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Sony unveiled a new gaming-oriented accessory for Xperia smartphones and PlayStation 4 console users, allowing them to connect compatible handsets to a DualShock 4 controller and play PS4 games remotely using the Remote Play streaming service. Called the Sony X Mount, the gadget will launch in June at an unspecified price but before this happens, Sony appears to be looking for a thousand early adopters in Japan for the purpose of testing the device and possibly further improving it based on feedback. The registration process will end on May 20 and all potential participants need to own a compatible Xperia smartphone along with a PS4 console.
As for compatibility, Sony lists a fairly large number of devices designed to work with the Sony X Mount, but apparently, none of the OEM’s latest Xperia XZ2 smartphones adopting the new design language have made the cut. At present, the list of compatible smartphones includes the Xperia XZ, Xperia XZ1, Xperia XZ1 Compact, Xperia XZs, and the Xperia X Performance, as well as the Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Premium, and the Xperia Z5 Compact. The ability to stream content from a PS4 to a Sony-made Android smartphone is not something specific to the X Mount but rather the existing PS4 Remote Play application available on the Google Play Store. The app allows users to stream games from their consoles to their smartphones over Wi-Fi and control them using the DualShock 4, so having said that, it’s unclear whether the Sony X Mount adds any other functionality aside from the ability to physically clamp a compatible smartphone onto the DualShock 4, which was already possible with third-party accessories.
Sony fans from Japan who might want to sign up for the early adopter program should be able to do so through the Xperia Lounge Japan application which can either be found pre-loaded on Xperia devices or installed via the Google Play Store, and participants will be required to post their impressions of the X Mount on social networks including Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. The X Mount is planned to launch in early June, though it remains to be seen if it eventually makes its way to the West as well.
