how to use laptop as monitor for ps4

NeoGamr.net is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More

Someone's on the TV already, and you have organized game night with your friends? Well, that's a nightmare. Not being able to play on a gaming console when the TV is occupied is the most annoying thing ever.

But thanks to the new technologies, now you can connect the PS4 to the laptop as well. Keep reading to know how to connect the PS4 to a laptop.

How To Play PS4 On The Laptop?

Since the launch of the Sony Playstation 4 in 2013, it has become the holy grail in the console gaming world (nothing has beat it till yet, kudos to Sony). Although the Playstation 4 has all the unicorns and rainbows, one thing that it lacks is, it's not accessible on the go.

Unlike all the tablets and smartphones, Playstation 4 can only be played when you are at home in front of the TV. But what if I tell you, Sony has considered your demand, and there are ways to be able to play the PS4 and its games on the laptop and phone.

Yes, you heard right, PS4 is now accessible to laptops and phones. There are four ways through which you can connect your PS4 to the laptop. Keep reading to know more about it.

How To Play PS4 On Laptop Screen Via Remote Play

What if I tell you that the Sony officially launched a way that can make you play PlayStation anywhere? Amazing, right? Yes, Sony has ditched all the Playstation portable thoughts and come up with a rather easy to access idea.

This new idea is to allow everyone to access the Playstation on your phone or PC. Sony named it a Remote Play. So, get your hands on this most awaited feature now in no time. Read ahead to know how you can play via Remote Play.

1.1 What Is Remote Play?

Remote Play is Sony's brand new feature, which allows you to play PlayStation 4 on compatible devices. If someone else is using the TV, no worries, you can play your favorite games now on your phone or laptop.

There are some system requirements that should be taken into consideration before downloading and installing the Remote Play. The system requirements for Windows are as follows:

Windows 10 or 8.1 (32-bit and 64-bit, both are acceptable)
Intel Core i5-560M 2.67 GHz (2.50 GHz processor also works) processor or higher
Minimum 100MB available space/storage
Minimum 2GB RAM
USB Port
Sound Card
1024×768 resolution

1.2 How To Download Remote Play On Windows

Downloading the Sony Remote Play is very simple and easy. You can download it from the official website of Sony. However, one thing that you should take care of is, selecting the appropriate operating system for your computer.

Remote Play offers two options: Mac and Windows PC. If you end up downloading the wrong version, you won't be able to install and operate it properly.

1.3 How To Set Up A PS4 For Remote Play

Now that you have downloaded the correct version for Windows let's get to setting it up.

This software allows you to play PS4 on your laptop instead of the console. The recent update (version 2.8) has come up with improved stability as well. So, if you have downloaded the Remote play recently, you'll get the updated version of it.

Here is what you can do to install the PlayStation Remote Play for Windows:

Once the software is downloaded, run the installation file. This will open a new dialog box.
The dialog box (or the installer) will show the instructions to install and set up correctly. Make sure that you also download the additional features. To download the extra features, check the appropriate options in the dialog box.

After the installation, now you have to set up your PS4 gaming console. To set up, here is what you can do:

Turn on your PlayStation 4 console and then navigate to the Settings.
Now, click the Remote Play Connection Settings.
Once the settings tab opens, select the Enable Remote Play checkbox. Doing so will enable PlayStation 4 to interact with the Remote Play software that you just installed on your PC.
Then, go back to Account Management from PS4's Settings.
Now, set the PS4 console as your primary system. Just click on the Activate as Your Primary PS4 and then click activate.

You can also use your Remote Play feature while your console is in rest mode. To set up this, follow these steps:

Go to the PlayStation 4's settings menu
Then go to Power Save Settings
Click Set Features Available in rest mode
Check the Enable Turning on PS4 from Network and Stay Connected to the Internet checkboxes

After following the above steps, you are done setting up the Remote Play on PlayStation. Now, it's time actually to play!

1.4 How To Use Remote Play And Connect PS4 To Laptop

Heat distribution plays an important role when it comes to graphics cards. You can use a preset fan speed curveball, which makes the fan decrease or increase the speed on the basis of GPU temperature.

In this way, you can safely overclock the GPU without worrying about the damages, as this feature will take care of it by determining the cooling performance when the heat builds up.

This also allows you to save presets to use them later on. In this way, this utility will automatically configure to your desired settings while switching games.

Connect laptop to ps4 using remote play

Since all the technical and tiring work of downloading, installing, and setting up the Remote Play is done, now, it's time to actually use the Remote play to run your PS4 on your laptop.

Here's what you need to do to get started with the Remote Play:

Firstly, turn on your PlayStation 4. You can also put it into rest mode if you have configured your PS4 for that mode (as instructed above).
Now, connect your controller with the laptop. There are two ways you can do that, either by using DUALSHOCK USB wireless adaptor or through the USB cable.
Open the Remote Play Software on your laptop that you previously installed.
Click the start button.
Once the window asks for your details, enter the credentials to log in to your PlayStation Network account. Make sure that you have a sound internet connection if you are going for the Remote Play. Otherwise, you'll experience delays on poor internet connection.

2. How To Play PS4 On Laptop Using HDMI And A Video Capture Card

If you don't have system requirements for the Remote play, no worries! Here is another method that is pretty simple, but it can be a little heavy on your pocket.

You can connect your laptop to the PS4 through HDMI and video capture cards. Here is a brief list of things that you need for this technique:

Laptop
Video Capture Card
Internet
HDMI cable
File sharing enabled

Now, once you are done collecting the essential things mentioned above. Let's get to configuration. Follow these steps:

Firstly, it enable file-sharing. For that, go to the PS4 settings menu. After that, navigate to the Networks Settings and then go to Internet Connection Settings. Find your internet router and connect it with that.
Then connect your video capture card to the laptop through the USB port. It is essential to install the software and drivers that come along the card to make it function properly.
Here, connect the video capture card with the PS4. To do so, make an S-video connection through connection cable. Then connect the HDMI IN on the capture card and the HDMI OUT on the PS4.
Now, open the software of video capture on the laptop and power up your PS4. The software will then search for the PS4 and display the PS4 display on the laptop screen. Do make sure that the application is running on the full screen in order to display the full resolution.

3. Connecting Playstation 4 To A Laptop Via Playstation Now

3.1 What Is Playstation Now?

Playstation Now is just like having a Playstation console gaming experience without actually having the Playstation console, interesting? Right?

Playstation Now is Sony's new gaming subscription-based service that allows you to play the PS2, PS3, and PS4 games without buying the console or the game itself.

Obviously, Playstation Now isn't free (it's $99.99 per year, which is fair enough), but it has hundreds of amazing Playstation games that are easy to access and available on your laptop without having the hassle of owning a PS4.

If you are still skeptical about the hefty payment at once and then not liking the service, say no more, Sony got that covered too. You can try and test the Playstation Now on a 7-day trial, and then if you like the service, pay for it later. Even if you don't like it, you can cancel the trial period and turn off the auto subscription as well.

Are you worried about the minimum system requirements for the Playstation Now? Don't worry. Even if you don't have the most expensive gaming machine, an average laptop will also be enough to work for the Playstation Now.

Windows 7,8.1 or 10 will work for the PS Now
Intel Core i3 with 3.5 GHz or AMD A10 with 3.8 GHz
At least 2GB Memory
Minimum 300 MB Storage

3.2 How To Download Playstation Now For Windows

Now that you know about what actually Playstation Now, it's time to download and install it in order to get you started. Follow the steps given below to download and then install the Playstation Now on your Windows Laptop:

To download the Playstation Now, head over to Sony's official website. You can also Google it with the related keywords such as download Sony PlayStation Now and then click the official website of the Sony to open the Playstation Now downloader webpage.
Once it is downloaded, open the setup wizard and click next.
Then, check to agree to the license agreement and then click next.
Navigate to your computer's folder where you want to install the Playstation Now and then click next.
Check the box to create a shortcut for the desktop and then again move forward by clicking next.
Then click on the install button.
A prompt might appear (twice) to allow this app to make changes to your drive/system. Click allow.
Then again click install, on the install popup wizard for the wireless controller, and then the Playstation Now might take a few minutes to install.
Once the installation is complete, click on finish, and then the Playstation Now will automatically launch. However, if it doesn't, you can start it manually.

3.3 How To Use PlayStation Now And Play PS4 On Laptop

First of all, select your date of birth and region along with language, then click submit.
Now, you'll find the sign-in option at the top right corner of the screen, click that. (you might have to update a few settings for this step)
Then, click on the "start free trial" from the top of the homepage of Playstation Now. This will lead you to the browser.
From the given options, either select 1-month subscription or the 12 month annual subscription according to your preference. You'll be automatically charged once your trial period ends.
Select "choose a version" option located on the left-hand side of the page.
Enter your credentials and sign in to your Sony Account. From now on, this will be the same account used for signing in to Playstation Now.
Then, again click on the "7-day trial" option.
If there are no payment billing details already saved upon your Sony Account, you'll be asked to enter the payment details according to your preferred method.
Once the payment details are registered, you can go back and play any game on Playstation Now app.

You can always cancel the subscription before the trial period ends. For that, you'll need to navigate to Sony Settings on your computer → Account Management → Account Information → PlayStation Subscription → Select the Playstation Now Subscription → Turn Off Auto Renew.

You'll also need to connect the controller to your laptop to play the games. To connect the controller to the computer, follow these steps:

Firstly, plug your controller to the laptop through the USB cable.
Now, your laptop will be showing a controller icon in the top right corner, click on that to connect the controller.
This should now connect the controller.

Final Words

Here, we are done mentioning all the three possible ways in which you can connect the Playstation 4 with the laptop. We recommend you go through each and every step written above carefully in order to set up a PS4 on the laptop.

Every option mentioned above comes with its own advantages and drawbacks. Like, having remote play is a good option but requires sound hardware, Playstation Now requires subscription thus the payment costs, and HDMI and capture cards are not so feasible in terms of quality output.

However, if you ask our personal preference, our first choice is Remote Play (thus the first on our list). Even though it requires good system specifications, but it is totally worth it. It provides an excellent quality of gaming experience right on your laptop without any worries of lag.