Smartphone and console gaming using Playlink

[Harrison]

There is a technology released for the PS4 and working on PS5 called Playlink.

https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/accessories/playlink/

This uses the playlink technology to link your smartphones to a Playstation to use as controllers. This only works with supported games.

This is a brilliant idea for multiplayer games, such as boardgames and card games where you don't want the other players to see your cards.

I've tested it with Ticket to Ride and it works really well. You see your train and destination cards on your phone and your moves are shown on the PS4/5.

There are other games that support this such as Uno. But I've not tried this yet. Games like Monopoly would also work really well.

This would also work brilliantly for multiplayer local stategy games and RPG stategy card games. I hope more devs explore this and it doesn't get abandoned.

The only limitation is the need to download the corresponding app for the game from the Apple or Android stores, so it will only work whilst the apps are available and compatible with the mobile OS. So this isn't going to work forever, other then keeping older smartphones with the apps installed specifically for this.

This is sort of an evolution from similar attempts in the past. Closest would be the Wii-U and it control with a screen. And going back further the Gamecube linked to GBAs, but the only game to really utilise that was Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. It even back further to the Dreamcast with it VMU memory card with the little LCD display. I've always through a separate controller screen was a great idea, and utilising smartphones is a logical solution now most people have one. Friends can just install the app and join the game.

I wonder if anything uses Smartphones on Xbox or PC?

[Demon Cleaner]

I'm using PlayLink since the PS4 came out, there was the free game with it called That's You, quite funny. Other games I use(d) to play are trivia or quiz games like Knowledge is Power, Knowledge is Power: Decades, It's Quiz Time or games like Frantics, Planet of the Apes and also Hidden Agenda which is quite interesting but we didn't play it that far yet, have to restart once. The Jackbox party games also work via PlayLink and they're a lot of fun in a group.

[J T]

We bought a WiiU about 18 month ago.

It's a neat little console and that gamepad with screen lead to some really interesting bits in games, although it was still a bit niche and didn't gain much traction, which seems like a shame. Nintendoland and WiiU party (it maybe was called somethign simialr but not exactly that) introduced a few neat bits.

- A hide and seek game, where the 'hider' used the pad and the rest of the players had the big screen
- 2 player games where both players get a full screen.
- A board game where the player on the pad gets to control the environment and movements of pieces that aren't under direct control of the other players.
- Using the touch screen to lay out levels in Mario Maker was fab and intuitive

As neat as they were, though, they weren't system sellers.

Using smartphones to link up by 'playlink' seems clever, especially for quiz games. I used to love a bit of those 'Buzz!' quiz games on PS2.