When Playstation launched the Portal, you were either in the camp that thought it was overpriced for a genuinely streaming only handheld, or you found proper use in it as someone who couldn’t just use your TV for Playstation whenever you wanted. Since then, discussion on alternative solutions have been passed around from streaming off your phone to using your Android handhelds as a streaming platform of its own. But now there’s a new option in town, and that’s called Asobi.
Asobi: Remote Play just dropped onto Steam as a new client to help stream from your PS4 or PS5 directly, with an additional add on for Cloud Streaming if you wanted to. You can request early access to Asobi, but there are two tiers to the software. The paid version, and the free version you get from just downloading it. The “core experience” as they call it includes:
• Connect to your own PS4® or PS5® console for remote streaming
• Sync app settings and console profiles across your devices
• Multiple local profiles for different users or setups
• 1080p / 30 fps SDR streaming
• Automatic bitrate adjustment based on your network
• Internet remote streaming support
• Console registration flow for supported consoles
• Optional cloud-streaming compatibility where available (“PlayStation Plus Premium subscription required for cloud streaming”)
Whereas if you choose to upgrade to the “full mobile experience” you’ll unlock the following options as well.
• Full controller support
• HDR video support
• 1080p / 60 fps streaming
• Upscaling up to 4K on supported displays
• Up to 120 fps output on supported monitors
• Low-latency modes
• Manual bitrate control
• Experimental FEC mode for unstable Wi-Fi networks
• Audio delay and behavior settings
• Controller haptics
• Zoom & Pan for a full-screen experience
• On-screen lightbar-style status indicator
• On-device gyro input support
• On-device haptic feedback
As it stands, having this on Steam means easy access to being able to Stream from your Playstation console or from Sony’s cloud as you see fit from any of your x86 handhelds rather than trying to power any of those PC Ports natively. While this may help feed into the digital only future that Sony is ravenously hungering for, it’s at least good to have options for those that genuinely can’t get to the disc drive anyways. If you end up giving this a try remember that it’s still in “Playtest” and work is still being done on the app to improve the experience for users. But at the rate it’s moving, I’m sure it’ll come across real well for those with good enough internet connections.
