Skip to main content

Sony is finally giving the DualShock 4 official PC support with new USB dongle

PlayStation Now coming to PC
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Sony confirmed today that PlayStation Now, the company’s game streaming service, is coming to Windows. Releasing first for European audiences (Aug 24 in the UK) and “soon after” for North America, the move marks the first time that some PlayStation properties have made the leap cross-platform.

Users of the Windows version of PlayStation Now will enjoy the same catalog of PS Now games available on the console version, including some PS3 classics like The Last of Us and entries in the Uncharted and God of War series.

Sony kept the party going with another announcement. Alongside the Windows version of PS Now, Sony also plans to release its own wireless dongle which will finally allow you to use the DualShock 4 controller on your PC. The adapter will be hitting shelves in early September for $25.

The DualShock 4 dongle will support PS4’s Remote Play feature, allowing users to play PS4 games from a PC as long as they’re connected to the local network.

It’s been a big year for PS Now. The game streaming service debuted just last June, and now boasts a catalog of over 400 games, all of which will be available for the PC on day one. The streaming service allows players to enjoy the full catalog of games for $20 a month.

Even though PS Now technically streams the game to your PC or PS4, there are still some system requirements to consider. Sony recommends the following:

  • Windows 7 (SP1), 8.1, or 10
  • 3.5 GHz Intel Core i3 or 3.8 GHz AMD A10 or faster
  • 300 MB or more of hard drive space; 2GB or more of RAM
  • Sound card; USB port

A fast internet connection is a necessity, Sony states that a minimum of five megabytes per second is required to use PS Now and recommends that you use a wired internet connection to ensure an “optimal experience.”

Editors' Recommendations

Jayce Wagner
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A staff writer for the Computing section, Jayce covers a little bit of everything -- hardware, gaming, and occasionally VR.
Here’s how to use DualShock 4 or Xbox One controllers on Apple devices
how to use dualshock 4 and xbox one controller with apple devices ps4 ios 13 support

Thanks to software updates in 2019, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners can now use their respective console controllers to play games on Apple devices.

The iOS update allows you to easily pair a DualShock 4 or select Xbox One controllers via Bluetooth with your favorite Apple products -- including the iPad, Apple TV, or any other device with the iOS 13 software installed.

Read more
Origin PC Big O hands-on review: A PC and PS4 sitting in a tree
Origin PC Big O

Console and PC gamers love only one thing more than their platform of choice; arguing about why it’s best, and everything else is the worst. It’s an ancient war, started in the days of IRC channels and forum warriors, now waged in tweetstorms and memes. This conflict obscures the simple fact that most gamers own at least one console and one PC.

Origin’s Big O embraces that fact. It calls a truce, brokers a pact, forms an alliance that some might think unholy. This is a high-end gaming PC that can be equipped with the most powerful components possible. It also contains a console of your choice. And it wraps both in a compact cube that’s smaller than most mundane desktops.
Enter the cube
Origin's original Big O concept was a massive tower of power with a PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and even Nintendo’s Switch. That first incarnation, which never came to market, was an eye-catcher. It was also far too large to be useful for even the most hardcore gamers.

Read more
Greatness is here: Minecraft on PS4 finally gets full crossplay support
minecraft

Minecraft is Better Together – Bedrock Version on PlayStation 4

In 2018, Mojang and Microsoft introduced a new version of Minecraft called the "Bedrock Edition," which unified almost all platforms and allowed players to play with their friends across PC, Xbox, mobile, and Nintendo Switch. One system left out of the fun at the time was Sony's PlayStation 4, but the game's latest update will rectify this.

Read more