HONG KONG – MARCH 15, 2017 – PlayMira, the critically acclaimed unofficial Sony PlayStation 4 remote play app for Apple iOS devices, has been discontinued due to legal pressure from Sony.
PlayMira allows PlayStation 4 owners to remotely play their games using an iPhone or iPad, even while away from home. Sony themselves provide remote play software for Windows, macOS and Android but they have neglected iOS users; PlayMira was intended to cater to this left out demographic. PlayMira was extremely well received, attaining a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on the App Store, was noted for its rock solid performance and gained a loyal following of users who loved being able to enjoy their PlayStation 4 games on their iPhones and iPads.
“It’s difficult to see how PlayMira was harming Sony’s interests. They allege that our app was infringing their copyrights, but in actual fact PlayMira did not facilitate any copying and legitimately purchased original PlayStation 4 games were required,” explained Paul Brown, speaking on behalf of Bitwise Solutions, the Hong Kong based company responsible for the development of PlayMira.
Now that Sony have forced the discontinuation of PlayMira, the app will receive no further updates. “This is especially unfortunate given that Sony have just released a new system software update for their PlayStation 4 console that is incompatible with PlayMira, rendering the app useless for its many existing users,” said Paul Brown. Given that Sony have killed PlayMira while not offering any official alternative, they have essentially alienated their own paying customers who have come to rely on the ability to play their PlayStation 4 games remotely using their iPhone’s and iPad’s. “I could understand this move if Sony had their own solution working for iOS, but to completely cut off iOS users from Playstation Remote [Play] is stupid. Being able to remote play on my iPhone at 1080p was literally the motivation behind my purchase of a PS4 Pro. Without it, I will be purchasing far fewer games,” said Aaron Hayman, posting on the PlayStation community forums.
Several dissatisfied users have expressed that being able to play their games on the go via PlayMira was a major factor in choosing the PlayStation 4 over competing consoles, and in light of this situation it has made the Nintendo Switch a much more attractive option given that it can be taken and played anywhere. There are mounting calls for Sony to provide their own remote play app for iOS devices so that existing PlayMira users are not penalised, and so that Sony does not risk losing customers to rivals who offer better portability which is evidently a critical factor for many users.
For full details of the situation please see the announcement from Bitwise Solutions: http://www.bitwise.hk/playmira
Bitwise Solutions is a software development company based in Hong Kong who specialise in building tailor made, innovative solutions across a variety of domains ranging from mobile apps to embedded firmware.
Media Contact
Company Name: Bitwise Solutions
Contact Person: Paul Brown
Email: info@bitwise.hk
Phone: +85264881926
Country: HongKong
Website: http://www.bitwise.hk