PS4 Scene member Noob404 is showcasing how to install and run Windows 10 on the PS4. This is done within Proxmox, a Debian-based Virtual Machine. Definitely one of those “we do it because we can” moment, as the process, and the result, will be non practical for most users. Still, it is an awesome achievement.

What’s Proxmox for PS4, and how is it used to run Windows 10 on PS4?

It’s been possible to run Linux on a Jailbroken PS4 for some time now, and developer Noob404 has been dedicated to bring as many Linux distros as he possibly can to the PS4. Yesterday, he announced and released a PS4 Port of Proxmox.

Proxmox is a Virtual Machine “solution” based on Linux. Understand, you should be able to run entire Operating Systems (including Windows) within it. From their official site:

Proxmox Virtual Environment is an open source server virtualization management solution based on QEMU/KVM and LXC. You can manage virtual machines, containers, highly available clusters, storage and networks with an integrated, easy-to-use web interface or via CLI.

[…]

Proxmox Virtual Environment is based on Debian GNU/Linux and uses a custom Linux Kernel. The Proxmox VE source code is free, released under the GNU Affero General Public License, v3 (GNU AGPL, v3). This means that you are free to use the software, inspect the source code at any time and contribute to the project yourself. 

And because Proxmox is based on Linux, getting it to run on the PS4 was just a matter of time and effort. Effort that Noob404 did put, to release a Proxmox build for the PS4 yesterday.

Of course, Proxmox in itself, running on the PS4, is fun, but that’s not the end goal. Running Windows 10 on the PS4, however, sounds like a fun project. Luckily for us, Noob404 did just that, and has a video tutorial to cover the necessary steps.

How to install and run Windows 10 on PS4

Now, before you get started with this, I need to make two points extremely clear. First, running Linux on PS4 (and therefore the solution described in this article) requires a Jailbroken PS4. Second, the steps required to install Windows 10 on PS4 are most likely not worth the effort for the vast majority of people. It’s a fun experiment, but don’t expect a smooth result. Noob404 warns in particular that GPU passthrough is not working in the current implementation, meaning no hardware acceleration.

Still, for those of you who have the time and dedication to try it, this will definitely be one of those “I got Windows 95 to run on my PSP” moments!

Installing Windows 10 on your PS4 is split into two large tutorials on Noob404’s site. The two links below contain the tutorials and necessary files. Noob404 also provides step-by-step video tutorials for those of you who prefer that kind of format.

1. Install Proxmox on PS4
2. Run Windows 10 via Proxmox on PS4

It’s pretty cool to get the Windows OS running on PS4, although if you really want a “good” use of your time installing an OS on your PS4, I personally prefer one of Noob404’s other distros, such as Batocera for retro gaming or PopOS (pictured below).

Cyberpunk 2077 running in windowed mode on Pop OS on PS4. Screenshot from Noob404’s video.

Source: Noob404