Despite being intrigued by the idea of Remote Play, we’ve never had much success with it. The official app on various phones and PS Vita resulted in constant disconnections and macroblocking, rendering most games unplayable. However, after purchasing a Retroid Pocket 3+ and hearing positive things about a third-party app called PSPlay, we decided to give Remote Play another chance.
Although PSPlay costs $5.99, it’s well worth the investment. The setup is straightforward; you can wake your PS5 from Rest Mode whenever you want to play. While local connectivity barely worked with the official app, it’s flawless with PSPlay, allowing us to play PS5 games throughout our house with minimal compromises.
By reducing the streamed resolution to 720p, which is closest to the Retroid Pocket 3+’s native panel, we maintain a high-quality image with hardly any macroblocking. Although there’s some input lag, it’s almost imperceptible in 3D action games like Final Fantasy VII Remake and Hogwarts Legacy, though rhythm games requiring precise timing may pose challenges.
We initially encountered some issues with the controller profile that worked best with the Retroid Pocket 3+ because there are input differences with the DualSense. But we found that mapping some commands to combined button presses worked well enough, and the touchscreen interface can be customized to your liking.
Overall, PSPlay has transformed how we play our PS5. Although we still prefer the full-screen 4K experience, this app has made playing games in bed or casually more feasible. In theory, we’ve always liked Remote Play, but this Android app has turned it into a miniature miracle that works efficiently.
