Use a TV remote to control PlayStation Vue on PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 3
If you watch PlayStation Vue on your PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 3, don’t use your game controller. You can easily use your TV remote instead. Why do this?
I have an Amazon Fire TV hooked up via Ethernet for the television in my living room. I didn’t want to spend any more money on hardware for the second TV in the bedroom. But I wanted to make watching television for my wife easy with our second TV. I knew she didn’t want to really mess with a game controller.
I have a PlayStation 3 that wasn’t getting much use. It got really nice Wi-Fi reception far away from our router. With this little trick, I figured out how to create a PlayStation Vue remote just by using a common TV remote.
I’m going to show you how to hook up your TV remote to your PS3 or PS4. No need to spend $20 for a PS3 remote. You don’t need it. Even if the instructions below don’t apply to your brand of television, I encourage you to browse through your menu . Chances are, there is a similar function that will let you tap use your TV remote like I do.
This kind of lifehack has been around for a while, but has become a lot more relevant now that a PS3 and PS4 console can be used for live streaming TV via PlayStation Vue.
Using Anynet+ or SIMPLINK for your PlayStation Vue remote
I have a Samsung TV that’s about six or seven years old, so I am hooking into their Anynet+ function. That’s what the instructions below are based on, and I’ll give you an extra link here as well. You can find similar features on many Sony TVs. Here’s the guide for their HDMI Control option.
LG TVs have the same thing, called SIMPLINK.
Your PS3 or PS4 console is being connected via the HDMI cable that runs from the game console to the TV. So, check this out and let me know how it works.
Create a PlayStation Vue remote control on your SAMSUNG TV
Hit MENU on your Samsung TV remote; scroll down to Anynet+ and enter then choose SETUP
Make sure the Anynet+ and Auto Off functions are turned ON. Scroll the menu to enable Device Search or go to “Searching for Connections” and click right on the remote wheel to activate
Click OK when it’s finished. The TV remote should now work for operating your PlayStation 3.
Connect your TV remote to your PS3 or PS4
Go to System settings. Make sure your HDMI Device-Link is turned ON.
That’s it. You’re done.
I sometimes have to refresh my Anynet+ connection to the remote to get it hooked up again to the PlayStation 3. Not a big deal for me. And I like the fact that I had some hardware on hand around the house to get our second TV up and running on PlayStation Vue. I knew I scored a success when I saw my wife using it the other day.
RELATED: Watch Free Live TV with these PS3 apps in 2017
This remote should work on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 units. Some readers are telling me that it doesn’t work for them because of their TV. Panasonic, for example, doesn’t seem to work for PS Vue. I’m looking into a solution for this and will update the post if and when I find something.
The price has dropped significantly with Sony remotes in recent years. And there is at least one third party option we’ve listed below.
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Founder and Editor of The Cord Cutting Report. Before launching the site in 2016, he worked for more than two decades as a staff writer or correspondent for a number of daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe. His enthusiasm for tech began with the Atari 2600. Follow @james_kimble
I was able to do something similar with a Panasonic remote, but I could never get anything to map to the PS button. That means I always have to pull out my PS4 controller to turn off the system. Any suggestions?
Yeah I have the same issue. There is no PS button equivalent on the Panasonic remote.
I’m looking into a possible solution for Panasonic TV. If someone else finds a solution, please post in comments.