While the PlayStation 5 includes everything you need to get started, you can purchase plenty of cool accessories 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, as their remotes are compatible with the PS5. Once you set it up, that is.
Technically speaking, you don’t even need an LG TV remote; any TV and remote combo that uses HDMI-Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) will do since they are designed to control any connected devices. In the case of an LG TV, the company calls CEC the Simplink function, but enabling the feature depends on the TV’s OS. Start by pressing the “Settings” button (the button with a gear symbol) on the remote control, and select “All settings.” If you have a TV running 2022 webOS 22, then select “General,” followed by “Devices,” and finally “HDMI Settings.” Turn the toggle for “SIMPLINK (HDMI-CEC)” to “On.” If you have 2020 webOS 5.0 instead, select “Connection,” then “Device Connection Settings,” and finally toggle “SIMPLINK (HDMI-CEC)” to “On.”
Once the TV is set up, you have 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 to and select “System,” select “HDMI,” and toggle “Enable HDMI Device Link.” That’s it, but if you want to turn the console on with the remote, you should also toggle “Enable One Touch Play.” You might also have 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.
Be wary of limitations when using your LG remote to control your PlayStation 5
While you can control your PlayStation 5 with a controller via HDMI-CEC functionality, it is no replacement for an actual DualSense controller. And no, we don’t just mean that the PS5’s DualSense is the best gaming controller 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 that, 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 navigating streaming services on the PS5 easier with a remote, the DualSense has some advantages that we can’t deny. For starters, all TV remotes run on infrared communication technology instead of Bluetooth. You can use a DualSense to control the PS5’s menus from anywhere within an entertainment room (so long as you are within signal range), but if you use a remote from the wrong angle, it won’t register. Moreover, most remotes are powered by removable batteries; if your remote dies while in the middle of a movie, you won’t be able to control the menus unless you get some more. Meanwhile, if a DualSense’s battery runs out, you only need to plug it into the console to reconnect.
At the end of the day, an LG TV remote is yet another tool in your belt of PlayStation 5 control methods. It isn’t ideal for every situation, but if someone is sitting at the other end of the TV room and wants to pause a movie, they can use the TV remote while you keep the DualSense (or vice versa). It’s always an option.
