5 Of The Best Uses For An Old PS4

In the history of gaming consoles, few have made an impact on the scale of Sony's PlayStation 4. Since its release in late 2013, the PS4 has become the fifth best-selling console of all time, beat out only by a few Nintendo devices and its own predecessor, the PlayStation 2. During its time in the sun before it was succeeded by the PlayStation 5, the PS4 dominated the console wars and became the home for some of the most well-regarded titles of those years. Time comes for us all, gaming consoles included, and now many PS4 units are showing signs of age.

If your PS4 is on its last legs, you may have upgraded to a new console already, or built yourself a gaming PC, or maybe even moved to Xbox or Nintendo Switch. Still, it doesn't make much sense to throw away the old PS4. Many people like to hang onto their old consoles for sentimental reasons, but even if you're not one of them, there are still plenty of things an old PS4 can be used for. 

People who aren't afraid to get creative and use their PS4 as part of a DIY project can come up with more creative uses for a modified PS4, but that's a topic for another time. Here, we'll explore the ways a PS4 can be repurposed without hacking or modifying, using the capabilities that your console already has.

Even if your PS4 is too old and feeble to run games well anymore, there's one thing it's still fantastic at, and that's being a hub for entertainment. Between its native ability to play Blu-Ray discs, its access to streaming services, local file playback, and media server apps like Plex, a PS4 can easily be repurposed as a high-end media center.

Let's start with Blu-Rays, as your PS4 might be the only thing in your home that can play them if you've got a few lying around. While Blu-Rays aren't as dead as DVDs, they're a dwindling option despite their often stellar playback quality as more and more people leave physical media behind, so it's worth hanging onto your PS4 for that functionality alone. On the flip side, the PlayStation Store is full of streaming apps from Netflix to Hulu, so a PS4 can serve the same purpose as a Roku or Google TV. If you don't already own a set-top box or HDMI dongle for streaming, the PS4 is a fantastic alternative.

You can also use your PS4's local playback capabilities to load its hard drive up with your favorite movies downloaded from ... wherever it is you get those files. The console also supports playback from a USB storage device, so if you have movies or TV shows loaded up on an external hard drive or flash drive, those should work, too.

One caveat to be aware of here is that the PS4 does support HDR, but only the PS4 Pro outputs 4K video, so those with 4K TVs may find a regular PS4 or PS4 slim to provide a lackluster experience for media playback, specifically. If you're not a pixel peeper, though, you probably won't notice the difference.

Is your PS4 too slow and laggy to play AAA games anymore? Well, its days of playing games might not be over just yet, as long as you don't mind running them remotely. Those who have upgraded to a PS5 can stream games from the newer console to a PS4, while all PS4 owners can play vintage PlayStation titles through Sony's own games streaming services on PlayStation Plus.

PS5 owners with more than one TV or gaming monitor in the house can use an old PS4 as a remote play device. Just hook the PS4 up to your secondary screen, connect it to the same Wi-Fi network as your PS5, open the PS5 Remote Play app, and select your PS5. You'll be able to configure things like frame rate and resolution to best suit your network conditions and TV or monitor, then game away. This feature can also be used for games with local multiplayer, as each PS4 connected to the game can join as a different player.

PlayStation Plus subscribers can also use their PS4 to stream older titles from previous generations of PlayStation. That includes PS4 games in addition to PS3, PS2, and PS1, which means that even if your PS4 struggles to play games locally, it might still be able to play those same titles from the cloud with a bit more grace. The one catch is that you can't stream PS5 games to a PS4 in this manner. To do that, you'll need to actually own a PS5 and use the method described in the previous paragraph.

One thing the PS4 remains great for is streaming music from Spotify, which is very well integrated into the console's software, and made extra convenient by Spotify Connect's multi-device playback management. If you've installed a sound system for your TV, those speakers might be some of the best in your house, so it makes sense that you'd want to use them for music playback. Your PS4's Spotify app makes that easy.

When logged into the PS4 Spotify app with your Spotify account, the console will appear in the list of devices in the Spotify Connect panel, and you can use the Spotify app on your phone as a remote to control playback. This means you won't need to actually interact with the PS4 very much, which may be a mercy depending on how sluggish your PS4 has become over the years.

Of course, if your TV has its own Spotify app, or if you've got another device that does — such as a PS5, a Chromecast, or a Roku device — your old PS4 isn't worth keeping around just for Spotify. But if you've been needing Spotify access on a TV that doesn't have it otherwise, that's a perfect use for a PS4 on its last legs.

If you're the kind of person who rebels against our increasingly streaming-based media diets and likes to keep your computer's hard drive full of movies, TV series, and music, you may already have heard about Plex. It's an app that lets you turn your computer into a private media server that you can access remotely from the Plex app on your phone, tablet, and your PS4. Think of it like having your own, private, personally curated version of Netflix and Spotify.

Plex does not require a subscription, but if you pay for one, you'll be able to stream from all your devices. However, you can also shell out a few bucks per-device for a lifetime license, which will probably save you money in the long run if you only plan to stream from your PS4. After you've created a Plex account and paid the piper, you can sync your computer's media library with Plex. We won't get bogged down in technical details here, but check out our guide to making and sharing a Plex library if you want to get started.

Once your library is synced with Plex, simply download the Plex app to your PS4 from the PlayStation Store, log in, and you should be able to start streaming your content right away. Keep in mind that your host computer will need to be turned on with Plex running before you can start streaming. You'll also be able to access your Plex library on other devices such as your phone and tablet.

Finally, if you don't feel your old PlayStation 4 is worth keeping for any of the uses listed above, you should properly dispose of it or donate it to charity so that it doesn't become e-waste. E-waste refers to electronics that end up in landfills, and it's a massive problem. Many of the natural materials in tech products leak toxic chemicals when they wind up in landfills, which has led to chronic health problems in children who live nearby. 

Moreover, those materials are extremely hard to extract, and we may run out of them before too long. Moreover, the labor practices used by the mines that extract these materials from the earth are rife with human rights abuses, so the more access companies have to recycled components, the less they'll need to rely on mining new ones.

To properly recycle your old electronics such as a PS4, you can possibly make some money if a repair center in your area is willing to buy it for parts. However, if you just want to toss it out, look for the nearest electronics recycling center. The website Earth911 is a great resource to start with, as you can search your ZIP Code to find a nearby recycler. You can also ask your local electronics stores such as Best Buy, Micro Center, or independent shops whether they're able to recycle your PS4.

Of course, if your PS4 isn't too broken, you can always donate it so that someone less fortunate can enjoy it. Your local Goodwill or Salvation Army are great options for this, and you can check for other charities in your area that accept electronics donations. Before disposing of or donating your PS4, make sure to factory reset it to keep your data safe.