I feel like the PlayStation 4’s Remote Play feature, which let you stream the console to devices like your PC, phones, or PlayStation Vita, was one of the secret best things to come out of last generation. It was a trendsetter for things like xCloud, which would help companies come to grips with the idea that games need not be limited to the hardware they were designed for if you can stream them to something else. Well it looks like the PlayStation 5 is following suit, as reviewers who have access to the system before it launches on Thursday are seeing apps appear on PS4s with PSN accounts linked to a PS5 system to enable the feature on the old system.
Outlets like IGN have reported that the app was surprise dropped on PlayStation 4s this morning, but isn’t usable at the time of this writing, as PlayStation Network is currently down for review consoles. But if you’re a person who maybe has two TVs in your house and wants to leave a PS4 plugged into one of them, it will be an easy way to play your PlayStation 5 games at different rooms without having to move the device across the house.
But as a person who is not only a PlayStation Vita apologist, but also used Remote Play to experience a non-insignificant amount of PS4 games on the handheld device, I was curious as to whether or not I’d be able to do the same for my PlayStation 5 for the next seven or eight years, and it looks like that might not be the case this time. Sony released an extensive FAQ on the PlayStation 5 today, and when you scroll down to where it talks about Remote Play, it specifically omits the handheld system when talking about compatible devices:
“Players will be able to access their PS5 from a PC or mobile device via Remote Play in the same way as PS4. With PS5, you’ll also be able to access your PS5 from a PS4 console or another PS5 via Remote Play.”
In other news:
- Don’t Plan on Camping Outside Stores for a PlayStation 5 Next Week
- The PlayStation 5 is So Large So It’s Quiet and Easy to Clean
- PlayStation 5’s Way of Documenting Trophies is Way Better than PS4’s
In some ways, Sony not supporting the feature for PlayStation Vita isn’t surprising. The poor thing hasn’t seen an official software update in over a year, and Sony hadn’t mentioned it in pretty much any capacity long before that. But it is a shame that a really great feature is basically about to die out for the system that was probably best equipped to perform it. I played a fair bit of my Persona 5 Royal playthrough on my Vita this way, and it really just works for games that you’d rather not be tethered to a television for. I suppose that mobile phones can serve a similar purpose, but having a dedicated handheld just has a different feel to it than strapping a controller to your mobile device.
