iOS 13 Will Turn Your iPhone into a Mobile PS4 Thanks to DualShock 4 Support and the Remote Play App

Apple this week announced that iOS 13 and iPadOS will introduce full support for Sony's DualShock 4 controller, which is the main game controller for the PlayStation 4. This announcement, along with confirmation of Xbox One S controller support, is great for iOS gamers, but even more enticing thanks to Sony's existing Remote Play app for iOS.

iOS 13 ps4 dualshock
Released in March, the Remote Play app [Direct Link] lets you connect your iPhone or iPad to your PS4 to stream and play games while away from your living room (but still on a Wi-Fi network, because the app doesn't support cellular connectivity). At launch, the app worked well and provided a sample of what it would be like to play games like Overwatch and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey on your ‌iPhone‌, but the touchscreen controls and lack of full support for certain buttons on existing MFi controllers left many games nearly unplayable.

Now, with iOS 13 and DualShock 4 support, your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ will essentially be a portable PS4. You'll encounter all of the usual PS4-related controls, including full support for the console's dashboard, store, and user profiles. You can even allow it access to your iOS microphone to talk to your friends in a party or through game chat.

remote play KH3

We used a DualShock 4 to play Kingdom Hearts 3 on the iOS 13 developer beta

There are some downsides to the Remote Play app, including the fact that some games are not compatible with it and won't let you stream or control the game from your iOS device. But, for the games that do support Remote Play, users will have a chance to play full console titles right from their ‌iPhone‌.

DualShock 4 and Xbox One S controller support also have the ability to enhance other gaming apps, like the recently released Steam Link app for iOS. Valve's app lets you stream your Steam games to ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌, as long as your mobile device and PC are on the same Wi-Fi network. Once connected, you can use your iOS device to play Steam games, many of which already support DualShock 4 and Xbox controllers.

ios13ps4controllersupport
Microsoft is working on a mobile streaming app of its own, which could come to iOS devices as well. But, as of now, Xbox One gamers have to look into third-party options for streaming to an ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌, like the $11.99 OneCast app [Direct Link]. Similar to Sony Remote Play, OneCast streams Xbox One games to iOS devices that are connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Besides iOS 13 and iPadOS, tvOS 13 is gaining support for the DualShock 4 and Xbox One S controller as well. Apple's support for these controllers will be timed alongside the release of Apple Arcade, an all-new subscription service for iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS that will present users with high-quality games that they can play on-demand while subscribing to the platform.

Tags: PS4, Sony
Related Forum: iOS 13

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Top Rated Comments

wowotoe Avatar
80 months ago
If Sony rolls out PS Now for iOS and put more PS4 games via streaming, they will make lots of money from the monthly subscription
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
earthTOmitchel Avatar
80 months ago
This is awesome. Can't wait for iOS 13. Why isn't this on the front page?
It is now ;)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mike MA Avatar
80 months ago
Good to see Apple is obviously opening it’s ecosystem there. iPadOS made a huge step in this area as well when thinking of external drives.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacDonaldTrump Avatar
80 months ago
My iPad Pro got so much better, ios13 is a great update.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Max E Verde Avatar
80 months ago
Awesome, I thought Sony would have to update the app for this to work. Really hoping for an Apple TV Remote Play and PS Now app so I can play PS4 games in my living room without having to lug my hefty PS4 down there and set it up.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Max E Verde Avatar
80 months ago
I thought this was only for apple tv??
If you look in the feature set for iOS and iPadOS, it was barely mentioned but the controller support was extended to mobile as well.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)