Sony's PlayStation Remote Play Feature Expanding to Mac and PC Tomorrow

[MacRumors]

Sony today announced plans to bring the PlayStation 4's Remote Play capabilities to the PC and Mac through an update that will be released tomorrow. With the update, PS4 owners will be able to play games remotely through a PC or a Mac.

Remote Play is a feature that lets the PlayStation 4 send audio and video to a peripheral device, but it was previously only compatible with Sony's handheld console, the PlayStation Vita, the PlayStation TV set-top box, and select Sony smartphones and tablets. Remote Play has been around since the PlayStation 3 and the PSP, but Sony has never made an effort to expand it before.

The decision to bring Remote Play to PCs and Macs comes after Microsoft introduced a remote gameplay feature for the Xbox One, allowing Xbox games to be played using a PC that runs Windows 10. Sony's feature is more robust as it also works with Macs and it works remotely -- the Xbox game streaming feature requires a connection through a home network.

Sony makes Remote Play compatibility a requirement for all PlayStation 4 games that don't use peripherals, so most users will find that their entire PS4 game catalogs can be streamed to a Mac or PC.

On Macs, Remote Play will work with the latest versions of Apple's OS X operating system, OS X 10.10 Yosemite and OS X 10.11 El Capitan. On PCs, the feature is compatible with machines running Windows 8.1 or 10 or later. A single DualShock 4 controller can be connected to a PC or Mac via a USB cable to serve as the gameplay controller for Remote Play.

Games can be played in several resolutions and at several frame rates, adjustable based on Internet bandwidth. Resolution defaults to 540p, but can be changed to 360p or a max of 720p. The default frame rate setting is 30fps, adjustable to 60fps.

Remote Play will be available as soon as the PlayStation 4 is updated tomorrow. Once the update goes out, Mac and PC users will be able to download the software to enable the feature from the PlayStation Remote Play website (download is not yet live).

Article Link: Sony's PlayStation Remote Play Feature Expanding to Mac and PC Tomorrow

 

[BulkSlash]

I'll definitely give this a try, but if it's anything like the Vita's Remote Play software it will be plagued with lag, video glitches and random disconnects. It's a pity Sony didn't bake this capability into the hardware like Nintendo did with the Wii U as that has always worked perfectly (albeit with the range limitation of the GamePad).

 

[Xiph0s]

Pretty amazing!

 

[Corrode]

Microsoft, get your **** together. I don't want to buy a Surface to play my Xbox remotely. Mac support!

Good on Sony for developing this.

 

[nagromme]

The last console brand I owned (well, my parents really) started with a letter "I," and I never thought I'd get another. (Mouse fan and now touch fan!)

But PS4 is getting more interesting, with this, and and the rumored "PS4K, and VR. I might just own a console again come fall.

 

[69Mustang]

I'll definitely give this a try, but if it's anything like the Vita's Remote Play software it will be plagued with lag, video glitches and random disconnects. It's a pity Sony didn't bake this capability into the hardware like Nintendo did with the Wii U as that has always worked perfectly (albeit with the range limitation of the GamePad).

LAG-->That's the big rub with all of the remote play services. Neat concept but actual gameplay rarely lives up to the hype. But it's a start and things have to start somewhere.

 

[TheRealTVGuy]

So if I buy a Bluetooth controller for my Mac, does this mean I can finally play 'Call of Duty' at work??

 

[Crzyrio]

LAG-->That's the big rub with all of the remote play services. Neat concept but actual gameplay rarely lives up to the hype. But it's a start and things have to start somewhere.

LAG is dependent on SOO many factors, the fault is not likely all Sony's.

I have a PS TV and it works great, but I do have my PS4 wired and the PS TV connects wireless to a $200 router. You can't expect flawless game play sitting 3 rooms down from a $20 budget router.

 

[Rekan_]

Does this need specific requirements from the Mac itself, apart from the internet connection.

 

[D.T.]

The last console brand I owned (well, my parents really) started with a letter "I,"

Sea Battle was one of the greatest video games ever
[doublepost=1459877310][/doublepost]

Does this need specific requirements from the Mac itself, apart from the internet connection.

Just a "client app" I'd assume. FWIW, the PS3/4 controllers work natively on a Mac as they're USB or BT. I was using a PS3 controller in Unity (in OS X) to do some 3D/VR prototyping.

 

[PBRsg]

And here you see the "weakness" of Microsoft, where they need to always favour their own platform at the expense of others. Let's see how they respond to this.

 

[69Mustang]

LAG is dependent on SOO many factors, the fault is not likely all Sony's.

I have a PS TV and it works great, but I do have my PS4 wired and the PS TV connects wireless to a $200 router. You can't expect flawless game play sitting 3 rooms down from a $20 budget router.

I never assessed blame to Sony or any other vendor. Remote play services tend to suffer from lag. It is what it is. Also never commented about an expectation of game play. You're erroneously attributing a helluva lot to my comment.

 

[scaramoosh]

Hopefully this means PSVR Drivers as well.

 

[MacsRgr8]

I must be a nitwit... I don't get it... why would you want this?

What does this bring on top of your PS 4 on a 50" TV..?

 

[XTheLancerX]

Does this work over the Internet or LAN? I have sort of bad internet so if it works over that this will be a no-go. Only 15/1 speeds.

And I'm also sad because I thought this would allow me to use keyboard and mouse instead of the controller.

 

[kyliewylie]

Now if Apple would just do this for the Pippin. I'll hold my breath.

 

[D.T.]

I must be a nitwit... I don't get it... why would you want this?

What does this bring on top of your PS 4 on a 50" TV..?

A nice convenience factor where you want to play in a different room where there's already a PC (and not a TV or you don't want to hassle with disconnecting the console), or around the house somewhere on a notebook, and/or nice cost savings if you want to share a single console.

 

[ike1707]

I'll definitely give this a try, but if it's anything like the Vita's Remote Play software it will be plagued with lag, video glitches and random disconnects. It's a pity Sony didn't bake this capability into the hardware like Nintendo did with the Wii U as that has always worked perfectly (albeit with the range limitation of the GamePad).

This. This is what I was generally pondering. I reeeally hope it works well, i'll be bummed if it's as worthless as the vita remote play you described.

 

[markrath]

LAG is dependent on SOO many factors, the fault is not likely all Sony's.

I have a PS TV and it works great, but I do have my PS4 wired and the PS TV connects wireless to a $200 router. You can't expect flawless game play sitting 3 rooms down from a $20 budget router.

As you said - lag depends on many factors - I also have a $200 router and lag was horrible on the PS TV

 

[TimmyFetchMeMyTools]

I must be a nitwit... I don't get it... why would you want this?

What does this bring on top of your PS 4 on a 50" TV..?

A good example of this is if my wife is watching something on TV (not using the PS4) and I fancy playing a game, I can fire my MB Air up and play while she continues watching.

 

[kyliewylie]

Does this work over the Internet or LAN? I have sort of bad internet so if it works over that this will be a no-go. Only 15/1 speeds.

And I'm also sad because I thought this would allow me to use keyboard and mouse instead of the controller.

One reason why I never bought a current-gen console. I cannot stand using a controller.

 

[macduke]

Now if only I could get something like this for Xbox.

5000th post! I'd like to thank my wife, my rabbit, and the original iPhone launch for making this possible.

 

[kyliewylie]

A good example of this is if my wife is watching something on TV (not using the PS4) and I fancy playing a game, I can fire my MB Air up and play while she continues watching.

Don't count on this working reliably without a physical ethernet connection. Better run out and grab an adapter if you don't have one already.

 

[brendu]

I must be a nitwit... I don't get it... why would you want this?

What does this bring on top of your PS 4 on a 50" TV..?

Going on a trip where you will have a solid wifi connection? Take your laptop and dualshock controller and you can play your ps4 wherever you are.

 

[inkswamp]

Great idea but does anyone know if keyboard and mouse will be supported in place of the PS4 controller?

EDIT: I see it's already been answered here and the answer is no. Bummer.