Summary
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ShadPS4 launches ShadNet to emulate PSN, allowing emulated PS4 games to be played online without a PSN account.
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ShadNet uses custom RPCN servers to mimic Sony’s backend so that PS4 games can “talk” to online services.
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ShadNet is in testing: currently only score tracking works, a site account is required, and netplay is incomplete.
I’ve never written a console emulator before, but I can imagine that getting netplay working is one of the hardest parts. Games are usually shipped with special network code designed to communicate only with a specific server, and part of the emulation process involves emulating that system so people can play online.
Not all consoles or games have had their netplay emulated yet, but we just saw a big step forward on the PS4 front. The ShadPS4 emulator team has revealed the launch of ShadNet, which replaces the need for Sony’s official PlayStation Network service and allows people to play games online without an account.
ShadNet brings netplay to ShadPS4 without any of the PSN requirements
Soon you will be able to play your emulated PS4 titles online
How he saw it notebook checkThe ShadPS4 team has announced ShadNet in their website. ShadNet’s goal is to allow people to activate online features for PS4 games without needing a PSN account:
We are excited to officially announce shadnet. ShadNet will offer shadPS4 users a way to connect and play together online. This project has been in the works for a few months, but is at a stage where we can officially announce it. ShadNet is still in development and there is still a lot to do, but it is ready to be tested. Right now, only score tracking works, but feel free to try it!
To achieve this, the ShadPS4 team used RPCN, a custom server that people already use to play PS3 games online through an emulator. By creating a custom server, ShadNet acts as a substitute for Sony’s own servers, meaning that PS4 games with online capabilities can “talk” to it as they would with a normal server. Using ShadNet requires creating an account on the website and the netplay implementation is not completely finished yet, but the development team hopes to have it working soon.
