Sony
PlayStation 4 Remote Play lets you play your PlayStation 4 ... remotely.
- Google's ambitious new Stadia video game platform is getting a lot of attention this week, following its troubled launch.
- There's a lot to like about the idea behind Stadia: It allows you to play major video games like "Destiny 2" and "Mortal Kombat 11" across any phone, TV, or tablet.
- But if you own one of the 100 million-plus PlayStation 4 consoles out there, you may or may not already know about Remote Play - a feature that lets you stream any PlayStation 4 game to PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, or even the PlayStation Vita handheld console.
- Remote Play isn't quite as elegant or future-looking as Google Stadia. But it's also a completely free feature built into every single PlayStation 4.
- Microsoft is working on its own Project xCloud service, which will go head-to-head with Stadia, as well as Console Streaming, which will let you stream Xbox One games to a phone or tablet just like Sony's Remote Play. In other words, stay tuned, because the space is heating up.
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If you're reading this, there's a pretty solid chance that you own a PlayStation 4. Earlier this year, Sony disclosed that it has sold 100 million units of the console, far outstripping the Microsoft Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
The latest challenger to Sony's dominance of the market is Google Stadia, an ambitious cloud gaming service that requires no console at all - just an internet connection. While Stadia is missing several key features as of its launch this week, the promise is that you'll be able to play the same game on your TV, your computer, and even your phone.
It sounds great, especially for people like myself who don't get a ton of time in front of the TV, but still want to play the latest and greatest big-ticket video games. At launch, the Stadia lineup includes recent hits like "Mortal Kombat 11" and "Red Dead Redemption 2," with the promise of more to come.
On paper, that sounds great. But before you commit, I urge you to consider that every single one of those PlayStation 4 consoles on the market has Remote Play, a feature built right in that might actually deliver on most of what you want out of a service like Stadia - especially given that Stadia isn't quite ready for prime-time.
There are definitely reasons to believe in the vision that Google (and Microsoft, which is previewing its own similar service, xCloud) is pitching, where all games - including multiplayer twitch-fests like Stadia launch title "Destiny 2" - will be playable from anywhere, in glorious 4K resolution.
If all you really want is to get a little bit further in "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" while you visit your family for the holidays, though, I urge you to take a look at Remote Play, which works with the PlayStation 4 you very possibly might already have. And if you don't have one, it'll cost $199 on Black Friday, bundled with three top-tier games.
And, just to reiterate, Remote Play is totally free.
