Your LG TV remote can control your PlayStation 5

While the PlayStation 5 includes everything you need to get started, there are plenty of cool accessories you can buy for the console. Sony even offers a dedicated media remote so you can easily stream your favorite Netflix and Disney+ shows and movies. But you don’t need it if you own an LG TV, because their remotes are compatible with the PS5. Once you set it up, it’s true.

Technically speaking, you don’t even need an LG TV remote; any TV and remote using HDMI-Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) will do the job since they are designed to control all connected devices. In the case of an LG TV, the company calls CEC the Simplink feature, but enabling the feature depends on the TV’s operating system. Start by pressing the “Settings” button (the button with a gear symbol) on the remote and select “All Settings.” If you have a TV running 2022 webOS 22, select “General,” followed by “Devices” and finally “HDMI Settings.” Turn the “SIMPLINK (HDMI-CEC)” switch to “On”. If you have 2020 webOS 5.0, select “Connection”, then “Device Connection Settings” and finally toggle “SIMPLINK (HDMI-CEC)” to “On”.

Once the TV is set up, you need to prepare your PS5 to complete the handshake. Start by opening your console’s “Settings” menu (the gear icon in the upper right corner when you press the PS button on the controller). Scroll down and select “System”, select “HDMI” and enable “Enable HDMI Device Link”. That’s it, but if you want to turn on the console with the remote control, you also need to enable “Enable One Touch Play”. You may also need to enable “Auto Power Sync” on the TV, but when you’re done, you should be able to navigate the PlayStation with your TV remote.

Although you can control your PlayStation 5 with a controller via HDMI-CEC functionality, this is not a substitute for a real DualSense controller. And no, we don’t just mean that the PS5 DualSense is the best gamepad on the market. Granted, a TV remote has more buttons than a DualSense, but like the proprietary PlayStation media controller, you can’t play games with an LG TV remote. For this, you need a dedicated device with all the thumbsticks and shoulder buttons of a DualSense (or even a cheap third-party controller).

While some people might find it easier to navigate streaming services on the PS5 with a remote, the DualSense has some advantages that we can’t deny. For starters, all TV remotes work using infrared communication technology instead of Bluetooth. You can use a DualSense to control the PS5’s menus from anywhere in an entertainment room (as long as you’re within signal range), but if you use a remote at the wrong angle, it won’t register. Additionally, most remote controls are powered by removable batteries; If your remote goes off in the middle of a movie, you won’t be able to control the menus unless you get more. Meanwhile, if a DualSense’s battery runs out, simply plug it into the console to reconnect it.

Ultimately, an LG TV remote is yet another tool in your belt of PlayStation 5 control methods. It’s not ideal for every situation, but if someone is sitting on the other side of the TV room and wants to pause a movie, they can use the TV remote while you hold the DualSense (or vice versa). It’s always an option.