Sony Just Released This Killer Feature For iOS Owners

Damien McFerran 07/03/2019 – 10:37pm

They only had to wait a few years…

It's been quite a long wait, but Sony has just released a new update for its PlayStation 4 console which enables Remote Play on iOS devices.

Remote Play isn't a new thing by any means; it's been available on the PS Vita for ages, and was enabled on the Sony Xperia Z3 four years ago. It's also available on PC and Mac computers – so you might be fooled into thinking that it's old hat.

However, this update is a pretty big deal. Firmware update 6.50 switches it on for iPhone and iPad users, so all you have to do is download the official app and you can stream PS4 gameplay to your Apple device. You'll have to use on-screen virtual buttons – which isn't ideal – but being able to stream gameplay while you're sitting on the couch is pretty cool.

Sadly for PlayStation owners, this new update doesn't bring the much-requested ability to change your PSN ID – in fact, there's not really much else here outside of the iOS streaming function. You can read the full notes here.

Sony allowing Remote Play on Apple devices is quite a concession on the part of the Japanese firm; while Sony's smartphones are hardly massive sellers, the company is still putting plenty of investment into cracking the sector, and allowing one of its biggest competitors to benefit from a 'killer app' like gameplay streaming might be seen as a sign of weakness.

However, you could argue that by rolling out Remote Play to iOS devices could well encourage the millions of iPhone and iPad users to purchase a PS4 – and that's the one device Sony can't seem to sell enough of at the moment. So, in summary, this could well be a genius move on Sony's part – so what took it so long?