Any chance to play console games on a computer makes manufacturers' stomachs turn... but users enjoy it. Microsoft offers an official streaming feature for its Xbox One, but the story is quite different for the PlayStation 4. While Sony decides whether to pick up the gauntlet, we can look forward to the development of Remote Play PC, an application that will let us stream from a PS4 to the computer and play with the keyboard and mouse combo.
Backward compatibility and streaming
We all know very well the opinion of the big names regarding emulation. Even if a title is 20 or 30 years old, the idea, or rather the demand, is that we run it on the original hardware, regardless of any legitimate attempt to preserve the code. This detail inevitably leads us to what is backward compatibility. Microsoft managed to develop an official Xbox 360 emulator to run games from that console on the Xbox One, which helps us enjoy some unforgettable classics. In contrast, Sony confirmed on several occasions that there will never be support for PS3 games on the PlayStation 4, since all its chips are on PlayStation Now. At the same time, we must consider the support for streaming to a computer. The Xbox One already offers this 'out of the box', while Sony, once again, puts nothing on the table. What solutions are there for the player, then?
Remote Play PC
One that is in full development is Remote Play PC. The first steps of Remote Play were taken as an Android-compatible app, which sought to replicate the streaming compatibility of the PS4 for the PlayStation Vita, but now, its creator decided to make the jump to Windows, with notable results. In addition to offering hardware-accelerated streaming, Remote Play PC enables the player to use both the keyboard and the mouse, peripherals that usually provide much better performance in certain genres.
Once Remote Play PC is finished, the plan is to distribute it at a fixed price of ten dollars. Honestly, I think it's a real bargain if we think that this software would let us play how we want, and with the peripherals we want. On the other hand... I imagine Sony's response will not be very pleasant. So far, Remote Play PC does not involve modifications to consoles or games, but if there is some legal trick behind it, the cease and desist will not be long in coming. Personally, I hope Remote Play PC reaches a good port.
