Mesa & AMDGPU Linux Driver See Patches For The Sony PS5 GPU

Open-source developer Andy Nguyen recently demonstrated porting Linux to the Sony PlayStation 5. The PS5 notably uses a custom AMD SoC and with some patches is able to play nicely with the open-source AMD graphics driver stack. Beyond just demonstrating an experimental Linux port for the Sony PlayStation 5, Andy Nguyen has followed through and begun upstreaming some of the patches where relevant.

Recently there have been AMDGPU kernel graphics driver and Mesa patches for dealing with the Sony PlayStation 5 GPU that is a combination of IP from different generations and on the CPU side is Zen 2 derived. Merged yesterday for Mesa 26.1-devel was this patch adding more GFX1013 GPUs to the AMD ADDRLIB library. While not explicitly laid out in that Mesa merge request, the new GFX1013 addition encompasses the Sony PS5 GPU.

Sent out on Sunday was this patch for the AMDGPU kernel graphics driver adding the 0x13da Cyan Skillfish GPU to the kernel driver. Again, not explicitly advertised as such in the patch, but this is for the Sony PS5 GPU. That patch has yet to be picked up by any of the AMDGPU driver development branches.

Also sent out was a fix to the AMDGPU driver's Display Core "DC" code. This fix by Andy Nguyen is for addressing a display issue observed with the Sony PS5 Linux port. That patch has already been picked up and will be mainlined to the Linux kernel.

Those wanting to learn more about this Linux port to the Sony PlayStation 5 can do so via this X thread, complete with a video demonstration.

The patches represent significant progress in making the PS5's custom AMD GPU compatible with mainline Linux graphics drivers. The GFX1013 architecture used in the PS5 combines elements from different AMD GPU generations, making it a unique challenge for open-source driver developers. By adding support to both Mesa and the AMDGPU kernel driver, these patches lay the groundwork for broader Linux compatibility on the PS5 platform.

For enthusiasts interested in running Linux on gaming hardware, this development is particularly noteworthy. The PS5's custom SoC, while based on AMD's Zen 2 CPU architecture, features a GPU that required specific driver modifications to function properly under Linux. The fact that these patches are being upstreamed suggests growing interest in alternative operating systems for console hardware.

While the Linux port remains experimental, the upstreaming of these patches indicates that the open-source community is taking steps to ensure long-term support for the PS5's hardware. This could be especially valuable as the console ages and users look for ways to repurpose their hardware beyond its original gaming-focused design.