Sony’s official PS Remote Play app caps PS4 streaming at 720p and 30 frames per second, a limit that hasn’t moved since the app’s earliest days. Chiaki-ng, a free and open-source client built by reverse-engineering the same streaming protocol, pushes past that ceiling to 1080p at 60fps on the same PS4 hardware, and it runs natively on Linux, Steam Deck, FreeBSD, and Nintendo Switch homebrew – four platforms Sony’s own app has never officially supported. Both tools are free. Both stream from a PS4 or PS5 you already own. The difference is what each one lets you configure, where it runs, and who controls the code doing the decoding. This comparison covers the full spec sheet, resolution and bitrate limits, setup steps, security tradeoffs, pricing, and which one actually makes sense for your hardware.
The comparison has become more relevant as handheld PC gaming has grown, since a large share of Steam Deck, Bazzite, and other Linux-handheld owners are PlayStation console owners too, and none of them can install Sony’s official client on that hardware. That gap is exactly what pushed a niche reverse-engineering project into one of the more actively starred PlayStation-adjacent tools on GitHub.
What Is Chiaki-ng?
Chiaki-ng (“next generation”) is a free, open-source client for Sony’s Remote Play streaming protocol, distributed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0). Its GitHub repository has drawn more than 2,575 stars and 225 forks, with the latest stable release, v1.10.0, published April 3, 2026. The project describes itself in its own repository as the “Next-Generation of Chiaki (the open-source remote play client for PlayStation),” and commit activity as recent as mid-July 2026 shows it’s still under active development, not an abandoned fork.
Chiaki-ng descends from the original Chiaki, created by developer Florian Märkl (known online as thestr4ng3r). That repository was archived on GitHub on March 19, 2021, and moved to a self-hosted Sourcehut instance, where Märkl has kept it in maintenance-only mode – accepting security fixes but no new features. The original project’s own documentation now points users toward chiaki-ng as the actively developed, community-driven continuation, maintained by a developer using the handle “streetpea.”
Chiaki-ng’s officially supported platforms are Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Android, and Nintendo Switch homebrew. It was previously known as “Chiaki4Deck” – a name that still survives in its official Flatpak identifier, io.github.streetpea.Chiaki4deck – reflecting its origins as a Steam Deck-focused fork before it broadened into a general-purpose client. Because it reimplements Sony’s Remote Play protocol from the outside rather than shipping Sony’s own code, chiaki-ng carries an explicit disclaimer on its GitHub page: the project “is not endorsed or certified by Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC.”
Development activity backs up the “actively maintained” claim. At the time of writing, the repository shows 45 open issues, a public GitHub Actions build pipeline covering Windows, macOS, and Linux packaging, and a community Discord server linked directly from the project’s documentation site. That’s a meaningfully different support model than a first-party app: there’s no phone line or ticketing system, but there is a public issue tracker where bug reports and firmware-compatibility problems get triaged in the open, something Sony’s closed development process doesn’t offer. The AGPL-3.0 license itself matters here too – unlike a permissive license, AGPL specifically requires that anyone who modifies the code and runs it as a network service must publish those changes, which is designed to stop a company from quietly forking chiaki-ng into a closed commercial product without contributing improvements back.
What Is Sony’s PS Remote Play?
PS Remote Play is Sony’s official, first-party application for streaming gameplay from a PS4 or PS5 console to another device over a local network or the internet. It ships free of charge and is built directly into the PlayStation ecosystem. According to Sony’s own product page, the company maintains client versions for Windows PC, Mac, Android (9.0 and up), iPhone and iPad (iOS 14 and up), and Android TV or Chromecast with Google TV (Android TV OS 12 and up). It’s also the software running inside the PlayStation Portal, Sony’s dedicated $199.99 Remote Play handheld.
Setup requires signing in with the same PSN account on both the console and the receiving device; Sony’s documentation states that “the same account for PlayStation is required to connect both consoles” when streaming between devices. No PlayStation Plus subscription is required for basic home Remote Play from a console you already own and have powered on – it’s a free feature bundled with every PS4 and PS5. A separate feature, PS5 Cloud Streaming, streams from Sony’s servers without a console powered on at home, and that one does require a PS Plus Premium subscription, but it’s a distinct product from standard Remote Play.
Sony specifies a minimum broadband connection of 5 Mbps to use Remote Play at all, with a recommended minimum of 15 Mbps for better performance. The app is closed-source and centrally maintained by Sony, with no user-facing options to select a video codec, override the automatic bitrate, or install it on an operating system Sony hasn’t built a client for – including Linux, SteamOS, or the Steam Deck.
On the input side, Sony’s app officially supports the DualSense wireless controller, the DualSense Edge, and the older DualShock 4, alongside on-screen touch controls for phones and tablets and keyboard support on Windows and Mac for games that natively support keyboard input. That first-party controller integration is also what powers the PlayStation Portal, Sony’s dedicated handheld, which is built in the literal shape of a DualSense split down the middle and has no function beyond running the official Remote Play client.
Chiaki-ng vs PS Remote Play: Full Spec Comparison
The table below lines up both clients on the specs that matter most: licensing, platform reach, resolution ceilings, and who controls the code.
| Spec | Chiaki-ng | Sony PS Remote Play |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | streetpea (open-source community) | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| License | AGPL-3.0 (source available) | Proprietary (closed source) |
| Latest version | v1.10.0 (April 3, 2026) | Not publicly versioned |
| GitHub stars | 2,575+ | Not applicable |
| Price | Free | Free |
| PS4 support | Yes | Yes |
| PS5 support | Yes | Yes |
| Max resolution, PS5 | 1080p | 1080p |
| Max resolution, PS4 | 1080p (user-configured) | 720p (hard cap) |
| Max frame rate | 60fps | 60fps on PS5, 30fps on PS4 |
| Video codecs | H.264, HEVC, HEVC HDR (PS5) | Automatic, not user-selectable |
| Bitrate control | Manually configurable | Automatic only |
| Official OS support | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Android, Switch homebrew | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Android TV/Google TV |
| Dedicated hardware | None | PlayStation Portal ($199.99) |
| Controller support | DualSense/DualShock via configuration | DualSense, DualSense Edge, DualShock 4 |
| Touch/on-screen controls | Not a primary input method | Yes, on phones and tablets |
| Community support channel | GitHub issues + Discord | Sony official support |
| Endorsed by Sony | No (explicit disclaimer) | Yes, first-party |
Platform and Device Support Compared
The single biggest structural difference between these two tools is where they’ll actually install. Sony builds PS Remote Play for the platforms most of its console owners already use day to day – Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and its own Android TV/Google TV devices – plus the PlayStation Portal, which runs a purpose-built version of the same client on dedicated hardware. What Sony has never shipped is a Linux build, which rules out native use on the Steam Deck, most single-board computers, and any BSD or Linux desktop.
Chiaki-ng exists specifically to fill that gap. Because it’s an independent reimplementation of the Remote Play protocol rather than a port of Sony’s code, its maintainers can target whatever operating system they want – which is why the project’s official platform list includes Linux, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD alongside Windows, macOS, and Android. It also has community support for Nintendo Switch homebrew, a platform Sony’s official app doesn’t touch at all. The tradeoff runs the other way for mobile: chiaki-ng’s documented platform list does not include an official iOS build, so iPhone and iPad owners who want Remote Play are better served by Sony’s app.
The two projects are simply optimizing for different audiences. Sony’s platform list reads like a consumer electronics inventory – the phone in your pocket, the TV in your living room, the laptop on your desk – because the official app has to work reliably for tens of millions of PlayStation owners with zero technical setup. Chiaki-ng’s platform list reads like an enthusiast’s hardware shelf: BSD servers, homebrew consoles, and Linux handhelds are exactly the systems a first-party consumer app has no commercial incentive to support, but that a community of developers scratching their own itch will build for anyway.
| Platform | Chiaki-ng | Sony PS Remote Play |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes, native | No official client |
| FreeBSD / OpenBSD | Yes | No |
| Android | Yes | Yes (Android 9+) |
| iOS / iPadOS | No official build | Yes (iOS 14+) |
| Android TV / Google TV | No | Yes (OS 12+) |
| Nintendo Switch (homebrew) | Yes, community | No |
| Steam Deck (Game Mode) | Yes, via Flatpak | No official client |
| PlayStation Portal | Not compatible (closed hardware) | Yes, native and required |
That last row matters if you’re weighing a hardware purchase alongside the software choice. The PlayStation Portal vs Steam Deck comparison covers Sony’s dedicated remote-play handheld in more depth, but the short version is that the Portal only runs Sony’s official client – there’s no path to install chiaki-ng or any third-party software on it, since it’s fixed-firmware hardware with no app store.
Resolution, Frame Rate, Bitrate, and Latency
Both clients top out at 1080p when streaming from a PS5 – neither offers a 4K streaming mode, since Remote Play re-encodes video in real time rather than passing through the console’s native output. Where they diverge is PS4. According to reporting from TheGamer, Sony’s official Remote Play caps PS4 sessions at 720p and 30fps, the same ceiling that applied on PS4 Pro at launch, and that limit has stayed in place through 2026. Chiaki-ng’s own configuration documentation, by contrast, walks PS4 Pro users through setting 1080p as their streaming resolution, describing the picture quality improvement over 720p as noticeable due to reduced chroma subsampling – effectively letting a PS4 Pro owner stream at the same resolution Sony reserves for PS5 in its official app.
Bitrate is the other major difference. Sony’s app selects a bitrate automatically based on its own network-quality detection, with no manual override exposed to the user. Chiaki-ng exposes bitrate as a direct setting: its documentation cites configurations as high as 30,000 Kbps (30 Mbps) for 1080p streaming on a strong connection, with a fallback of roughly 10,000 Kbps at 720p recommended for connections that struggle to sustain the higher rate. Codec selection is manual too – chiaki-ng supports H.264, HEVC (H.265), and HEVC with HDR when streaming from a PS5, letting users trade encoding efficiency for compatibility depending on their hardware’s decode support.
The codec choice isn’t cosmetic. HEVC generally encodes the same picture quality at a lower bitrate than H.264, which matters most on connections that sit near Sony’s 5 Mbps minimum, but it also demands more decoding horsepower on the receiving device – older phones or low-power hardware may handle H.264 more smoothly even at a higher bitrate. Chiaki-ng’s documentation explicitly recommends picking a hardware decoder option matched to the receiving device rather than relying on software decoding, a level of tuning guidance that simply doesn’t exist in Sony’s automatic pipeline because there’s nothing for the user to tune.
On latency, the only independently published benchmark either product has is for Sony’s side. Digital Foundry measured roughly 60-80 milliseconds of extra input lag on the PlayStation Portal under ideal conditions – a wired PS5 with the Portal sitting close to the router – which the outlet characterized as four to five frames of added delay at 60fps: tolerable in slower games, noticeable in shooters or racers. No equivalent independently published, controlled latency benchmark exists for chiaki-ng at the time of writing, so a direct milliseconds-to-milliseconds comparison isn’t possible with verified data. What can be said with confidence is that chiaki-ng’s manual bitrate and codec controls give technically inclined users a way to tune for lower latency on a known-good local network, an option Sony’s automatic-only pipeline doesn’t expose.
That gap in independent chiaki-ng benchmarking is worth being upfront about rather than papering over with an estimate. Digital Foundry and similar outlets test official, retail hardware like the PS Portal because it’s a fixed, purchasable product; chiaki-ng’s performance varies by which device is decoding the stream, which Wi-Fi chipset it’s using, and which of the manual codec and bitrate settings a given user has picked, which makes a single, citable number far harder to produce responsibly. Anyone deciding between the two on latency alone should treat Sony’s Digital Foundry figures as a known baseline and expect chiaki-ng’s real-world latency to land somewhere close to it on comparable network conditions, without treating that as a verified claim.
Setup and Pairing Process Compared
Both tools authenticate against the same underlying PSN infrastructure, but the steps to get there look different in practice.
Setting Up Chiaki-ng
On the console, Remote Play has to be turned on first: Settings > System > Remote Play, then enabling the toggle. From there, generating a pairing code is done from Settings > System > Remote Play > Link Device, which displays an 8-digit PIN valid for 300 seconds. Inside chiaki-ng, users either sign in through a “PSN Login” button, which pulls the account ID automatically, or use a “Public Lookup” option to retrieve just the PSN ID without a full account sign-in. Entering the 8-digit PIN and clicking “Register” completes the pairing. An optional “Console Pin” field lets chiaki-ng auto-fill a console-level PIN on future connections instead of re-entering it by hand every session.
Setting Up PS Remote Play
Sony’s flow is simpler by design. After enabling Remote Play in the same console settings menu, installing the official app on a supported device and signing in with the console’s PSN account is typically enough – the app finds the console automatically on the same network or, if enabled, over the internet. There’s no separate PIN-pairing step for most first-time setups, no manual bitrate configuration, and no codec picker. That simplicity is the tradeoff for the customization chiaki-ng offers: Sony’s app asks for fewer decisions but gives users fewer knobs to turn when something isn’t working well.
Security and Privacy Differences
Because chiaki-ng is released under the AGPL-3.0 license, its full source code is public and auditable – anyone can inspect exactly how it handles a PSN token, what it stores locally, and what network requests it makes, and the AGPL’s terms require that any modified, network-facing version of the code stay open too. Sony’s PS Remote Play is closed-source, so the same level of independent verification isn’t available to end users; you’re trusting Sony’s own security practices rather than a community that can read the code. Neither model is inherently unsafe, but they represent genuinely different trust structures, and privacy-conscious users tend to weight that difference heavily.
Both tools ultimately authenticate through the same PSN account system, which means account-level security hygiene matters regardless of which streaming client you choose. Shattered.io has previously covered a 2FA bypass vulnerability that affected PSN accounts broadly for roughly six months before being addressed – a reminder that the weak point in either remote-play setup is more likely to be account credentials than the streaming client itself. Strong, unique passwords and active two-factor authentication on the PSN account matter equally whether you’re using Sony’s app or chiaki-ng.
One practical security note specific to chiaki-ng: because it’s a popular open-source project, it has attracted lookalike domains. A domain check on chiaki-ng.com shows it was registered on June 30, 2026 – barely a month before this article was written – and is not affiliated with the actual project. The real chiaki-ng is only distributed through its official GitHub repository, Flathub, winget, Chocolatey, and Homebrew. Downloading remote-play software that touches your PSN credentials from an unfamiliar domain is a bad habit regardless of which client you’re after – stick to the official channels listed on the project’s GitHub page.
Pricing Compared
Neither app costs anything to download or use for standard Remote Play. The real cost differences show up in the hardware and subscriptions around them.
| Cost factor | Chiaki-ng | Sony PS Remote Play |
|---|---|---|
| App price | Free | Free |
| License | AGPL-3.0, source available | Proprietary, closed |
| PS4 or PS5 console | Required (any you own) | Required (any you own) |
| PlayStation Plus | Not required | Not required for standard Remote Play |
| Dedicated hardware | None required | Optional: PlayStation Portal, $199.99 |
| Minimum bandwidth | Same protocol, ~5 Mbps | 5 Mbps minimum, 15 Mbps recommended |
| Setup cost | $0 | $0 |
| Ongoing subscription | $0 | $0 (PS Plus Premium $19.99/mo only for separate Cloud Streaming feature) |
The practical price gap only appears if you’re also shopping for hardware. A PlayStation Portal locks you into Sony’s official client by design, since it’s the only software the device runs. Going the chiaki-ng route means using hardware you likely already own – a laptop, a Steam Deck, an existing Android phone – with no additional purchase required at all, which is part of why it’s popular among handheld-PC owners who already sank money into a device like the Steam Deck and don’t want to buy a second piece of streaming hardware.
Steam Deck and Handheld Integration
This is the use case chiaki-ng was originally built for. Its Flatpak, listed on Flathub under the app ID io.github.streetpea.Chiaki4deck, installs directly through the Discover software center in Steam Deck Desktop Mode. Once installed, it can be added as a non-Steam game from Steam’s own library screen, which makes it launchable from Gaming Mode without ever touching Desktop Mode again after initial setup – a workflow familiar to anyone who’s added tools through a Decky Loader plugin, though chiaki-ng itself installs as a standalone Flatpak rather than a Decky plugin. A 2026 update added HDR streaming support specifically for Steam Deck OLED models, letting the console’s HDR-capable panel display PS5 games streamed with the HEVC HDR codec option.
Sony’s official app has no equivalent Steam Deck integration path. Because SteamOS is a Linux distribution and Sony doesn’t build a Linux client, Steam Deck owners who want Sony’s official app are limited to running it through a Windows compatibility layer, which adds overhead and complexity that chiaki-ng’s native build avoids entirely. For any handheld running SteamOS, Bazzite, or a similar Linux-based gaming OS, chiaki-ng isn’t just the better option – for the moment, it’s close to the only practical option for PlayStation Remote Play.
Windows-based handhelds like the ROG Ally or Legion Go sit in a middle ground: because they run full Windows, Sony’s official PS Remote Play app installs and works normally on them, the same as it would on any Windows laptop. Chiaki-ng’s Windows build works there too, through the same winget or Chocolatey install used on a desktop. That means the “which client should I use” question on a Windows handheld comes down to the same resolution, bitrate, and platform tradeoffs covered throughout this comparison, rather than a hard compatibility wall – it’s only on SteamOS and other Linux-first handhelds where Sony’s app is entirely off the table and chiaki-ng becomes the only working option.
Real-World Use Cases
Steam Deck and Linux handheld owners. Anyone running SteamOS, Bazzite, or another Linux-based handheld OS has no official Sony client to fall back on, making chiaki-ng’s native Flatpak the practical default for streaming a PS5 library to a device already sitting in their hands.
PS4 Pro owners chasing better image quality. Sony’s own app locks PS4 streaming at 720p regardless of the console generation. A PS4 Pro owner who configures chiaki-ng for 1080p streaming gets a visibly sharper picture on the exact same hardware and home network.
General-purpose Linux desktop users. Sony has never shipped a Linux build of PS Remote Play. For anyone running Linux as a daily driver, chiaki-ng isn’t a preference – it’s the only option that exists.
Nintendo Switch homebrew users. Community support for Switch homebrew gives chiaki-ng a reach Sony’s app has never attempted, letting a modded Switch double as a Remote Play display.
Privacy-conscious streamers who want an auditable client. Because chiaki-ng’s full source is public under AGPL-3.0, technically minded users who want to verify exactly what a Remote Play client does with their PSN credentials and network traffic can actually read the code, rather than trusting a closed binary.
Travelers on constrained or unreliable connections. Chiaki-ng’s manual bitrate and resolution controls let a user drop to a lower, more stable configuration – say, 720p at a reduced bitrate – when streaming over hotel Wi-Fi or a mobile hotspot, rather than relying on Sony’s automatic quality detection to make that call.
Casual players who just want it to work on a phone or PlayStation Portal. None of chiaki-ng’s flexibility matters to someone who only wants to pick up a supported phone or a Portal and start playing in under a minute. That’s precisely the experience Sony’s official, zero-configuration app is built to deliver.
Multi-console households sharing one Remote Play client across devices. Because chiaki-ng runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android alike, a household with a mix of laptops and desktops running different operating systems can standardize on one client with a consistent interface, rather than relying on Sony’s separately built apps for each platform.
Developers and self-hosters who want a transparent network client. Because the entire codebase is public, developers building their own home-streaming setups, self-hosted dashboards, or automation scripts around Remote Play have an actual reference implementation to read, rather than reverse-engineering Sony’s protocol from scratch.
Migration Guide: Switching from PS Remote Play to Chiaki-ng
There’s no account data or save file to migrate between the two – both stream from the same console and the same PSN account – so switching is really just a matter of installing chiaki-ng and re-pairing it with your console. Here’s the process.
- On your PS4 or PS5, confirm Remote Play is enabled: Settings > System > Remote Play.
- Install chiaki-ng for your platform using the commands below.
- Launch chiaki-ng and either select “PSN Login” to sign in directly, or use “Public Lookup” to fetch your PSN ID without a full login.
- On the console, go to Settings > System > Remote Play > Link Device to generate an 8-digit pairing PIN. It expires after 300 seconds.
- Enter the PIN in chiaki-ng and click “Register” to complete pairing.
- Open chiaki-ng’s configuration screen and set your preferred resolution (720p or 1080p), frame rate (30 or 60fps), codec, and bitrate.
- On Steam Deck specifically, add chiaki-ng as a non-Steam game from Desktop Mode so it’s launchable directly from Gaming Mode.
- Connect to your console and confirm video and controller input are both working before uninstalling or abandoning Sony’s official app, in case you want to fall back to it.
Installation commands differ by platform. All of the following are pulled directly from chiaki-ng’s official release documentation:
# Windows (winget)
winget install --id=StreetPea.chiaki-ng -e
# Windows (Chocolatey)
choco install chiaki-ng
# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install --cask streetpea/streetpea/chiaki-ng
# Linux / Steam Deck (Flatpak via Flathub)
flatpak install flathub io.github.streetpea.Chiaki4deckKeep in mind that chiaki-ng and Sony’s app can coexist on the same PS4 or PS5 without conflict – pairing one doesn’t unpair the other, so there’s no risk in trying chiaki-ng alongside the official app rather than fully committing on day one. If video stutters or audio drops out after switching, the most common fix is lowering the bitrate one step before dropping resolution entirely – chiaki-ng’s configuration screen makes that a one-field change, whereas Sony’s app leaves the equivalent adjustment to its own automatic detection.
Pros and Cons
Chiaki-ng pros:
- Native Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and Steam Deck support Sony has never offered
- Streams PS4 at 1080p, exceeding Sony’s official 720p cap
- Manual control over resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and codec
- Fully open-source and auditable under AGPL-3.0
- Actively maintained, with a release as recent as April 2026
- Free, with no dedicated hardware purchase required
Chiaki-ng cons:
- Not endorsed or supported by Sony – no official customer support channel
- No official iOS build
- Manual PIN-pairing setup is more involved than Sony’s app for first-timers
- No independently published latency benchmark to compare against Sony’s app
- Attracts lookalike/unofficial domains that first-time users need to watch for
Sony PS Remote Play pros:
- Official first-party support from Sony
- Simple setup with minimal configuration required
- Works with the PlayStation Portal and Android TV/Google TV devices
- Full iOS and iPadOS support
- Independently benchmarked latency data available (Digital Foundry)
Sony PS Remote Play cons:
- No Linux, Steam Deck, or SteamOS client
- PS4 streaming hard-capped at 720p/30fps
- No manual bitrate or codec controls
- Closed-source, so independent code audits aren’t possible
- PS Portal hardware adds $199.99 if you want a dedicated device
Which Should You Choose?
If you own a Steam Deck or another SteamOS/Linux handheld: use chiaki-ng. It’s not just the better option, it’s effectively the only native one, since Sony has never shipped a Linux client.
If you just bought a PlayStation Portal: use Sony’s official app. The Portal only runs Sony’s client, so this isn’t optional.
If you’re streaming from a PS4 or PS4 Pro and want a sharper picture: use chiaki-ng and configure it for 1080p, since Sony’s app won’t go past 720p on PS4 hardware regardless of settings.
If you want the simplest possible setup on a phone or tablet: use Sony’s official app. Its zero-configuration approach on iOS and Android is built for exactly that.
If you care about auditable, open-source software touching your account credentials: use chiaki-ng, since its AGPL-3.0 source is fully public and independently reviewable.
If you’re on Android TV or Google TV: use Sony’s official app, since chiaki-ng doesn’t officially target that platform.
If you want granular control over bitrate and codec for a flaky connection: use chiaki-ng, whose manual settings give you a direct way to trade resolution for stability that Sony’s automatic-only pipeline doesn’t expose.
The Verdict
These aren’t really competitors chasing the same user – they’re solving different problems with the same underlying protocol. Sony’s PS Remote Play is the right default for the vast majority of PlayStation owners: it’s free, it’s built into the console, it supports iOS and Android TV where chiaki-ng doesn’t, and it’s the only option if you’ve bought a PlayStation Portal. For that audience, chiaki-ng’s manual bitrate sliders and codec pickers are unnecessary complexity.
But for the specific and fast-growing population of Steam Deck, Bazzite, and general Linux handheld owners, Sony’s app simply isn’t an option – and that’s where chiaki-ng’s 2,575-plus GitHub stars and active April 2026 release cycle matter. It’s the only client that runs natively on those devices, and it does something Sony’s own app has never done on any platform: push PS4 Remote Play from a hard 720p/30fps ceiling to a user-configurable 1080p/60fps stream. Both are free. Both are actively maintained. The real choice comes down to whether your hardware is on Sony’s supported list – and if it isn’t, chiaki-ng is less an alternative than the only real answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is chiaki-ng legal to use?
Chiaki-ng is an independent, open-source reimplementation of Sony’s Remote Play protocol; it doesn’t crack DRM or require pirated software to function, and its GitHub page carries an explicit statement that the project isn’t endorsed or certified by Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC. It has operated openly on GitHub since the original Chiaki project began, without a takedown.
Do I need PlayStation Plus to use either app?
No. Standard Remote Play from a console you own and have powered on is free with both chiaki-ng and Sony’s official app. PS Plus Premium is only required for Sony’s separate PS5 Cloud Streaming feature, which streams from Sony’s servers rather than your own console.
Can I use chiaki-ng on Steam Deck without switching to Desktop Mode every time?
Yes, once it’s installed. The Flatpak install happens in Desktop Mode, but adding chiaki-ng as a non-Steam game makes it launchable straight from Gaming Mode afterward.
Does PS Remote Play support 4K streaming?
No. Neither Sony’s official app nor chiaki-ng offers a 4K streaming mode. Both cap out at 1080p when streaming from a PS5, since Remote Play re-encodes video in real time rather than passing through the console’s native 4K output.
Is chiaki-ng safe to use with my PSN account?
Chiaki-ng’s full source code is public under the AGPL-3.0 license, so its handling of PSN credentials and network traffic can be independently audited by anyone, unlike Sony’s closed-source app. Download it only from the official GitHub repository, Flathub, winget, Chocolatey, or Homebrew – not from unofficial lookalike domains, which have started appearing given the project’s growing popularity.
Can I use chiaki-ng on Nintendo Switch?
There’s community support for running chiaki-ng on Nintendo Switch homebrew, a platform Sony’s official Remote Play app has never targeted.
What’s the difference between Chiaki, Chiaki4Deck, and chiaki-ng?
Chiaki was the original project, created by developer Florian Märkl and archived on GitHub in March 2021 in favor of maintenance-only updates on Sourcehut. Chiaki4Deck was an early Steam Deck-focused fork; that name lives on today only in chiaki-ng’s official Flatpak identifier. Chiaki-ng is the current, actively developed continuation that grew out of that fork.
Does chiaki-ng work with the PlayStation Portal?
No. The PlayStation Portal is closed hardware that only runs Sony’s official Remote Play client – there’s no app store or way to install third-party software like chiaki-ng on it.
Can I run both chiaki-ng and PS Remote Play on the same PS4 or PS5?
Yes. Pairing a console with chiaki-ng doesn’t remove or interfere with Sony’s official app, so many users keep both installed – chiaki-ng on a Steam Deck or Linux machine, and Sony’s app on a phone for quick, no-setup sessions.
Which one has better video quality on PS5?
On PS5, both are capped at the same 1080p ceiling, so the practical difference comes down to bitrate and codec choice rather than resolution. Chiaki-ng’s manual HEVC and HEVC HDR options can produce a cleaner image at a given bitrate than Sony’s automatic encoder on a strong connection, but Sony’s app requires no tuning to reach a solid baseline.
