Can You Play PS4 Games With an iPhone?

The games will work but are they playable?

Mar 11, 2019

By: Max Cannon

With technology constantly advancing, it's only a matter of time before streaming completely takes over gaming. Yep, one day you may not actually have any discs or games actually installed on your machine. Of course, we're still a bit away from that future but the latest app from PlayStation gives us a little taste of that new tech.

Remote Play is finally on iOS devices.Courtesy of BGR

Remote Play with PlayStation

Remote Play isn't a fully new idea on PlayStation even if it is new to iOS devices. With Remote Play, you can stream your PlayStation 4's gameplay to another device across the internet and take full control of the game you're playing. For example, you could have Uncharted 4 loaded onto your PS4 at home and you could access it from a mobile device like a PlayStation Vita and fully control the game through the internet connection. There's often a bit of lag that slows down the experience but when the feature was implemented on the PlayStation Vita it gave gamers a good idea of what's to come. Remote Play worked on PlayStation Vita, Sony phones, and Mac/PC systems but now that iOS devices were added into the mix, it's a good time to take another look at the feature.

Uncharted 4 - Remote Play iOS iPhone 7

The video above was taken on my own iPhone 7 while streaming my PlayStation 4 on the same internet network. While the image was definitely a bit on the blurry side, there was very little input lag while controlling the game on my phone. The one disappointing problem, however, was that the game could only be controlled through the touch screen which brings a whole host of problems alongside it. First off, I couldn't get a good look at the screen because my hands are covering the action to actually press the buttons. Also, it wasn't easy to press L2 to aim, R2 to fire, while climbing, jumping, and controlling the camera. This would have been manageable with a controller but since there's no way to connect the PS4's DualShock 4 to an iPhone it kinda kills the point of using Remote Play on an iPhone.

My own PS4's home screen streamed to my iPhone 7.

Is More Stable Streaming Soon?

The all-streaming future is happening but my brief experience with Remote Play revealed a few problems that will NEED to be solved before the feature is adopted. First, we need to have crystal clear images and no lag. Lag was minimal while playing at home but what about on the go? And my image was as blurry as can be. With faster internet speeds and upcoming 5G technology, we'll have access to stronger and faster speeds that can handle our streaming without any problems so that just leaves the other issue: controllers.

Microsoft's upcoming xCloud seems like it may solve many of streaming's problems.Courtesy of Microsoft

Despite my touch screen working for texting, typing, and browsing social media, it doesn't work very well for gaming. Controller support is an absolute must and it doesn't even have to be a PS4 controller. Physical buttons work best for gaming for a handful of reasons. Controller support is also just a matter of time but, as it currently stands, it's a huge barrier that prevents a smooth gaming experience. Stick to streaming on a PC/Mac for Remote Play due to the controller support.