PlayStation 4 Update for Remote Play on Windows and Mac Coming Wednesday

Sony has announced that system update 3.50 for the PlayStation 4 will be released on Wednesday. The update enables Remote Play on Windows and Mac computers, with a maximum resolution of 720p at 60fps.

On the PlayStation blog, Sony announces all the details about the Remote Play functionality. It is possible to stream images from the PlayStation 4 to a Windows or Mac computer at resolutions of 360p, 540p or 720p. By default, the resolution is set to 540p at 30fps, but there is also a ‘high’ option for 60fps.

The available settings depend on the speed of the connection, Sony says. While many PlayStation 4 games run in 1080p resolution, it is not possible to stream them to a computer in that format using Remote Play. It’s not known why this limitation was set, but streaming is believed to cost computing power, making the highest resolution unavailable.

When using Remote Play, the images are sent from a PlayStation 4 to a computer or laptop, so that the television or monitor the console is connected to can be used for something else. The Remote Play software supports one Dualshock 4 controller, which must be connected to the USB port of the relevant computer.

The Remote Play software to be installed on the computer will be available as soon as the system update is released and can be downloaded from Sony. The client works with Windows 8.1 and 10 or OS X versions 10.10 and 10.11.

Remote Play was already possible from the PlayStation 4 to the PlayStation TV, Vita and some Xperia smartphones. However, Sony has stopped selling the PS TV box. In early March, Sony announced that the feature would be coming to computers starting with system software 3.50. PS4 owners can update their consoles to the new software on Wednesday.