PSUbuntu Setup

This page will help you configure and set up Ubuntu on a Playstation 3, following a fresh installation of the OS. Thanks to all contributions from the PSUbuntu forums.

Monitor

The first thing you should do is set up your monitor to initiate the correct resolution at boot. To determine the correct video mode for your screen, use a tool called ps3videomode. It can be run from a terminal window ([Applications] > [Accessories] > [Terminal]) by typing:

ps3videomode -h

ps3videomode will return a list of supported resolutions, with a number in front to represent the mode:

YUV 60Hz 1:480i 2:480p 3:720p 4:1080i 5:1080p
YUV 50Hz 6:576i 7:576p 8:720p 9:1080i 10:1080p
RGB 60Hz 33:480i 34:480p 35:720p 36:1080i 37:1080p
RGB 50Hz 38:576i 39:576p 40:720p 41:1080i 42:1080p
VESA 11:WXGA 12:SXGA 13:WUXGA

If you have a “Full HD” monitor with 1920×1080 resolution, use a 1080i or 1080p mode. If your TV is “HD Ready”, use one of the 720p modes (3, 8, 35 or 40).

Testing video modes

To check how a resolution works on your system you need to stop and start the Gnome desktop manager (gdm) between each test. Pressing Alt + F1 will give you a text console in which you enter your username and password.

Now stop gdm:

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop

Set a temporary video using ps3videomode -v and a number, for instance:

ps3videomode -v 5

or

ps3videomode -v 42 -f

(both commands represent various 1080p modes. You need to check with the table above which number corresponds with your monitor).

Start gdm using the new videomode with

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm start

Make the resolution permanent

When you have found a decent videomode, make the setting permanent by having Ubuntu load this mode on each startup. In a terminal window, type:

sudo nano /etc/event.d/ps3videomode

This will start the console text editor nano with an empty file called ps3videomode in the event.d folder. In this file, type:

start on runlevel 2
exec /usr/bin/ps3videomode -v 0

Replace the 0 with the number key for your videomode.

In nano, save the file with Ctrl + o. Hit enter to confirm. Then Ctrl + x to exit nano.

You should now be able to reboot your system with your resolution of choice.

PSUbuntu forum: Audio & Video

Internet

Wireless

Wireless works great on WEP-encrypted networks, but WPA is problematic. If your WiFi is WEP-encrypted, it can be enabled by clicking on the network icon (top right panel) and selecting manual configuration. Go to the Wireless connection properties, and type in the name of your network (ESSID). Select your WEP password type and enter the key for your router.

In Connection Settings, choose Automatic configuration (DHCP). Click OK, and enable the connection by clicking the radio button for Wireless. You should now have wifi internet access. If anyone has gotten WPA to work, please let us know!

PSUbuntu forum: Network & Connectivity

Sixaxis support

Coming soon (we hope)

PSUbuntu forum: Network & Connectivity

Applications

Running Ubuntu on a PS3 can be quite resource intensive due to the low amount of RAM available on the system, so try to minimize the number of running services. From [System] > [Preferences] > [Sessions] you can disable all of the startup programs in the list that you don’t need (if you have already configured your internet connection with WEP, you can even disable the Network Manager).

You can also consider installing the more lightweight XFCE desktop manager for Ubuntu by typing

sudo aptitude install xubuntu-desktop

See this forum thread for some excellent tips on how to reduce memory usage.

PSUbuntu forum: Applications & Games