PS4 REMOTE PLAY

The PS4 has been a streaming beast for some time, piping its games to such unloved and unpurchased devices as the PlayStation TV and PlayStation Vita. As part of the April 3.5 firmware update, Sony seems to have admitted such failures, and opened its borders to streaming elsewhere, including, yes, the PC. Start by making sure your PS4 is running at least 3.5 firmware—it should have come through as an automatic update, but if it hasn’t (if you have disabled automatic updates, for example), head to “Settings > System Software Update” to get it installed.

Now prepare your PC. There’s not a huge system spec demand—2GB RAM, Core i5-560M —but, obviously, the better your machine is, the easier it’ll cope with the demands of streaming 720p 60fps gameplay with minimal lag. Unlike the Xbox solution, Remote Play works online, so make sure you’ve also got a decent broadband connection—Sony recommends at least 12Mb/s. Next, head to https://remoteplay.dl.playstation. net/remoteplay/lang/gb/index.html to grab the PC client and install it.

Back on your PS4, make sure it’s your primary device (“Settings > PlayStation Network > Account Management > Activate as your primary PS4”), then ensure Remote Play is activated (“Settings > Remote Play connection settings”). Return to your PC, run the Remote Play app, and sign in with the same PSN credentials you’ve used on your PS4. Pick your resolution (start with the highest, as you can always notch it down later), hit “Start,” and you’ll see your PS4 menu. Now just use a USB cable to plug a PS4 controller into your streaming device, and you should be ready to play. Try it from a remote location away from your home network, too—you may have to dial down the settings somewhat, but it should work fine.