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PlayStation (Games) Cellphones IOS Iphone Software Sony Wireless Networking Technology

PS4's Remote Play Update Lets You Stream To iOS Devices (theverge.com) 38

Version 6.50 of the PlayStation 4's firmware now allows you to remotely play your PS4 games from an iPhone or iPad. "To access it, you'll need to download the Remote Play app for your iOS device, and then pair it with your console," reports The Verge. "Compatible games can then be played over Wi-Fi using the on-screen buttons." From the report: Announced back in 2013, Remote Play originally let you stream games from a PS4 console to the handheld PlayStation Vita, but later in 2016, Sony released Remote Play apps for both Windows and Mac. Although Sony has yet to announce a broader Android version of the service, the existence of an Android version of the app that's exclusive to Sony Xperia phones suggests there aren't any technical barriers. Bringing the functionality to iOS is a huge expansion for Remote Play, although it's a shame that you're not officially able to pair a DualShock 4 controller with the app via Bluetooth for a more authentic experience (although some users have reported being able to get the controller working via a sneaky workaround). If you're prepared to use a non-Sony controller, then you'll be happy to know that MacStories is reporting that other MFi gamepads (such as the SteelSeries Nimbus) work just fine with the iOS app. Other limitations with the functionality are that you'll need an iPhone 7 or 6th-generation iPad or later to use it, and it's also only available over Wi-Fi. You can't use Remote Play from another location over a mobile network.

PS4 version 6.50 also adds the ability for you to remap the X and O buttons on the controller.
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PS4's Remote Play Update Lets You Stream To iOS Devices

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  • PS4's Remote Play Update Lets You Stream To iOS Devices

    Nobody really cares.

    • PS4's Remote Play Update Lets You Stream To iOS Devices

      Nobody really cares.

      Not quite, apparently you cared passionately enough to post your opinion.

  • I love how these console companies go out of their way to make sure you can't remap the controls the way you like.

    • Sure you can, you just need a solder iron, solder, flux, and some jumper cables.

      I think the biggest problem is the fact most of these games are now played online with other people. Too much modification, can open the door to cheating and bots.

      Cheaters and Bots were the cause for me to get out of gaming a while ago, and I never really gotten back into it. I don't mind getting killed because someone was better then me, or just got lucky. But if they are cheating it just makes the game annoying, and my view

  • by Solandri ( 704621 ) on Friday March 08, 2019 @05:18AM (#58236222)

    Although Sony has yet to announce a broader Android version of the service, the existence of an Android version of the app that's exclusive to Sony Xperia phones suggests there aren't any technical barriers.

    There are no technical barriers. Basically the way these remote play apps (like Steam In Home Streaming) work is that the machine playing the game converts the video into an h.264 video stream in real-time using the h.264 encoder built into every modern GPU. The device where you view the game then just receives the stream, decodes it, and displays it, just as if it were playing a YouTube video. The only difference is the device can send control inputs back to the machine playing the game. If you can program the control input part, pretty much any device capable of playing streamed h.264 videos can act as the receiving device - even a Raspberry Pi. (That's basically what the discontinued Steam Link was - a cheap Linux box that supported h.264 hardware decode and so could act as the receiver for Steam In Home Streaming.)

    The only thing stopping this technology from coming to all gaming platforms and all devices capable of receiving streamed video is the (un)willingness of developers to code it. Going forward, expect the codec to eventually be updated to h.265, VP9, or AV1. (Probably not for a while though - those currently take substantially longer to encode than h.264. But it was only 30 years ago that a 1024x768 JPEG photo took several minutes to encode, and nearly a minute to decode on a then-modern PC.)

  • I can understand syncing a PS4 controller to a phone and playing remotely. Using on screen buttons? You may as well not bother. On screen buttons suck at the best of times on games to use them, with screen layouts designed for portions obscured by thumbs.

    But even with proper controls, one of the biggest issues with streaming to a small device like a phone is that the games are designed for large displays and it reflects in the size of fonts, buttons, HUD info, even the size of things like your character i

  • This seems like it's hard to argue with for what you pay(nothing if you already have the relevant console); but of slightly baffling utility:

    The PS4 is still limited to running one game at a time, so this isn't some multi-user terminal services thing(nor is such a thing likely given that consoles generally try to devote all the resources they can to that one game they are running; not ship with half the system idle in case someone wants to remote in); it's for use over local wifi(so 'use your home consol
    • Where's the situation where it isn't preferable to just walk over to the couch and use the TV and controller?

      It's for people who don't live alone. If a PlayStation 4 console can use your phone as a monitor, two people in the household can experience Sony at once. While you play a PlayStation 4 game, someone else can use the TV to play a game on a PlayStation 3 console that's still hooked up, watch a Columbia movie on cable, IPTV, or Blu-ray Disc, or even just watch Jeopardy!.

    • Where's the situation where it isn't preferable to just walk over to the couch and use the TV and controller?

      When one of your spawn is crying that they can't play [whatever PS4 game] because the slightly-smaller-spawn is watching [some inane childrens video on Netflix] on the one TV that the PS4 is hooked up to

      Now the kid can just take the tablet to its room and play on a smaller screen

    • "Where's the situation where it isn't preferable to just walk over to the couch and use the TV and controller?"

      I have remote play fired up now. I've been waiting on IOS for a while.

      There are a couple of situations where forms of remote play is nice. I regularly use Steam Link to play on my big TV from my powerful desktop downstairs.

      Right now, I'm lying in bed due to severe congestion. I don't really feel like sitting up out on the couch. I can log into fortnite and manage my character (and collect the

    • it's for use over local wifi(so 'use your home console when out and about' will be an unsupported hack at best;

      Remote play also works over the internet, not just your household wifi.

      and you are stuck on a small screen with the glories of touchscreen emulation of hardware buttons.

      The app for the Sony phones and tablets enables you to pair a DualShock4. the iOS app supports MFi controllers.

      The PC version of the app, also supports controllers.

  • ....downloading porn at Starbucks.

  • nVidia GameStream, Steam Link... as usual, the PC precedes the consoles in gaming features. Remember when it was the other way around? I was still young then, and life was so full of promise... :)

    • nVidia GameStream, Steam Link... as usual, the PC precedes the consoles in gaming features.

      You've fallen for the PC Master race bullcrap. Remote Play on Sony PlayStations, predates nVidia Gamestream AND Steam Link. Remember, you could use remote play on the PSP to connect to the PS3 and play PSone games and use media. It was a launch feature in 2006.

      Remote Play via the Vita and PSTV with the PS4, also predates the Steam Link and also nVidia Gamestream IIRC

      • Remember, you could use remote play on the PSP to connect to the PS3 and play PSone games and use media.

        From Sony to Sony? Whee! Keep giving them money, I'm sure they'll respect you someday

        • Don't be an asshat. Yes, Sony to Sony, but it was a technology that existed. And need I remind you that Steam Link is Valve to Valve.

          Also Remote Play DOES support more platforms now, which is what this article is about. You can remote play a PS4 from a Vita/PStv, iOS, Android (Sony/Samsung) and PC (Windows and Mac)

          So instead of going all "Sony users are sheeple" like a dumbass neckbearded aspie, perhaps you should be saying something like "better late than never Sony, but you can do better, how about ope

          • Also Remote Play DOES support more platforms now, which is what this article is about.

            Yes, now. But it was hardly the first to do that, which was my point to begin with.

            So instead of going all "Sony users are sheeple" like a dumbass neckbearded aspie,

            Nobody who's not an aspie says aspie or neckbeard as an insult. Checkmate.

            • But it was hardly the first to do that, which was my point to begin with.

              Neither nvidia Gamestream (for the nVidia Shield) or Steam Link ( for your steam library) existed in 2006. Were you remote playing PC games on anything in 2006? And no, telnetting into a nethack server or BBS door game or MUD/MOO/MUSH/MUCK isn't what we're talking about. We're talking about remote playing a game running on your own machine, on another more portable machine.

              People were using remote play on PSP's before there were android phones, iphones, Steam Links, or nVidia Shields.

              Nobody who's not an aspie says aspie or neckbeard as an insult.

              Perhaps, but you've

  • The PlayStation library really tanked after 2.

The 11 is for people with the pride of a 10 and the pocketbook of an 8. -- R.B. Greenberg [referring to PDPs?]

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