Asobi gives you PS5 Remote Play on the iPhone Duo with features that Sony’s own PS Remote Play app does not have. The app added iPhone Duo support on October 22, the day before the phone went on sale, while Sony has not updated its app since September 16.
Version 2.0 of Asobi reworks the on-screen controller you use on the iPhone Duo when no gamepad is connected, and it adds Party Chat and a Live Activity for your stream. Sony’s app still handles the basics of streaming your console, but it has no features made for the foldable.
PS5 Remote Play built for iPhone Duo
When you fold the iPhone Duo into laptop mode, Asobi plays the game on the upright half and turns the flat half into the on-screen controller. A new Lens widget can sit among the buttons and show part of the game up close, such as the minimap.
Opened flat, the iPhone Duo shows the stream across its whole screen with the controller laid over the game. The October update that added iPhone Duo support, version 1.6, also brought frame generation that turns a 30 fps stream into 60 fps.
Virtual Controller 2.0 is the on-screen controller Asobi uses on iPhone and iPad. Version 2.0 brings these changes to the controller and the rest of the iPhone app.
- Haptic feedback, so you can feel the on-screen buttons
- Pill-shaped trigger buttons that you can customize
- A button type that presses two buttons at the same time
- A left stick that anchors under your thumb, with more settings for both sticks
- A Live Activity with buttons for your session while the stream runs in the background
- Music from another app playing over the game audio
- A switch to turn gyro controls off
What Sony’s app leaves out
Sony’s PS Remote Play streams your PS5 or PS4 and works with the DualShock 4, DualSense, DualSense Edge and Backbone One PlayStation Edition. You can join voice chat with your phone’s mic and type on the console with the iPhone keyboard.
Asobi also streams PlayStation Plus cloud games, so you can play from Sony’s cloud without streaming from your own console. In version 2.0, cloud play shows a trophy notification the moment you earn one, and PS4 games you own appear for cloud play in select regions.
Party Chat goes further than voice chat in Sony’s app. You can add friends, set a separate mic volume for each person and mute anyone. The party can also share a screen and send messages and images.
Your consoles and settings sync across Asobi’s apps for Mac, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro, as well as iPhone and iPad. On Apple TV, version 2.0 switches to Theatre mode, which opens on your games library and can launch games installed on your PS5.
DualSense support costs extra
Asobi is free to download and streams at 1080p and 30 fps with the on-screen controller and Backbone support. A one-time premium purchase adds HDR and 60 fps streaming, plus upscaling and up to 120 fps on supported devices.
Sony’s app supports the DualSense Edge and other PlayStation controllers for free. In Asobi, support for the DualShock 4, DualSense and DualSense Edge comes only with the premium purchase.
