Most popular PS4 emulator now has initial support for online play, no PSN required

The ShadPS4 team announced ShadNet, a new feature enabling online play for PS4 games on PC without requiring a PlayStation Network account. The feature uses RPCN-based custom servers and is now in early testing, with score tracking as the only working feature. This milestone advances PS4 emulation, potentially restoring online functionality for games no longer supported on official servers.

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Read More Table of Contents ShadNet is ready for early testing Prime Day deals Prime Day is coming — don’t miss the deals 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. Sign up for our free, weekly newsletter Subscribe By signing up, you acknowledge our privacy policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Leave this field empty if you’re human: 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. Prime Day deals Prime Day is officially here, and we've found all the best deals on tech and gaming. AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D - was $479 now $433.99 Samsung 32" Odyssey G55C - was $329 now $189 Samsung SSD 9100 PRO 2TB - was $679.99 now $349.99 Hisense 100" U7 Mini-LED - was $4,499 now $2,499.99 ASUS ROG AMD RX 9070 XT & 9800X3D Gaming PC - was $2,299.99 now $2,119.99 Prices correct as of June 23rd on Amazon.com. 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. Prime Day is coming — don’t miss the deals Get ready for exclusive savings with Prime. Ages 18–24 can get a 6-month Prime trial for $0 Start your Prime trial → 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. 1292Would you buy a bare bones Steam Machine?Would you buy a variant of the Steam Machine with no RAM and/or no SSD and install them separately to help save on costs? No, I want the Steam Machine to be complete Yes, I would buy a RAM-less version Yes, I would buy an SSD-less version I'd buy a bare bones version with neither component About the Author Abdul Haddi Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware. Load More You can trust PC Guide Our team of experts use a combination of independent consumer research, in-depth testing where appropriate - which will be flagged as such, and market analysis when recommending products, software and services. Find out how we test here. 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