Sony to release Linux for PS2 in Japan

Sony will be making Linux fans happy with a recent announcement that it will use the Linux operating system on the Sony PlayStation 2 game console. Sony recently posted information on the Beta Release 1 of its PlayStation 2 Linux Kit, including a press release on its Japanese site that puts its price tag at 25,000 yen, or about $200. The press release stated that The Linux Kit is designed exclusively for the Japanese model of "PS2", SCPH-10000, SCPH-15000 and SCPH-18000. Since these models are for domestic use in Japan, the Linux Kit is only available in Japan. In the release, Sony states that there are no plans to release the Linux Kit for non-Japanese model of "PS2", and but there has been serious speculation on the possibility of such a release. The Kit is going to consist of an external HDD/Ethernet unit connected to the PCMCIA slot, found on early Japanese PS2 models, a VGA adapter plus USB Mouse and Keyboard. The PlayStation 2 is powered by a MIPS chip, and one of the benefits of the versatile Linux OS is that it's relatively easy to get it working on different CPUs. Sony states that it selected Linux to help game developers simulate the PlayStation 2 so they could get a jump on creating games before the actual hardware was available. However, Sony has not commented on the possibility of running Linux on the game console itself.