Modder/Hacker's Work Pushes Sony To Release Its Own PS4 Remote Play For PC App

from the push-it-real-good dept

When we talk about the many, nearly universally positive impact that mods and modding communities have on software and gaming, including for the makers of the original products, we typically focus on those benefits that are achieved when the modding community is embraced. These benefits can include everything from extending the life of a game to extending the original game's universe into entirely new experiences and games, making the original more attractive to buyers. But a strong modding community can have positive effects even when the original producers are recalcitrant where they should be gung-ho in meeting customer demands.

Take the case of Sony and its remote play functionality for the Playstation 4. When the console was first released, one of the most interesting features of it was its ability to be played remotely with a pretty slick experience. This would allow gamers to take their gaming on the go everywhere from just another room in their homes to on the road in another state. Unfortunately, for reasons I cannot even come close to explaining, Sony decided to limit this functionality to owners of the PSP, the portable gaming device that Sony itself has done everything to murder in the marketplace, and Sony's smart-phone line, which has the kind of market share that should result in people losing their damned jobs. As this was going on, Microsoft's Xbox One, a console which Microsoft did everything it could at launch to make it as unattractive as possible, had life breathed back into it as Windows 10 included the option for users to stream Xbox games via the operating system. Gamers want game streaming. Microsoft provided a fairly wide-ranging solution. Sony didn't.

But someone else did. Modder Twisted, who long ago modded Sony's Playstation 4 Android app to allow it to work on any Android phone, has now done the same thing for the PC. After working on it for several years, Twisted is starting to release a PC version of his remote play application, finally allowing gamers to stream PS4 via remote play to their PCs. In a break from the norm, Twisted even announced that the PC app would need to be purchased, rather than given away. Even at that, the people rejoiced.

And Sony finally decided to listen to customers.

Some people asked if we plan to provide Remote Play function to PC, and yes, we are indeed working on an official application for PC/Mac. :D — Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) November 27, 2015

Yoshida is the President of Sony's Worldwide Studios and the clamor over remote play for PCs was loud enough that he decided to say publicly that Sony was working on its own release. Would this be happening without Twisted's work? Please. One modder, even with some outside help, got this done after the better part of a year of development. Sony makes the Playstation 4, which was released two years ago. If it had wanted to embrace customer demand on its own, it would have done so long ago.

So, when you gamers out there are remote playing your PS4, make sure you give a mental note to Twisted and modding in general for pushing this along.

Filed Under: hacking, innovation, modding, ps4, remote play
Companies: sony