PlayStation has brought remote play to a whole slew of devices earlier this morning with PS4 firmware 6.50. Launching a new app simultaneously for iOS, fans can now stream their PS4 games from their console to their iPhone or iPad via remote play. Now any iPhone can be a PlayStation Phone!
The app places virtual buttons on-screen and works in portrait or landscape orientations. Haptic feedback is also implemented well, if your phone (like the iPhone Xs Max) supports it. The touchpad input is reserved for the upper part of the screen and virtual joysticks are near the bottom. It’s very…cluttered. You cannot use a DualShock 4 with your iPhone, meaning you have to use a MFi certified controller with your iOS device. There is a workaround thanks to Skyfireblaze on this Resetera thread, but it only works when you are within range of your PS4.
Set up is a breeze, just like any form of remote play. All you need to do is log into the app with your PSN ID and have your PS4 on or in rest mode. Make sure the PS4’s settings are also set up to allow the PS4 to be woken up from rest mode remotely. Once the app establishes a connection with the PS4 over wifi, it will allow you to use and play your PS4 games. This will not work when your iPhone is on cellular.
I gave it a whirl and the experience was on par with my previous remote play sessions on my Vita or my Mac. My PS4 Pro is plugged directly into my network with my iPhone Xs Max on the same network. I booted up Far Cry: New Dawn and gave the shooter a spin. The virtual sticks offer no accuracy and it was lagging out the wazoo. I can’t imagine how an online-centric shooter like Apex Legends would work. I will say that the DualShock 4 workaround is a much nicer experience, offering no input lag and a proper experience. It is limited to when you are at home only though, so it isn’t a permanent solution.
Overall, it’s nice to see the Remote Play feature live on after the Vita stopped its shipments in Japan. It’ll be interesting to see if Sony will release some sort of update or all-new DualShock to be compatible with iOS devices or even a mount like they did for their Xperia phones.
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