At long last, Sony is extending PlayStation 4 Remote Play compatibility beyond its own Xperia and iOS phones. The company has announced the 7.00 update for the gaming console, which among other improvements, will allow any Android phone (5.0 or above) to remotely stream and play their PS4 games.
In addition, Sony is making it possible for you to connect your PS4 controller wirelessly via Bluetooth. Except for Windows PCs, the feature will be available for all Remote Play platforms. However, you will have to be on your respective operating system’s latest software update. This essentially means the Bluetooth functionality will be, for now, limited to Android 10, iOS 13, iPadOS, and MacOS Catalina.
To use Remote Play, you will have to first enable the option from your PS4’s Remote Play Connection Settings. Once that’s done, download the Remote Play app and follow the on-screen instructions.
Sony has also added a new, handy setting for iPhone and iPad users. They can now choose to actively display the controller and lock the display’s orientation while playing.
Apart from Remote Play improvements, the 7.00 update doubles the number of members a single party can hold. So you can have as many as 16 friends in one Party. Plus, for players in the United States, there’s a new Accessibility tool that can transcribe the audio chat in real time. Sony says it has patched a bunch of other multiplayer bugs and optimized network connectivity and audio quality.
While absent from the press release, the new update drops the ability to share your PS4 activity directly to Facebook. As per a Reddit post, PlayStation Asia seemingly has confirmed that the Facebook integration will be removed after October 7.
The 7.00 update will begin rolling out later this week.
Earlier this month, Sony announced it’s finally opening up cross-platform multiplayer access to all developers. A handful of studios have already updated their games to offer cross-play such as PUBG, Paladins, and Rocket League. Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, arriving later this month, will have support for cross-platform multiplayer as well.
