Most popular PS4 emulator now has initial support for online play, no PSN required
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PlayStation 4 emulation on PC has made huge progress over the past couple of years, and the team behind the popular ShadPS4 emulator has now reached another major milestone. The developers have officially announced ShadNet, a new feature that aims to bring online play to PS4 games running through the emulator, all without requiring a PlayStation Network account.
To make this possible, the developers are using technology based on RPCN, a custom server system that has already been used successfully in PS3 emulation. Instead of connecting to Sony’s official servers, compatible games will communicate with ShadNet’s own servers, removing the need for a PSN account or PlayStation Plus subscription.
ShadNet is ready for early testing
The ShadPS4 team says the project has been in development for several months and is now ready for early testing. However, it is still in its early stages, and many features are not yet finished. At the moment, users can register for an online account and test basic functionality, with score tracking currently being the only feature that works.
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The goal of ShadNet is much bigger, though. Eventually, it will allow players to connect with each other and use online features in PS4 games just like they would on real hardware.
This could be a huge step forward for PS4 emulation. Games that rely on online functionality, including co-op and multiplayer titles, may eventually become fully playable on PC through the emulator. It could even restore online features for older games that no longer receive support on official servers.
The announcement is also another reminder of how quickly ShadPS4 has progressed. Just a couple of years ago, the emulator struggled to boot many games. Today, it can run titles like Bloodborne with improved visuals and performance, and recent updates have added better settings management, local multiplayer support, improved Vulkan stability, and expanded support for PS4 Pro features.
Of course, ShadNet is still a work in progress. Users can’t yet enter their account details directly through the launcher, and full online play is not available. The developers have also not provided a release date for these features.
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