How to Connect PS4 to Laptop for Streaming?

How annoying is it when you want to start gaming on your PlayStation 4 but someone else has already occupied the television? A lot. But you don’t have to rage around for no reason especially when there’s a solution for this very problem.

That’s right, if you have the best laptop for live streaming, it will be able to broadcast your PlayStation 4 screen just like your television.

The best thing about this? The process isn’t even complicated. It’s as simple as it gets, but you’ll need to ensure that you have a laptop that can support this process.

So without further ado, let’s get right into the whole process.

Streaming PS4 Games to PC and Mac Devices

Recently, the developers of the popular PlayStation 4 console launched an update. Via this, users can now use the Remote Play feature to stream or broadcast their gaming experiences directly to their PCs, Laptops, and Macs.

Setting up the Remote Play experience is quite simple and only requires users to follow a set of simple rules.

Here’s how you can do it in the simplest manner possible:

1. Update your PlayStation 4 Console

The first step requires you to check and see if there are new updates available for your console. You would need to do this to enjoy the benefits of the Remote Play feature.

If you skip this step, you might not be able to broadcast anything on your PC or laptop.

Here’s how you can do it –

1. Go to the console’s Settings.
2. Locate and go to System Software Update.
3. Check if any updates are available.
4. Select Update if you see any pending updates.
5. If there are no new updates available, move on to the next step.

2. Turn on the Remote Play Feature on your PS4 Console

The second step is where the broadcasting process starts. For that, you’ll need to initially turn on the feature that would allow you to go through with the process.

Here’s how you can turn on the Remote Play setting on your console –

1. Go to your console’s Settings.
2. Locate and select Remote Play Connection Settings.
3. Find the option Enable Remote Play.
4. Check the box next to that option.

3. Make Sure that the PS4 Console is Set as your Primary System

Most users, irrespective of needs, already turn on this setting. There are several benefits to setting PS4 as one’s primary system, and several downsides should you skip the step. For this process, however, doing this is necessary.

Here’s what you need to do to set your console as a primary system –

1. Go to your PlayStation 4’s Settings.
2. Locate and select PlayStation Network/Account Management.
3. Find the option Activate As Your Primary PS4.
4. Either check the box next to that option or click on that option.
5. Tap on Activate if prompted.

4. Optimize your PlayStation 4’s Settings for the Experience

For this part, you’ll need to tinker with your console settings. Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to do anything that might hamper the performance of your beloved PS4. We only want to make sure that your console’s power settings are optimized to prevent any malfunction, lagging, or other issues.

Here’s how you can alter the power settings of your console –

1. Go to your PlayStation 4’s Settings.
2. Find, locate, and click on Power Save Settings.
3. Find and click on Set Feature Available in Rest Mode.
4. Find the box that says Stay Connected to the Internet.
5. Make sure that box is always checked before you broadcast your stream onto a PC or a laptop.
6. Find the box that says Enable Turning on PS4 from Network.
7. Make sure that box is always checked before you broadcast your stream onto a PC or a laptop.

5. Installing Remote Play on your Laptop

If you’ve followed all the steps that we mentioned above, then we can move on to the second phase of the process.

We’ve done everything that we need to on our PlayStation 4 console. Now, it’s time to work on the device where we want to stream our PS4 content. For that, we’ll need to initially install and set up Remote Play on the device.

Here’s how we can do that –

1. Download the Sony Remote Play software on your laptop. You can get the application directly from the PlayStation website easily.
2. Take note of the prompts, follow all the instructions, and install the software on your laptop.

6. Start Streaming

The entire process is more or less done. All you need to do now is access your PlayStation broadcast directly from your laptop. This is not possible without the correct installation of the Remote Play software, so make sure that you have followed the last step carefully.

After setting up the software, here’s what you need to do to stream your PlayStation games on your laptop without any issues –

1. Open the Remote Play software on your laptop.
2. On the home screen of the software, click on the Start button.
3. Find and select the Sign In section and login into your PlayStation account.
4. The software will then automatically try to find your system. There should be no complications in this process if the PlayStation is turned on or is sitting in Rest Mode. If complications arise, ensure that you’ve followed all the steps carefully and that the PS4 console is connected to the internet.
5. Use a micro-USB to connect your DualShock controller to the laptop and start streaming/gaming on your laptop.

As we mentioned, the entire process is made easy because of the Remote Play feature. There are no complicated steps, no lengthy procedures, or risky third-party extensions. Everything mentioned in this guide is purely official and safe.

Follow these instructions carefully to ensure the best streaming experience. Otherwise, you might experience some amount of glitches and lag.

Prerequisites for Streaming PS4 on a Laptop

Broadcasting your PS4 screen on a laptop is not as simple as it sounds, irrespective of the simplicity of the steps. The process might take a toll on your device if it does not have the required hardware or software specifications.

So what’s required for the Remote Play feature to work smoothly? Not much, honestly. All you need is a device that ideally uses Windows 8.1 or higher. It should be running on a minimum of 2GB of RAM with a decent processor – at least 2.4GHz Core i5-520M.

There should be a stable internet connection as well. We recommend upload and download speeds ranging from around 10 MBPS to 12 MBPS at least.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it. With our guide, you can easily turn on the Remote Play feature to stream PS4 on your laptop. We also mentioned the minimum hardware and software specifications required to enjoy this process smoothly. We hope that we were able to help you in the process.