JUNE 2019 MACWORLD 57lets you control games
straight through your
iPhone, but it’s essentially
a streaming service that
merely beams the games
that are playing on your
PS4 to your iPhone. The
iPhone doesn’t host the
games themselves as
you might expect from a
Nintendo Switch, so if
you don’t have a stellar
Wi-Fi signal, you’re gonna have a bad time.
But still! PS4 games on an iPhone! The
possibilities are, well, limited! Because of
the inevitable latency involved and issues
with button mapping, Remote Play is best
used for turn-based games or “walking
simulators” rather than games demanding
fast responses like Apex Legends. Even
so, it’s a cool option to have and it costs
nothing to set up if you want to try it out.
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
A PlayStation 4 running running Sony’s
6.50 firmware or higher. You’ll get the best
quality with a PlayStation Pro
An iPhone running at least iOS 12.1
The PS4 Remote Play (go.macworld.
com/remp) app installed from the App
Store
(Optional) An MFi controller such as
the Rotor Riot, the SteelSeries Nimbus, or
the Gamevice (go.macworld.com/gmvi)
HOW TO SET UP REMOTE
PLAY BETWEEN YOUR PS4
AND IPHONE- On your iPhone, install the PS4 Remote
Play app from the App Store.
2. Turn on your PS4 and log into the
desired account. If you need to update
your PS4 to the latest firmware, you can do
so by scrolling to Settings on your PS4 and
then selecting System Software Update.
3. Make sure your iPhone and PS4 are
on the same Wi-Fi network.
4. Open the PS4 Remote Play app.
Head to the Settings gear in the upper
right and log in to your PlayStation
Network account. Once you’ve done that,
go back to the main screen and hit the big
blue Start button. The app will look for
your console.
5. If it fails to connect (and it likely will if
you’re you’re on an older PS4), you’ll see a
prompt in the app asking for a code that
You’ll also have a bad time if you can’t get used to playing like
this without a controller.