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MoHadiShibli 5335bc09ce Documentation for 1.0.0: README, guides, screenshots, GitHub files

- README: what Control4Free is and why it reaches menus and sign-in, features,
  a quick start, screenshots, requirements, limitations, credits.
- docs/: installation, playing, troubleshooting (every message the page and the
  app can show), how it works, and the WebSocket protocol.
- CONTRIBUTING.md: building, testing, code style, releasing.
- Screenshots of the page on phones and a PC and of the app, made against the
  real service built for the host, at the example address 192.168.1.20.
- Issue forms, a contact list pointing at the guides and private security
  reporting, and FUNDING.yml.
- CHANGELOG.md dated. CI now publishes this version's section of it as the
  release notes rather than the whole file.
- THIRD_PARTY.md: the DualShock 4 diagram the buttons are drawn after (CC BY
  3.0), and Apollo Save Tool for the package settings.
- Page: the Vibration setting no longer promises to buzz when a game rumbles,
  which 1.0.0 cannot do yet.

2026-10-05 15:53:01 +03:00

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Control4Free

Use your phone or PC as a PS4 controller everywhere: on the home screen, at sign-in, and in every game.

Control4Free adds up to four extra DualShock 4 controllers to a jailbroken PS4. Open its page in a browser on your network, pick a controller, and choose who's playing on the PS4's own "Who's using this controller?" screen. Play with touch, a keyboard, or the gamepad you already have: Xbox, DualSense, Switch Pro and most others work through the phone or PC. There's nothing to install on the phone or computer.

Why it's different

Controller plugins live inside games, so they can't reach the home screen or the sign-in screen. Control4Free is a GoldHEN payload that goes through Sony's own virtual-device system, the one Remote Play uses. The PS4 sees a real controller, so it works wherever a DualShock does:

on the home screen and in every menu, PS button included;
at sign-in, through the PS4's own user picker, for real users and guests alike;
in every game, with no per-game setup.

Features

Up to four controllers, from as many phones, tablets or computers as you like.
A full DualShock 4 on the screen: analog sticks, a two-finger touchpad, L3/R3, PS, Share and Options. Move, resize or hide any button with the layout editor; each device keeps its own layout.
The gamepads you already have. Connect one to the phone or PC and give it a controller. One computer can run all four.
A keyboard, with keys you can change.
Fast. Input reaches the console the moment it arrives, at a DualShock 4's own rate while you play.
An app on the PS4 that shows the address and a QR code, how many controllers are connected, and starts or stops Control4Free.
Starts by itself. One button in the app sets up GoldHEN's AutoRun, so Control4Free is ready after every restart.
On your phone's home screen, like an app.
Stays awake: your phone's screen doesn't turn off while you play.
Gets through rest mode. After the PS4 wakes up, open the page and pick your controller again.

Quick start

Download Control4Free-1.0.0.pkg from the latest release.
Install it with GoldHEN's Package Installer: Settings → Debug Settings → Game → Package Installer, from a USB drive or /data/pkg/.
Open Control4Free from Library → Applications and press Cross. It sets up auto-start and starts Control4Free.
On your phone or PC, scan the QR code or open the address shown, for example http://192.168.1.20:4264. Pick a controller, then choose your user on the TV with the D-pad and Cross.

New to GoldHEN packages? The installation guide walks through every step.

Screenshots

Home screen on a phone	On a PC	The app on the PS4

Documentation

Installation: requirements, installing, auto-start, updating, uninstalling.
Playing: signing in, touch, keyboard and gamepads, the layout editor, settings.
Troubleshooting: the messages you might see and what to do about each.
How it works: the virtual-device API, sign-in, and what runs where.
Protocol: the WebSocket protocol between the page and the console.
Security: what being open on your home network does and doesn't mean.
Contributing: building, testing and code style.
Changelog.

Requirements and compatibility

A PS4 with GoldHEN. Tested on firmware 10.01 with GoldHEN v2.4b18.10. Auto-start and starting Control4Free from GoldHEN's menu need v2.4b18.10 or later.
A phone, tablet or computer with a browser, on the same network as the PS4.
Turn off other GoldHEN controller plugins in games you play with Control4Free. A plugin that takes over a signed-in user's controller can stop games from reading the virtual ones.
A Remote Play session (chiaki-ng, for example) works alongside Control4Free.

Limitations

No rumble, light bar or motion yet. The PS4 does send rumble and light-bar changes to the virtual controllers; passing them to the phone is planned for 1.1.
One controller is added at a time. If two people pick at once, the second is asked to try again a moment later.
Rest mode signs everyone out, so controllers have to be picked again after the PS4 wakes up, just like real ones.
No pairing or password. Anyone on your network can take a free controller. Read SECURITY.md and keep port 4264 off the internet.

Support

Found a bug? Open an issue; I maintain this project and read every report. If Control4Free is useful to you, you can help keep it going on Ko-fi.

Credits

seregonwar/SplashDown: Control4Free's virtual-device code is ported from its psbutton.c, the first working use of this API on a PS4.
GoldHEN, its PayLoader and AutoRun, and the GoldHEN Plugins SDK.
ps4-payload-sdk by John Törnblom builds the payload, and the OpenOrbis PS4 Toolchain builds the app and its package.
Ghostcontrol was a research reference.
Apollo Save Tool showed the package settings that file an app under Applications.
jsmn, Project Nayuki's QR Code generator, stb_truetype and the Roboto font.
The on-screen buttons are drawn after the DualShock 4 layout diagram by Tokyoship (CC BY 3.0).

Full licence details are in THIRD_PARTY.md.

Built with AI help

Control4Free was built with the help of AI models, Claude by Anthropic and Codex by OpenAI, which worked on the code, tests and documentation with me. AI-written code can look right and still be wrong. Reviews are very welcome: if you spot AI slop (dead code, wrong assumptions, needless complexity), please open an issue or send a pull request.

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