Have you even come home eager to play the new FIFA only find the TV occupied by your sister enjoying their favorite TV soap?
The wait is killing you, isn’t it? So what if you didn’t need your TV to play your PS4? Yup, believe it or not, you can connect and play your PlayStation on your laptop screen.
Though keep in mind that the process can be a little tricky, and isn’t as easy as plugging in the HDMI cable to your laptop.
But why? What is the problem?
That is because the HDMI ports on your laptop and PS4 are output ports and cannot be converted into input ports so easily. So what can you do? Here are a couple of tricks to play PS4 on a Laptop screen.
Method 1: With a Video Capture Card
This is one of the easiest ways to turn your laptop into your new LCD for gaming but remember but your pocket might take a little hit as there are a few things that need purchasing.
Here’s what all you will need.
- Laptop
- Video Capture Card
- Internet (WIFI or Ethernet)
- File sharing enabled
- HDMI cable
Step 1: The first and foremost thing to connect your PS4 to the internet. If you have a wireless network then go to the Settings option on the menu. There you will find the Internet Connection Settings. Once you locate your WI-Fi, hit the button, and connect to it.
But I do not have a wireless connection so what do I do?
Well, in that case, you will need to connect both your laptop and PS4 using Ethernet Cables
Step 2: Next up, you will need a Video Capture Card. We recommend you go with the Elgato Game Capture Card HD60 S. It is an absolute value for money pick as it gives you Full-HD quality and the ability directly stream on Twitch, YouTube, etc. at a low cost of less than $120 (no wonder it is an Amazon best-seller).
Step 3: Once you get the video capture card, you need to connect it to your laptop. The USB and all the software needed to establish the connection correctly will be provided to you with the purchase.
Step 4: After you connect the video capture card to your laptop it needs to be hooked up to the PS4. This again is an S-Video connection cable. All you have to do is put in the HDMI cable into the HDMI-IN port on the Capture Card and HDMI-Out port on the PS4.
Step 5: Run the Capture Card software you just installed onto your laptop and turn on the PS4. The software will do a quick search and show the PS4 on the screen within 60-seconds.
Note: To enjoy the game graphics to the fullest make sure to run the software in full-screen.
And just like that, you no longer have to wait for the TV. You can turn your laptop into a screen for your PS4 anytime anywhere but note, that this method does not work with Macbooks.
So what if you have a Macbook or cannot purchase the Video capture card as of now? Well, no problem, we have another trick up our sleeves. Here’s all about it.
Here’s Video Capture Card Buying Guide you’ll find helpful
Method 2: With Remote Play (Also works with Mac)
Things you will need for this method include:
- Your Laptop
- A PS4
- USB cable or DUALSHOCK 4 USB wireless adaptor
- An Account on PlayStation Network
- Internet Connection
The Catch: One of the reasons we do not recommend this method first is that it does require a TV at first. For a few minutes only but yes, you will need your LCD as your PS4 settings require a little adjustment for streaming to your laptop.
So if you can get that access, here are the steps.
Step 1: Firstly, you need to download the Sony Remote Play app on your Windows or Mac laptop. It is easy as the files for both OS are available on the official website itself. Once the download is complete, get done with the installation which takes about a minute.
Got more than one PS4 at home? Then step 2 is important for you. But if you not, you can jump right to step 3.
Step 2: It’s time to set up the PS4 for connection.
- For that, you will need to turn one of the PS4’s into the primary console. So how do you do that? Well, switch on your PS4 and head to the Playstation Network settings available in the settings menu. There you will find the Account Management option with an option to Activate the current system as the Primary Console.
- Another thing you will have to do is make sure your PS4 has the software 3.50 or higher running on it. In case you haven’t updated it in a while just hit the System Software Update in the settings menu to download the latest updates.
Step 3: The next step is to activate the Remote Play option. For that, go into the Settings menu, select the Remote Play Connection Settings, and check the Remote Play option in case it isn’t activated. If you want access to all your games using the PS4 network then the PS4 must be turned on or at least in Rest mode.
Step 4: In all PS4’s the Rest mode is activated by default but never hurts to double-check (just in case you ever turned it off and have forgotten about it). For that, head over to the Power Save Settings option in the settings menu and activate Features Available in Rest Mode
Also, ensure that Enable Turning on PS4 from Network is checked. Remember, if this isn’t turned on, you will not be able to stream.
Step 5: You are almost there. Now that you are done tweaking the setting on your PS4, it is the turn to adjust the Remote Play settings on the laptop. The settings option is available in the left corner of the app.
The settings that you will have adjust here include the resolution, frames per second, and so on. For the best graphics and visual experience 1080p is ideal but you will need a laptop that supports Full-HD and also PS4 Pro. If you do not have either, 720P is also pretty good.
As for the frame rate, you can choose anything between a standard frame rate to 60fps. 60fps is hands down the best but remember, it also takes up a lot of your network.
Step 6: Next up, you need to activate the DUALSHOCK 4 Controller. This can be done using the USB cable used to charge the controller. But in case you have lost the charger (guilty of that), you can get a wireless USB DUALSHOCK 4 adaptor to get your controller working with your laptop.
Step 7: If you have done everything right so far you should now get a Start Option on the Remote Play app that you installed on your laptop. Hit the start button. You will then be asked to log-in to your PlayStation Network. Once logged in, the app will automatically try and locate your PS4 redirected to your PS4 home screen.
Voila, you have successfully streamed your Ps4 on your laptop. The best part about doing this is that you can now chat using the laptop’s keyboard and mic. This makes typing super easy and quick (and I guess we all know how important that is when playing with your squad 😉 ).
Step 8: Want to turn off the stream of but not your PS4? Then just press and hold the PS button on the DUALSHOCK 4 controller. A new window will open up with all the power settings. There just hit the Rest Mode option and your PS4 will go into an energy-saving mode and also shut down the stream.
Conclusion
These are all the steps needed to turn your everyday work laptop into a full-fledged gaming console by the night. In case you are facing any trouble regarding the setup, get in touch with your team by leaving a comment below. You can also use the contact form for the same.
Also, let us know if you have any other tricks up your sleeve that you think our readers would benefit from. Till then, happy gaming.
