This generation of consoles has certainly been in favor of Sony and the PS4. While the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation ended up almost full steam ahead, this time it’s not even a competition. However, the Playstation Store app is still a little awkward to use on the PS4 itself.
Navigation can be sluggish and unintuitive, and typing with a controller is never fun. Then there is the problem of finding out that the game you dreamed of is on sale, but you are far from PS4!
Luckily, you can avoid both of these scenarios thanks to the remote download feature built into PSN and PS4. If your console is connected to the Internet and configured correctly, you can initiate game downloads from anywhere in the world.
Equip your PS4
Before using the Remote Boot feature for the first time, a little prep work on the console may be required. Once you’ve properly configured your PS4 to use this feature, you don’t have to worry about it anymore, but let’s take care of it just in case.
The first thing you need to know is that your PS4 must be in “rest mode” to accept download requests. This is a low power standby mode that allows your PS4 to do all the work while you are not using it. Most people use rest mode anyway, as in this mode you can only charge the controllers and not turn off the console completely.
You can also customize the rest mode settings, which is very important. While the correct settings are enabled by default, you can double check them by going to Settings> Power Saving Settings> Set Functions Available in Rest Mode.
There are two fields to note here. The first is “Stay connected to the Internet” and the second is “Turn on PS4 from the network.” You need to enable the first before you can enable the second. [
Now go to Settings> System> Automatic Downloads. Once there, check the Application Update Files.
Everything is ready!
Start remote download
Remote start downloading
You can now remote download any PS4 game from your browser or PSN app. Since this is the most versatile solution, let’s take a look at what you need to do to get it done in a web browser.
First go to store.playstation.com and sign in to your account.
Now search for the game you want to buy. If you already have this game, you can of course skip this step.
After purchasing the game in your browser, you will be immediately asked if you want to download the game to PS4, but if you have already passed this point or decide to start downloading later, there are two easy ways to do this.
The first one simply involves finding a game that you already own on the PSN store. Instead of “Add to Cart”, you will see a “Download to PS4” button. If you click on it and follow any subsequent instructions, your PS4 will start downloading the game.
You can also initiate downloads for PS4, PS3 and Vita consoles using the Download List . Just click on your profile name on the PSN Store and then click Download List.
It lists all the games you’ve purchased on all platforms, in order of purchase. You will see a download button to the right of each header. The list is awkward to navigate, but it’s a good way to find games you’ve forgotten about.
Finally, you can manage downloads for your PS4 system remotely using the download queue . Just click on your profile name on the PSN Store and then click on Download Queue.
This will show you the download status and the order of the games you have configured for remote download. You can cancel them here if you change your mind.
Now you have everything you need to ensure that the games you want to play will be waiting for you when you get home, or simply don’t want to navigate the PSN console store.
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