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PS4 won't work with IR remotes

Like the PS3 before it, the PlayStation 4 won't work with standard IR universal remotes.

Nic Healey Senior Editor / Australia
Nic Healey is a Senior Editor with CNET, based in the Australia office. His passions include bourbon, video games and boring strangers with photos of his cat.
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Nic Healey

Back before Blu-ray players became super cheap, the BD playback support on the PS3 was a killer feature.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

It made the PS3 a true home entertainment device, and, especially as Sony expanded the range of entertainment apps that were supported by the console, people began looking for a more traditional lounge-room-style remote to control playback.

There was one problem, however — the PS3 was remote controlled via Bluetooth rather than IR. So while Sony sold a remote for the console, you couldn't use one of the many universal remotes that were on the market.

There were workarounds, of course, with Logitech selling an IR-to-Bluetooth converter and the same company eventually including PS3 control in its later devices, such as the Harmony Smart Control.

A Sony representative has now confirmed to CNET that the PS4 will follow in its predecessor's footsteps, eschewing IR control once more.

Sony will sell a remote for the PS4 but has confirmed that the PS3 remote will not be forwards compatible. We'll wait and see what Logitech does in regard to giving PS4 support to its compatible universal remote range, but we imagine this would be on the cards in the near future.