Gaming with lwgrs

The Futility of Remote Play (PS5)

One of the coolest things I've discovered since getting a PS5 last year was remote play: you could use a device, such as my iPad Air, to connect remotely to your PS5 and play games. I've successfully connected using both the standard PS5 controller, but most recently I discovered the 8BitDo SN30 Pro works perfectly as an on-the-go gaming rig.

The SN30 Pro has four "normal" buttons (mapped like the SNES), two joysticks—both of which you can press down for L3 and R3—and four shoulder buttons (R1/R2, L1/L2). There's Start and Select, which match to the PS4's "menu" button (it's not Start anymore, is it?) and the media control button (which you can use for screenshots or record gameplay). It's not quite the same as holding the DualShock controller, but it works.

So far I've tried these games:

(I can't believe I haven't written about either NHL 26 or Star Trek Resurgence — I'll have to rectify that soon.)

You can see that two of the games are sports titles, which require good timing. Especially MLB The Show—you need to swing at just the right moment to hit the ball. Depending on your settings, you can still pitch and field decently. But both of those games are incredibly frustrating to play when you are separated by two WiFi networks:

WiFi network 1 > Remote Play app > WiFi network 2 > PS5

Yes, yes, I know it will work infinitely better when you're on the same network. But that defeats the purpose of being able to game while travelling, doesn't it?

It's almost impossible to play the sports titles with any degree of success. On a few occasions I tortured myself by trying to play online match-ups in NHL 26. I don't recommend it.

But the one instance that has been successful for me is Star Trek Resurgence. That game does not require precise controls. It's more of an interactive story, and is fairly passive, rather than a traditional video game. For the most part you are selecting 1 of 3 responses with the Triangle/Square/Circle buttons which determine the next course of action. Occasionally you get some interactive movements with the joysticks and shoulder buttons, which are sometimes tricky with a remote connection.

But overall it works very well remotely and is a fun alternative to simply watching a movie or TV show.

Otherwise, Remote Play is an exercise in futility.

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