At the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, there’s dribs and drabs of mobile news coming out, with Sony announcing a new service: PlayLink, which will let you use your phone or tablet as a PS4 controller.

Consoles are expensive, so having to back up and buy a few more controllers for multi-player games can be a bit rich. Sony’s PlayLink service does away with this requirement, at least for some games. Sony describes the system as

PlayLink combines your smartphone or tablet device, TV and PS4 console, with a collection of brand new games that take advantage of the smartphone or tablet device’s touchscreen and camera capabilities… PlayLink games turn your smartphone or tablet into a versatile controller – you can swipe, pinch, drag, tilt, rotate or even snap selfies and draw crafty doodles, depending on the game. No matter which title you choose from our PlayLink collection, it’s guaranteed to be a slick pick-up-and-play experience.

Playlink will use the PS4 as a hub, while a PlayLink app on your phone or tablet will let you join in selected games such as That’s You, a comedy trivia game launching on July 4th. Other games coming later this year include Hidden Agenda, Knowledge is Power, Frantics, and SingStar Celebration.

This is a step beyond the second screen experience we’ve seen with mobile devices and console games previously…and a welcome one. If you have a PS4 look out for That’s You next month if you want to try it out.

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