chiaki-ng handles multiple consoles just fine: each PS5 or PS4 registers separately, and you pick which one to stream from in the main window. PS4 and PS5 can mix on the same network. The one rule to remember: registration is per console and per PSN profile — family members each need their own registration with their own Account ID.

Registering a Second Console

Repeat the normal flow for each box: enable Remote Play on the console, get the PSN Account ID (Account ID guide), enter the 8-digit PIN or use pinless local registration. Full steps: setup guide. Registered consoles all appear in chiaki-ng’s main window — double-click whichever you want to play.

PS4 + PS5 on the Same Network

No conflict: the two generations use the same discovery and registration protocol. Practical notes:

• Give each console a static local IP or DHCP reservation on your router so manual-IP fallback keeps working after reboots.
• Rest-mode wake works for both — configure each console’s power-saving settings individually.
• PS4 tops out at 1080p remote play; PS5 can go higher. Set per-console resolution in chiaki-ng’s settings.

Family Accounts: One Registration Per Profile

The PSN Account ID is tied to a PSN profile, not to the hardware. If two people share one PS5 with separate PSN accounts, each person registers the same console under their own profile — chiaki-ng stores both registrations and you choose at connect time.

Yes — chiaki-ng works over mobile data and hotel Wi-Fi, as long as your PS5 is reachable over the internet. Register the console over PSN (or set up port forwarding) before you leave, put the console in rest mode with network wake enabled, and budget your bitrate: mobile connections reward conservative settings.

How Much Data Does It Use? (The Math)

Estimate data per hour from your bitrate setting:

Before You Leave Home

• Register over PSN (not just local discovery) so the console is reachable from outside — see remote play over the internet.
• Enable rest-mode wake: PS5 Settings → System → Power Saving → Features Available in Rest Mode → Stay Connected to the Internet + Enable Turning On PS5 from Network. Full walkthrough: wake & sleep remotely.
• Wire the PS5 to your home router. Your home upload is the bottleneck for the whole trip.

Hotel & Campus Wi-Fi: The Honest VPN Note

Many hotel and campus networks block the ports remote play needs. A VPN won’t make your stream faster — it adds latency — but it can make a blocked network connect at all by tunneling past the firewall. That’s the only honest reason to use one here. Our VPN guide for remote play covers which services to consider and keeps the same honest framing.

On Bazzite OS, chiaki-ng installs exactly like it does on the Steam Deck: via Flatpak from Flathub. Bazzite is a Fedora-based, SteamOS-like Linux distro, and the chiaki-ng Flatpak (io.github.streetpea.Chiaki4deck) is distro-agnostic — if it runs on Deck, it runs on Bazzite.

Install via Flatpak

Bazzite ships with Flatpak and Flathub ready. In a terminal:

Or install it graphically from the software center (search “Chiaki”). Then register your console exactly as in our setup guide — the app is identical.

What Carries Over from Steam Deck

New to chiaki-ng on Linux generally? Start with Chiaki-ng on Steam Deck & Linux — everything there applies.

Straight talk: chiaki-ng has no official Android TV build — it has no official Android build at all. But you can still stream your PS5 to a second TV: install the original Chiaki Android app from Google Play on your Android TV / Chromecast / Fire TV stick, register your console once, and pair a controller over Bluetooth.

Setup in 4 Steps

1. Install the Chiaki Android app on your TV device

On Android TV / Google TV, open the Play Store and install Chiaki (package com.metallic.chiaki). On Fire TV sticks, sideload the APK from a trusted source — the app is open source, so prefer the project’s own releases.

2. Register your console (do this on your home network first)

Same process as anywhere: enable Remote Play on the PS5/PS4, get your PSN Account ID, enter the 8-digit PIN. Follow our setup guide — the steps are identical, only the app is different.

3. Pair a controller via Bluetooth

Put your DualSense/DualShock in pairing mode and pair it in the Android TV Bluetooth settings. The Chiaki app maps PlayStation buttons natively, so no remapping is needed for basic play.

4. Mind the network

Wire your PS5 to the router with Ethernet — this matters more than anything on the TV side. If the TV device is on Wi-Fi, use 5GHz. TV sticks with weak Wi-Fi antennas are the #1 cause of stutter here.

When This Setup Shines

The classic scenario: someone else is using the main TV and you want to keep playing in the bedroom. A $30–50 TV stick plus a controller you already own turns any spare TV into a PS5 screen — no moving the console, no long HDMI cable.

Chiaki-ng stores your registered consoles, Account IDs and preferences in a local config folder. Back it up before reinstalling or moving to a new machine and you’ll skip re-registering every console. Exact paths vary by install method — here’s where to look on each platform.

Where the Config Lives

Backup & Migration

1. Close chiaki-ng completely first — copying while it runs can grab half-written files.
2. Copy the whole Chiaki config folder to a USB stick, cloud drive, or your new machine.
3. On the new machine, install chiaki-ng first, run it once (so it creates its folders), close it, then overwrite with your backup.
4. Reopen — your consoles and registrations should be there, no PINs needed.

Streamer Privacy Option

Since v1.9.7, chiaki-ng has a streamer option that hides sensitive info (like Account IDs) from the UI — useful if you share your screen on stream or in videos. Look for it in Settings; the exact label varies by version, so use the in-app settings search if you can’t spot it.

Setting up from scratch instead? Follow the setup guide.

Uninstalling chiaki-ng is a one-liner on every platform — winget, Homebrew and Flatpak each remove it cleanly. If you’re reinstalling to fix a stubborn problem, also clear the leftover config folder so the fresh install starts truly clean instead of inheriting the broken settings.

Windows

If installed via winget:

Via Chocolatey:

Portable ZIP? Just delete the extracted folder — it keeps everything inside its own directory. The installer version can also be removed from Settings → Apps like any normal program.

macOS

If installed via Homebrew:

DMG install? Drag Chiaki-ng.app from Applications to the Trash. Either way, check for leftover preferences (see below) if you’re reinstalling to fix an issue.

Linux

Flatpak:

AppImage: just delete the .AppImage file — there’s nothing else installed. Add --delete-data to the flatpak command if you also want the app’s user data gone.

Clear Leftover Config (For a Truly Fresh Reinstall)

Uninstallers remove the app, not your settings. If you’re reinstalling because something is broken, delete (or rename, as a backup) the config folder too — exact location depends on install method; see our config files guide for where to look on each platform. Rename rather than delete if you might want your console registrations back.

Your PSN Account ID is a Base64 token that identifies your PlayStation Network profile — not your password, not your username, not your email. Chiaki-ng asks for it once, when you register your console. Since v1.6.0, the easiest way to get it is the built-in PlayStation login inside the app — no scripts, no packet sniffing.

What Exactly Is It?

It’s a fixed, Base64-encoded identifier Sony assigns to your PSN account. Chiaki-ng uses it to map your user profile across streaming sessions (saves, profiles, entitlements). You enter it during registration; the app stores it locally afterward. It is not a secret like a password — but treat it as personal anyway and don’t post it publicly.

Method 1: In-App PlayStation Login (Recommended)

1. Open chiaki-ng and start the console registration flow.
2. When asked for the Account ID, use the built-in PlayStation login option (added in v1.6.0).
3. Sign in with your PSN credentials in the app’s login window — the app fetches the Account ID for you automatically.

Method 2: Lookup Script (Manual Alternative)

The chiaki-ng project ships an open-source lookup script in its scripts/ folder on GitHub. It does the same token exchange from a terminal. Use it if you prefer not to log in through the GUI at all.

Multiple PSN Accounts?

Each PSN profile needs its own registration with its own Account ID. Register each account separately in chiaki-ng; the app keeps the registrations per profile, so family members can each set up their own. Switching users on the console means re-registering with that user’s Account ID.

Where Is It Stored?

Locally, in chiaki-ng’s config on your device — it never leaves your machine except to talk to your console and Sony during registration. Backing up your config (see config files guide) preserves it across reinstalls. Full walkthrough of the whole process: setup guide.

Most chiaki-ng audio problems — crackling, delay, or a dead microphone — come down to three things: the audio buffer size slider (adjustable in 10 ms steps), your output device choice, and on Linux, whether PipeWire is running. One hard truth up front: Bluetooth audio adds latency no setting can remove — wire up if timing matters.

1. Audio Buffer Size (The Crackling Fix)

Chiaki-ng exposes the audio buffer as a slider in Settings → Audio, adjustable in 10 ms increments. A bigger buffer resists network jitter (less crackling); a smaller buffer means less delay. Start at the default, and if you hear crackling, raise it 10–20 ms at a time until it’s clean. If audio feels late, lower it — but expect crackling to return on rough networks. For the full troubleshooting flow see fix audio crackling.

2. Output Device: Bluetooth Is the Latency Trap

This isn’t a chiaki-ng flaw — it’s physics plus Bluetooth codecs. If your Bluetooth headset feels “behind” the action, that’s why. Our headset picks for remote play favor low-latency options.

3. Microphone Input

Chiaki-ng reworked its microphone path (v1.10.0) for better reliability. If your mic doesn’t work in party chat: check Settings → Audio for the input device selector (exact labels vary by version — use the in-app panel), make sure the OS hasn’t muted the mic for the app, and on Windows check the privacy setting that lets desktop apps access the microphone.

4. Linux: PipeWire Required

On Linux, chiaki-ng needs PipeWire running — it’s also what enables DualSense haptic feedback. No PipeWire, no rumble. Most modern distros ship it by default; if audio is broken on an older setup, that’s the first thing to check. (Flatpak users have a PulseAudio fallback flag, but it disables haptics — see Linux & Deck guide.)

Every chiaki-ng keyboard shortcut lives inside the app: open Settings → Shortcuts to see the full list for your version — and remap anything you don’t like. Bindings can change between releases, so treat the in-app panel as the source of truth, not a blog post. Below is how to find what you need plus the universal tricks that work regardless of version.

The Only Table You Need

Fullscreen the Reliable Way

• Use the in-app fullscreen toggle (Settings → Shortcuts) rather than maximizing the window — true fullscreen reduces input lag slightly and hides the OS chrome.
• On Windows, Win + Shift + ←/→ moves the window between monitors if fullscreen lands on the wrong display.
• On Steam Deck in desktop mode, hold the Options/Menu button for the controller-mode overlay if the mouse disappears.
• Streaming to a TV via laptop? Set the laptop to “second screen only” (Win + P) so the stream gets the full GPU.

Remapping Tips

Pick bindings that don’t collide with your OS or handheld companion app (Armoury Crate, Legion Space). If a shortcut stops working after an update, check the Shortcuts panel first — defaults occasionally change. For the initial setup walkthrough see our setup guide.

Yes. Remote Play streams your PS5/PS4 session to another device — your phone, laptop, Deck or Portal — while the TV itself is free. The trick is embarrassingly simple: the other person switches the TV to a different HDMI input (cable box, streaming stick, another console). Your game keeps running on the PlayStation; they watch whatever they want. Everyone wins.

Why This Works

Remote Play takes over your PlayStation user session, not the TV. The console doesn’t care which HDMI input the TV is showing — it keeps rendering your game and streaming it over the network. The TV is just a display; once the other person switches it away from the PS5’s input, your stream is unaffected.

Do It in 3 Steps

1. Start your remote play session first from your device (setup guide if you haven’t registered yet).
2. Hand over the TV remote. The other person switches the TV input to their cable box / Fire Stick / Apple TV / whatever.
3. Wake the console remotely next time so nobody has to touch the TV at all — see wake & sleep your PS5 remotely.

The Limits (Read Before You Promise Anything)

• The console can’t do two things at once. While your remote session runs, the PS5 can’t play a Blu-ray, run Spotify on the TV, or broadcast — Sony reserves the console for the active session. The other person needs their own source (a separate HDMI input), not the PlayStation.
• HDMI-CEC auto-switching. Some TVs jump back to the PS5 input when the console wakes or sends a signal. If that happens, turn off HDMI-CEC / “device link” in the TV’s settings (exact menu name varies by TV brand — check your TV manual).
• Audio. Your game audio goes to your streaming device, not the TV — the other person hears only their own show. If the TV is still on the PS5 input you’ll hear the game from the TV speakers too; switch the input and it’s gone.
• One session at a time. Only one remote play session per console — you can’t have two people streaming two different games from one PS5.