If we look at the technical specifications of our PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series we will see that the central CPU inside its huge chips are 8 cores of Zen 2 architecture. The same used in AMD’s Ryzen 3000 and 4000 chips for PC. However, we cannot use these consoles as if they were a computer and they are limited in their playful function.
Why can’t I install Windows on my console?
Well, actually we have to start from the fact that if you have an Xbox, then your console is running Windows, specifically a trimmed version optimized for games and which is missing many essential elements for 99% of the applications. What we are referring to is installing the Microsoft operating system and using them as if they were a PC. After all, the hardware is that of a conventional computer and both its central processor and the graphics processor have more than decent performance for games. And the same logic can be applied in the case of SONY consoles.
DRM systems do not allow you to install Windows on your console
On a computer you can run the software you want and install the components and peripherals you want. On a console it is different since their distribution must be certified by the manufacturer. Any piece of software that you are going to install on a console has an identification key that is verified remotely by the manufacturer’s servers. Thus, when we place a disc in our console’s reader or download the game from the internet, it is signed by a universal key.
Said key is unknown and known only to the manufacturer and is part of a complex encryption and decryption system. It is called a universal key and one of the challenges for hackers in order to activate piracy in a system is to obtain said key. With which they can sign any running application, including an operating system. And believe us, we have seen milestones like running a Linux distribution on a PS4.
However, while the Penguin operating system is free and has no owner. Distributing a modified version of Windows with a key that allows it to run on a console is itself a piracy offense, since only Microsoft has the rights to copy and distribute their product. And if hackers are experts in something, it is in not getting their hands dirty. That’s why we can’t run Windows in console.
starting is different
Now if we go to a much more technical topic, we have to take into account that the boot process on a console, as well as the reserved memory addresses, can change from one system to another, even using the same processors. In chips with a set of registers and x86 instructions, communication with the components and peripherals is through RAM and, specifically, certain addresses are usually assigned to events with the hardware.
For example, suppose we have the memory address 1212, in it it is assigned that when writing any data on it the printer is activated, but in another system it can be 5151. The fact is that with a differentiated memory map we can run into serious errors when running programs and using hardware. This also affects system startup, a simple change in this case can mean that two apparently identical systems do not start in the same way and we must start from the fact that the operating system is the first program to start.
The chipset is different
The way to block a program or data on a console is through the chipset. The process of this is very simple, if a program is not signed with the universal key that we have mentioned before, it is signed with a non-authorization bit. The idea is that when the console’s chipset has to search the console’s hard drive or SSD, it will completely ignore that sector. This functionality is not found on the PC, since what is sought is that we can run any piece of software without asking anyone or anything for permission.
The incompatibility comes from the fact that, in a video game console, being a unique element that only has to be compatible with itself, communication with the peripherals and components ends up being carried out in an unconventional way. Which is also a way to protect the system.
