't know whether it corresponds to any. What we know is that it supports double rate FP16, something which is not supported by any current AMD GPU and which is going to come with Vega.

There is also some new GPU instructions available in Pro mode, which seems to indicate a 4th generation GCN design (like Polaris), with some enhancements like the aforementioned double rate FP16.

[nomadewolf]

IF the PS4 OS adds Vulkan support and if the PS4 game developers use it, THEN it will be very easy to have the same games in GNU/Linux (and OSX and MS WOS, and perhaps XBOX), but that is a big IF. I would like EA (origin) games being ported to Vulkan and GNU/Linux, and they do not plan to, also Blizard and battle.net with Warcraft plus Starcraft is not doing it, so, we will have to wait them to migrate (or not) to Vulkan, to, at least have multi plattform games and even versions of AAA titles able to run in Android TV boxes with lower resolutions. I think that at 404p (16:9) a lot of actual Steam titles would work on the new Nvidia Shield console even better with Vulkan, and perhaps that will be the cheap and good enough Steam Console they did not make with x86 SoCs or CPU GPU combos

Plus, we have companies making games in DX12 for Windows and then making OpenGL ports for Linux.
Crazy world...

[mr_tawan]

IF the PS4 OS adds Vulkan support and if the PS4 game developers use it, THEN it will be very easy to have the same games in GNU/Linux (and OSX and MS WOS, and perhaps XBOX), but that is a big IF. I would like EA (origin) games being ported to Vulkan and GNU/Linux, and they do not plan to, also Blizard and battle.net with Warcraft plus Starcraft is not doing it, so, we will have to wait them to migrate (or not) to Vulkan, to, at least have multi plattform games and even versions of AAA titles able to run in Android TV boxes with lower resolutions. I think that at 404p (16:9) a lot of actual Steam titles would work on the new Nvidia Shield console even better with Vulkan, and perhaps that will be the cheap and good enough Steam Console they did not make with x86 SoCs or CPU GPU combos

IMO it would be easier (read: not very easy) if PS4 OS supports Vulkan. Yes Vulkan is industrial standard and cross-platform, but with its extensible nature you might ended up having code that uses extension unavailable in other platforms. Technically speaking you still have to deal with things like audio, input, network, etc. which still have to port over to other platforms.

Personally I think majority of games nowadays uses commercial middleware and/or game engine like Unreal (and many indies with Unity), so that would be irrelevant.

By the way I think the larger road blocks would be 'contents' though. Assets that is made specifically for PS4 might not work so well with other platforms.