We explain how to use SHARE play on your PS4. Use SHARE play to share your gameplay, have a multiplayer game, or hand over the controller to a friend.
You’ve no doubt seen the advert in which a group of guys are in a game, don’t know what to do, and get their mate to help out by joining the game. The mate doesn’t own the game, but it doesn’t matter, because of SHARE play.
With SHARE play you can play with a friend as if they were in the same room. You can even invite a friend to play in a local multiplayer session over the internet even if the game does not support online multiplayer.
With SHARE play you can invite a friend to view your screen for up to 60 minutes a session. And, as the advert suggests, if you are stuck in a game you can use SHARE play to hand over your controller to a mate and let them beat that boss. The point that is being pushed in the ads is that the visitor does not need to own the game to use SHARE play. SHARE play works with the PS4 and the PSPlus. Both parties need to be online, and both need to be PlayStation friends. Oh, and games will be saved only to the host PS4. You need to worry about the connection, too: a minimum connection speed of at least 2Mbps is recommended at both sides. (See also: PS4 vs Xbox One review: Next-gen games console comparison.)
How to use SHARE play on PlayStation 4
To start SHARE play, simply hit the SHARE button on your DS4 controller.
Choose ‘Start SHARE play’ from the Share menu that pops up. You will then be given the option of inviting a friend. (If you don’t know how to make friends on PS4, we explain below.)
The friend you invite will receive an invitation on their own PS4. They accept, and the two consoles connect. At this point the 60-minute timer will start, and your visitor can watch you play. Don’t worry too much about the 60-minute limit: once the session is ended you can start another one immediately.
Now that your visitor can see your gameplay, you will want to share. First, let’s hand over the controller. Just press the SHARE button, ‘Go to Party for Share Play’ and select ‘Give Controller to Visitor’. Next, choose ‘Allow the Visitor to Play as You’. The visitor can now play the game while you watch. If they suck, press the SHARE button, and choose ‘Take Back Controller’. You have the power.
Now let’s start a local multiplayer session via SHARE play. Hit the SHARE button, and choose SHARE play. Select ‘Give Controller to Visitor’, and then ‘Play a Game Together’. Now you can play a game together or against each other – the other person’s controller acts just like a controller on your PS4. Read: Should I buy a next-gen console: Is the PS4 and Xbox One worth it?
How to make friends on PlayStation 4
First of all ask your friend in advance for their online ID. Select Friends from the function screen. It’s the icon that looks like two faces. Then choose Find (magnifying glass), and then enter the player’s online ID. From the search results, select the player to whom to send a Friend request. Select Send Friend Request from the profile screen.
You can also search among fellow players to friend someone you don’t know in the flesh. Instead of going to find, select the Player Met icon (it looks like a controller). Fellow players will appear, grouped by game or application. As before select the player to whom you want to send a Friend request, select Send Friend Request from the profile screen. See also: What is PlayStation Now?
Matt Egan is Global Editorial Director of IDG, publisher of Tech Advisor, and a passionate technology fan who writes on subjects as diverse as smartphones, internet security, social media and Windows.
