Destiny’s Remote Play on PS4 tweaks the controls for improved playability

By Adam Rosenberg Published September 23, 2014

Read our full Destiny review.

The PlayStation 4’s Remote Play feature is pretty fantastic most of the time. Thanks to the magic of technology, you can beam your game directly from your console to your PlayStation Vita, using the handheld as a combination controller and display device. It works really well with most of the games currently available for PS4, but sacrifices must be made whenever you stream a more complex game, like Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, that makes use of every button on the PS4 controller.

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This is the dilemma Bungie’s Destiny faces. Crazy popular game, but not one anyone would expect to really sing in Remote Play. Well think again. Bungie is aware that PS4 users might want to use Remote Play with Destiny, so the team there put extra effort into designing a control scheme specific to off-console play that makes better use of the Vita’s unique control scheme. In the video above, Sony’s Sid Shuman runs through the specifics of controlling Destiny from a Vita.

Related: PS4 Remote Play grows with support incoming on Sony’s latest Xperia products

The most notable item here: No rear touchpad controls. The Vita’s back-mounted touch-sensitive surface has its place in games built for the platform, but it hasn’t found a lot of love as a substitute for the DualShock 4’s L2/R2 buttons in Remote Play. Some developers simply swap L2/R2 commandsover to L1/R1 on the Vita, but Bungie went a step further and just cut the touchpad out completely.

You’ll be able to try all of this out for yourself soon enough. Destiny comes to PlayStation and Xbox consoles on September 9, 2014. Check out the Vita controls in the diagram below.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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Set controllers to turn off automatically
Everyone needs to take a break from a gaming session sometimes. If you plan to be away from your console for a bit, you don't want the controller to remain on for an extended period of time, as that will eat through your battery unnecessarily. As such, you should head into the PS5's system settings and adjust the power-saving option so your controllers turn off automatically.
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Turn down the controller speaker
The DualSense offers some unique in-game feedback options via a small microphone on the front of the controller. While this can increase immersion in certain games (or even act as a microphone if you don't have a headset), it can have a minor impact on your battery life. If you're not actively making use of this somewhat niche feature, head into controller settings and turn the volume all the way down to get a little extra play time.

Reduce vibration intensity
There's no denying that the DualSense provides some of the coolest haptic feedback we've ever seen, beautifully matching the feeling in your hands to events happening on screen. But all that vibration drains more power than you'd think. You can reduce this intensity in controller settings, or turn it off altogether if you prefer.
Turn off adaptive triggers
Like the haptic feedback, the DualSense's adaptive triggers are a unique and compelling addition to gaming on a PS5, granting you tension on your triggers for immersive experiences with things like firing guns or pulling large objects in-game. But unsurprisingly, this can also have a slight effect on your battery life, so if you're not terribly interested in this feature, hop into controller settings and turn it off.
Use a wireless headset
Though the DualSense features the option to use a wired headset, anything plugged into this headphone jack is drawing power. If you can possibly do so, use a wireless headset instead to stop that small but noticeable power drain on your controller.

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