Sony's 4th console. Releasing on November 15th, 2013 in North America, the PS4's x86-64 8-core AMD APU, 8GB+256MB (8+1GB on Pro) of RAM, and maximum output resolution of 1080p (4K on Pro) is certainly quite powerful for it's generation. Combining this with a good launch and good games resulted in the PS4 becoming a strong seller, with current figures sitting at 117.2 million units sold. Despite original plans by Sony to discontinue the system in 2021, chip supplies have resulted in Sony reneging on this policy, meaning the PS4 (only the Slim) will remain in production for a few more years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_4

If you have a PS4 Fat or PS4 Pro version check in the little FAQ for more details. This OS is compatible with those PS4s. Read the complete guide please.

This appears to be, as of April 2022, the best solution for Linux on PS4. The only issue is kernel compatibility. While this set of scripts can work on a variety of systems, it appears that later era PS4 Pros are excluded from this, due to chip differences. It is known to work on the CUH-2115B PS4 Slim systems, which appears to be the 1TB Slim.

https://github.com/whitehax0r/ArchLinux-PS4

Whether these emulators support operating systems for these consoles is unknown; it must be looked into further. Consoles without meaningful OSes are not included.

https://consolemods.org/wiki/PS4:Emulators_and_Homebrew_Games

https://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Emulators_on_PS4

Atari Lynx – retroarch, mednafen

Bandai WonderSwan – retroarch, mednafen

NEC TurboGrafx-16 – retroarch, mednafen

Nintendo 64 – retroarch

Nintendo DS - retroarch

Nintendo Game Boy (Color) – Gbemu beta, Cinoop rel, mednafen, retroarch

Nintendo Game Boy Advance – mGBA 1.00 fix, retroarch

Nintendo Entertainment System – retroarch, PS4NES 1.01, PNES rel, FCEUX rel, mednafen

Super Nintendo Entertainment System – SNESStation rel, mednafen

Nintendo Virtual Boy – retroarch, mednafen

Sega Dreamcast – reicast beta 3, retroarch

Sega Genesis – retroarch (PicoDrive, PGEN), mednafen

Sega Saturn – Yabause beta, retroarch

Sega Master System – retroarch, SMSPlus 1.0, PS4GearSystem POC, mednafen

Sony PlayStation 1 – PCSX-R beta 2, mednafen-retroarch

Sony PlayStation Portable - retroarch

This device runs an operating system which is known to emulate various devices with EOPs. See the DOS and MSX pages.

Some recent activity for Fedora, implying that it works on new firmwares.

https://www.psxhax.com/threads/fedora-linux-on-ps4-1-76-with-debug-settings-steam-by-editzz-modz.1779/

https://gbatemp.net/threads/guide-using-an-unwired-playstation-4-controller-in-linux-fedora32.580043/

Etcher has had the highest success rate amongst those I’ve talked to

Image linked is Jan 2020, unsure if more recent images exist. Noted improvement on PS4 Pro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs5Amlbl-TU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmXepUTlAY8

https://www.psxhax.com/threads/installing-ps4-gentoo-linux-on-playstation-4-guide-by-mircoho.7276/

https://medium.com/linuxforeveryone/guide-pc-gaming-on-your-ps4-with-the-power-of-linux-3b0391fb2b2f

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1o5zYErfHAeZnOR1beeN4syeuKW77VDjA

Apparently, the loader only supports firmware up to 7.02. 8(?) and above are in the works. It may even support 9 now, as new exploits were found for that version very recently (14th December 2021)

https://wololo.net/2020/12/24/playstation-4-linux-loader-now-ported-to-fw-7-02-thanks-to-mircoho/

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/12/new-ps4-homebrew-exploit-points-to-similar-ps5-hacks-to-come/

Manjaro?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_L1VAdpR8w

Whether these emulators support operating systems for these computers is unknown; it must be looked into further. Computers without meaningful OSes are not included.

https://consolemods.org/wiki/PS4:Emulators_and_Homebrew_Games

https://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Emulators_on_PS4

Atari 8-bits – retroarch

CHIP-8 – CHIP8 emulator

Commodore 64/128 – retroarch

Commodore PETs - retroarch

Commodore Plus/4 – retroarch

Commodore VIC-20 - retroarch

MSXs – fMSX 1.76, retroarch

x86 – DOSBox 0.74, retroarch

A custom distro tailored for the PS4, with specific drivers and such. More recent, but not the most.

https://pastebin.com/JRs0HJMM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlQlDaJWi8g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d55YZZzx7Ek

Old, and also on 1.76. In theory, this could run on later kernels, if the loader permits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtRbtkCKvBM

For general information, see the Game Console Revisions Overview.

There are three versions of this console, arranged chronologically.

Louder, bulkier, with few extra features, the original PlayStation 4 doesn’t have very much remarkable about it. These consoles featured a two-layer blocky body coming in many colors, (slow) Ethernet and Wi-Fi, optical audio out, plus many other features that are not unique to it. Some of these were also known to have noisy fans, with lower temperatures coming with it. They’re perfectly fine if one already owns it or finds one cheap, but specifically seeking one out provides little benefit.

LOWEST PRICE, RECOMMENDED OVERALL (for EOPs)

Smaller, less expensive, and with a few upgrades, the PS4 Slim is certainly the best model for anyone that wants a new system, because Sony still makes these. When it comes to feature changes, the Slim upgraded the system’s USB ports to USB 3.1, enhanced the network card’s speed capabilities, while shrinking the system down and rounding it out. However, the optical audio port was removed from this version. The PS4 Slim also receives a temporary recommendation for EOPs, as the current state of Linux drivers on the PS4 pro is quite weak. Overall, it seems that most any PS4 Slim revision will work the best for Linux at this time. Hopefully, in the future, PS4 Pro drivers will improve to the point where this is not applicable anymore.

RECOMMENDED OVERALL (general use)

With the “Pro” in the name, it’s unsurprising to hear that things improved with this PS4 version. Unlike the PS4 Slim, the PS4 Pro retains the “layer” appearance of the original PS4, by simply adding a “layer” to the design. When it comes to input and output, the PS4 Pro is identical to the PS4 Slim (USB 3.1, better network, no optical audio, so on). Internally of course, there’s more RAM, superior CPU and GPU clocks, and other hardware improvements. This affords the ability to run games at faux-4K, add graphical enhancements, and so on. Such better hardware makes this the best system for EOPs, although to only minor impact.

There are three revisions within the PlayStation 4 (original; CUH-1xxx) and PlayStation 4 Pro (CUH-70xx), and no revisions within the PlayStation 4 Slim (CUH-20xx).

Loud fans, slow network card, glossy finish, and touch buttons, with many people saying these kept dying on them. Simple as that, thus probably not worth purchasing.

Nothing is different with these compared to the 10xxA, except the network card has been somewhat improved, albeit still mediocre. It is important to note that “A” systems had a 500 GB drive, and “B” systems had a 1 TB drive. This applies to the 12xx systems also.

Widely seen as the best “original” revision, due to a few helpful changes. These systems have a quieter fan, mechanical buttons instead of touch buttons, and a matte finish. For these reasons, it’s recommended to purchase a 12xx if one purchases an original PS4. As with the 11xx systems, “A” means 500 GB drive, and “B” means 1 TB drive.

Alongside the upgrades that came with the PS4 Pro in general, this launch revision of the PS4 Pro was known to be the loudest and coolest, temperature-wise.

A sort of “in-between” revision for the PS4 Pro, coming with somewhat quieter fans and somewhat raised temperatures. Otherwise, these are very typical PS4 Pro systems.

RECOMMENDED OVERALL (for general performance)

Taking cues from the 71xx, the 72xx further reduced fan noise, which raised temperatures again. However, there was also a change to the power connector, having been altered to be the same cord as used on the PS4 Slim. Since these systems are the quietest and were produced the most recently, they gain a recommendation.

BEST RELIABILITY couldn’t be assigned.

https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps4/SKU_Models

https://www.reddit.com/r/PS4/comments/axj458/looking_to_buy_a_second_hand_ps4_what_model_to/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_4#Hardware_revisions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_4_technical_specifications

https://www.reddit.com/r/PS4Pro/comments/a7t554/ps4_pro_reliability_question/

https://www.reddit.com/r/PS4/comments/5vuna5/ps4_slim_vs_ps4_pro_reliability/