Last Updated on June 30, 2020 by Husain Parvez
Want to learn how to install Kodi on PS4 and get the best of entertainment online with gaming on the same platform? Here’s everything you need to know about why installing Kodi for PlayStation 4 isn’t officially available, and why the way around is worth the effort.
The gaming revolution set forth in the 1980s in the Japanese market led to the creation of some of the business names in the industry today. From Nintendo and its classic N64 gaming console to the remarkable SEGA Genesis that stole the show in the year 1988 – gaming has been a point of focus in the Japanese world for decades. However, it wasn’t until the technology giant Sony stepped out of the photography and video entertainment scene to introduce the very first gaming console, the PlayStation in 1994.
One of the first “high-graphics” console released in its time, the Sony PlayStation became a standard of measurement for the entire gaming industry. Over the years, the only real competition that the PlayStation series has encountered has been from the American computer company Microsoft, through the release of its very own Xbox gaming consoles. However, this hasn’t been able to slow down the momentum of the latest generation console from Sony, the PlayStation 4 one bit.
Kodi on PlayStation 4 – Gaming meets entertainment
As the gaming industry has flourished over the years, so has the sphere of online entertainment, and the two worlds coincide online. Multiplayer gaming is now done through the means of remote servers, which is the same technology that has reshaped the way we enjoy movies, TV shows, and live TV too. While the list of premium streaming services is endless, there has been one open-source media streaming platform named Kodi, that has stood the test of time. Built initially as a means to run media files on the rival Xbox console, Kodi has since turned into a universal media streaming platform that allows you to cut the cord for good.
Over the years, Kodi media player has extended official support across desktop platforms, mobile devices, and even streaming boxes. Surprisingly enough, the Xbox One gaming console has received official support for Kodi media player through the Microsoft Store. This certainly gives the rival PlayStation 4 an upper edge when it comes to entertainment capabilities, so its time to level the playing field. But the first look at the official Kodi website will give you a clear picture of the fact that Kodi media player is not directly supported by PlayStation 4.
Note: In all fairness, you should know that there is no direct way of installing the Kodi media player on the PlayStation 4. Sony Corporation has highlighted that since Kodi media player, to some extent, facilitates the streaming of pirated content, it will not be supported on the PlayStation platform. However, this hasn’t stopped tinkerers from finding a way around the problem. However, any website or tutorial that promises an official solution to run Kodi on PS4 is either misled or straight-up lying, so be cautious.
How to Install Kodi on PS4
Just because there isn’t an official way to get Kodi working on your PlayStation 4 console, doesn’t mean you can’t get it up and running. Browsing through the user forums, we have uncovered two reliable methods to get the open-source media streaming platform installed on your Sony gaming console. While we are partial over one method to get Kodi working on the PS4 console, for information purposes, we have highlighted both the methods down below.
Method #1: How to install Kodi on PS4 using Plex
Since the Xbox console is running a variant of Windows, you can simply fetch the official app from the Microsoft Store and begin. Since the PlayStation 4 is based on its very own operating system, there is not an official Kodi app available on the PlayStation Store that allows you to install the app. However, there is another app on the PlayStation Store that brings you a way to mirror the Kodi media player on the big screen with the console hooked up.
Step 1: Download the Plex app
- Turn on your PlayStation 4 console and head to the home screen.
- Head over to the PlayStation Store app and open it.
- Using the Search box at the top of the screen, look for the Plex
- Once you’re on the app screen, press the Start button to begin the download.
The way you can use Plex to run Kodi on PS4 is by accessing the content on your Kodi-supported device remotely. Hence, you need to make sure that Plex is installed and set up on your other device as well. Based on the device that you choose to utilize as the directory to view content from Kodi on your PlayStation, install the respective version of the app.
Step 2: Set up Plex on both the devices
Now that you have the Plex media player installed on both, your PlayStation 4 as well as your secondary Kodi-enabled device, it is time to create your account. We recommend that you create your Plex account on the secondary device since typing in the details to create an account with your PS4 controller might be a hassle.
- Open the Plex app and set up your account to “Create a Managed User”.
- Enter the required details to create your Plex account on the Kodi-enabled device.
- Once your account has been created and you’ve verified your email address, head over to the Plex app on your PS4.
- Press the button that reads “Add an Existing Plex User” and enter the login credentials that you have used to create your Plex account in the previous step.
After verifying the connection using the alphanumeric code, you will now be able to manage the content on the PS4 and the secondary device using the Plex media player.
Step 3: Link the two devices
Now it is time to create a link between the PlayStation 4 and the secondary Kodi-enabled device so that you can seamlessly share the content between the two.
- Open the Plex app on your Kodi-enabled device and navigate to the System tab.
- Under the System menu, head over to the Settings tab.
- Here you will need to enable the following options – Show Camera Roll, Advertise as Server, and Network Discovery options.
With the options enabled, you will now be able to stream the media on your secondary device, directly on the big screen to which your PlayStation 4 console is connected. Meaning that you can choose to stream content from the Kodi app on your device directly to the PS4 using the Plex media player app.
Method #2: How to install Kodi on PS4 using Ubuntu
For the uninformed, Ubuntu is an operating system based on Linux that has been popularized as a no-holds-barred version of desktop OS over the years. What does Ubuntu have to do with a tutorial related to PlayStation 4 and Kodi you ask? Well, some wild tweakers on the internet have figured out a way to sideload the entire Ubuntu operating system on to the PlayStation 4. Since Ubuntu is among the officially supported platforms by Kodi, this enables you to directly run Kodi media player on your PS4 gaming console.
Prerequisites:
- 16GB USB drive to create a bootable drive for Ubuntu.
- Ubuntu OS that is available on the official website (Download Link).
- Linux Boot Loader for PlayStation 4 (Download Link).
- VirtualBox installed on your computer (Download Link).
Step 1: Create a bootable Ubuntu USB drive
- With the VirtualBox installed on your computer, open it and select the New button from the top bar.
- Tap on the Create a Virtual Machine button and name it “PlayStation 4” for the current purpose.
- Select Linux in the Type section and Ubuntu 64-bit under the Version section before you press the Next button.
- Grant the amount of RAM to the virtual machine (Recommended minimum 2GB and maximum 8GB).
- The next screen will ask you to create a virtual hard disk, where you can choose the option “Do not add a virtual hard disk” and press the Create button.
- You will now be able to see the virtual window on the right side of the screen display “PlayStation 4”, click on it and then select the Settings button.
- Under the Settings menu, select the Storage – Attributes – Optical Drive and then click on the CD icon next to the menu to pick “Choose Virtual Optical Disk File”.
- Using the file browser, look for the Ubuntu OS file that you had previously downloaded and press the Open
- Now head back to Storage – USB menu and click on the USB icon with the “+” sign at the right side of the USB Device Filters Here, a drop-down menu should allow you to select the USB drive that you wish to use to create a bootable Ubuntu OS.
- Select the USB drive you have connected to the computer and then press the OK button to confirm.
- To start the virtual machine, click on the PS4 tab on the left side of the screen and then press the Start
- A window will pop up, allowing you to install Ubuntu on the USB device. Select your preferred language and on the left side of the screen, select the option to Install Ubuntu.
- Follow the steps on the screen up until the virtual machine allows you to grant the computer a name and asks you to create a username and password.
- At this point, the installation process should begin, after which, you can feel free to turn off the VirtualBox and exit.
Copy the Ubuntu files directly to the USB drive that you have connected to the computer, which should complete the process of creating a bootable USB Ubuntu drive.
Step 2: Installing Ubuntu on PS4
- Hook up a mouse and a keyboard to your PS4 to begin the process of sideloading Ubuntu OS on it.
- Connect the bootable Ubuntu drive that you have created to the PS4 console.
- Turn on the PlayStation 4 and navigate to Settings – User’s Guide option.
- Click on the PS4 WebKit Playground button that you see on the screen.
- Under the Linux loader tab, select Load and wait as the Linux console boots up.
- With the keyboard connected, type in “fdisk -l” and press the Enter
- Type in “mount/dev/sdb2 newroot/” and press Enter to load the Ubuntu partition.
- Now go ahead and type in “exec switch_root/newroot/ /newroot/sbin/init” and press Enter once again.
- Press the S button to skip the error message and wait as Ubuntu is loaded on to your PlayStation 4 console.
Step 3: Install Kodi on PlayStation 4
- Select the Ubuntu icon on the top-left corner of the screen to look up the terminal and double-click on it.
- Type in “sudo apt install kodi” followed by “sudo apt-get install software-properties-common” and grant Yes when asked for permission.
- Type in “sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc/ppa” and press the Enter key, followed by “sudo apt-get update” and press Enter once again.
- Finally, enter “apt-get install kodi” and press Enter, and type in Yes to confirm your action.
The process will commence, at the end of which, you will finally have Kodi media player up and running on the sideloaded version of Ubuntu on your PlayStation 4.
Use Kodi with ExpressVPN
For those who have been using Kodi media player for years now, you must be aware that the service has been under fire for harboring add-ons that are deemed illegal. While there is no shortage of Kodi add-ons to replace the lost ones, they seem to work better when connected to a dedicated VPN service. The easiest way to get past browsing restriction by using a VPN service such as ExpressVPN so that you never hit the pause button when it comes to high-quality streaming entertainment.
Bypassing Geo-restrictions – If you reside in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other regions where there the federal authorities have blockaded access to a Kodi add-on, you won’t be able to access the service through Kodi either. Whether the functionality of the add-on is censored in your region or the service is entirely unusable, ExpressVPN allows you to push forward with hundreds of remote servers across the world for you to connect to.
Avoid ISP Logging – Even if the service is not explicitly banned in your region of residence, the ISP (internet service provider) can still keep tabs on your usage. The online activity that you perform when using Kodi media player can be logged, which poses not only a privacy threat but the problem of the ISP fining you for unauthorized usage as well. With ExpressVPN and its military-grade encryption to secure your online activity, rest assured that your online browsing experience is 100% secure.
High-speed Streaming – Although you can find plenty of free and barely-secure VPN services out there that can help you connect with Kodi and make the most out of Kodi add-ons, most of them offer sub-par streaming quality. When using ExpressVPN for Kodi media player, you are automatically recommended servers which offer top upload and download streaming speeds, so you don’t ever have to sit in front of the screen, waiting for the buffering circle to load up.
Final Words
When it comes to console gaming, there is no doubt that some people simply prefer the PlayStation 4 far more than Xbox One. However, the software restrictions put forward by Sony to deter piracy and essentially promote its PlayStation Vue streaming platform bars the access to Kodi, the most popular open-source media player out there. From the guide above, it should be apparent that while it is possible to install Kodi on your PS4 console, it certainly isn’t an easy process by any means.
Installing a makeshift version of Kodi on your PS4 by sideloading Ubuntu OS is going to be a complicated ordeal, to begin with. When a cheap and efficient Amazon Fire TV Stick can be sideloaded with Kodi media player to get the job done, we suggest you take the easy route and save yourself the risk of bricking your beloved gaming console. Be sure to let us know in the comments section if you’re still going to give Kodi on PS4 a try, or play it safe and get Kodi media player working on the big screen through an Android streamer.
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