Can I use a DualSense controller with PS5 Remote Play?

PS5 Remote Play controller
PS5 Remote Play controller (Image credit: Future)

The DualSense controller is the official controller for Sony's latest console, the PS5. Sporting several improvements over the DualShock 4, the DualSense is, in fact, compatible as a PS5 Remote Play controller on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

So, if you want to take your PS5 on the go and transfer over to one of your mobile devices, you can do so with the same controller you know and love. 

John-Anthony Disotto, How To Editor for iMore.com
John-Anthony Disotto

I love playing PlayStation games remotely and there's no better way to do it than with a PS5 DualSense controller. It's as easy as connecting the controller via Bluetooth and booting up Remote Play on your iOS device!

PS5 DualSense Controller

(Image credit: Sony)

Can I use a DualSense controller with PS5 Remote Play?

Best answer: Yes, you can use a DualSense controller with PS5 Remote Play, as long as you've got a compatible device.

How to use DualSense as a PS5 Remote Play controller

The DualSense is officially supported on any iOS device with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 or later, meaning that it's perfect as a PS5 Remote Play controller. So, if you've recently picked up one of the best iPhones available, you're good to go. The DualSense is also officially supported on any Android device with Android 12 or later.

Naturally, you'll have to be using Remote Play with your PS5, not a PS4, as the DualSense won't work with the PS4. The DualSense is also compatible with the PS5 version of PlayStation Remote Play on Windows PC, as well as any Mac using macOS 11.3 or later.

Ps5 Controller Push Share And Ps Button

(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / iMore)

We've got a handy guide on using your DualSense with your iPhone or iPad wirelessly, so using the DuelSense as a PS5 Remote Play controller isn't difficult. You will miss out on some of the controller's more advanced features, though as the PS5 DualSense uses haptic feedback and adaptive triggers (opens in new tab) to alter the experience of playing a game. Both of these features are usually disabled when playing through Remote Play.

Haptic feedback uses enhanced vibrations to simulate an effect specifically, instead of just relying on rumbling various parts of the controller. As an example, in Housemarque's 2021 game Returnal, you'll feel the patter of raindrops as you move under portions of the game where rain is falling.

Meanwhile, adaptive triggers simulate various amounts of resistance, making the trigger easier or harder to pull, even providing recoil when appropriate. If you pull the trigger halfway with a shotgun in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, you'll fire one shell. Pulling the trigger down all the way will instead fire both barrels.

What else do I need for PS5 Remote Play?

In order to reliably use PS5 Remote Play, you'll want a steady Wi-Fi internet connection. While 5Mbps is the minimum required internet speed, Sony recommends having at least 15Mbps down in order to ensure your gameplay is smooth. Through our own testing, it's extremely smooth at speeds of 25Mbps down or greater.

PlayStation has added mobile data support, so if your PS5 is hooked up to a solid Wi-Fi connection, you can use data with your mobile device and play without being close to your PS5. Please keep in mind that this will use data at a rapid rate, so you'll want to set some sort of limit or warning when you're getting close to your data limit.

Your PS5 will also have to be set as your primary console. Realistically, if you only have one PlayStation console then this will be the case by default but if you're still using your PS4 as well or you have a large household with multiple consoles, then this is something you'll have to keep in mind.

John-Anthony Disotto
How To Editor

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself.

Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings.

John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. 

John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.