One of the greatest strengths of Alexa is, without a doubt, its wide range of integrations with third-party services and devices, which usually makes it the centerpiece of any smart home setup, as users can use it as a hub to operate all of their smart home devices from one place.
As a result, connecting as many smart devices as possible to Alexa, and controlling them through Alexa whenever possible makes the smart home experience a whole lot more convenient, especially considering that you can practically have Alexa coverage throughout the entirety of your home.
In today’s article, our topic will be the compatibility status between Sony’s PlayStation 5/PlayStation 4 gaming consoles and Alexa, in particular, where we will find out whether it’s possible to link the consoles to Alexa like many other smart devices and use Alexa to control them to add some extra convenience to the gaming experience.
So, how can you connect your PS5 or your PS4 to Alexa?
While Alexa isn’t directly compatible with the PS5 or PS4, meaning that you won’t be able to use Alexa to control your console completely, it’s possible to use your Alexa to turn your PS5 or PS4 on or off by connecting Alexa to your TV and using the HDMI-CEC feature.
Moving forward, we will dive deeper into the process of connecting a PS5 or PS4 to Alexa through the TV, find out whether it’s possible to use an Alexa (Echo) Speaker as a regular Bluetooth speaker for a PS5 or PS4, and finally, take a glance at PS5’s voice command system, which works similarly to Alexa.
How to Connect Your PS5 or PS4 to Alexa?
While turning a PS5 or PS4 on or off with the controller is already quite convenient as it is, there is no denying that being able to perform these actions with Alexa voice commands instead takes convenience to a whole new level.
Below, you can find two separate sub-sections for the methods we recommend utilizing to connect a PS5 (or PS4) to Alexa with an Alexa-compatible TV and without one; in which you can find detailed step-by-step guides that will take you through the processes and explanations of how the method works to make the connection possible.
Connecting Your PS5 or PS4 to Alexa with an Alexa-Compatible TV
If you’re the owner of an Alexa-compatible TV and already have your PS5 or PS4 connected to it, using Alexa to turn your PS5 on or off becomes a highly straightforward process that you can go through in no time.
To connect your PS5 or PS4 as the owner of an Alexa-compatible TV, the first step you will need to take is to connect your TV to Alexa. Below, you can find a step-by-step guide that will take you through this process:
- Open the Alexa application on your mobile device.
- Press the More button.
- Navigate to the Settings section.
- Navigate to the TV & Video section in Settings.
- Choose the Fire TV option.
- Press the Link Your Alexa Device button.
- Follow the on-screen instructions where you choose the Fire TV you want to link and the Alexa speakers to which it will be connected.
Now that your TV and Alexa are connected, meaning that you can turn on your TV by using Alexa voice commands, the next step is to enable HDMI-CEC, which will cause your PS5 or PS4 to be turned on once your TV turns on:
- Navigate to the Settings menu on your PS5/PS4.
- Navigate to the System section in Settings.
- (PS5 Only) Navigate to the HDMI section.
- Check/Enable the Enable HDMI Device Link checkbox/switch.
- (Optional for PS5) Enable the Power Off Link switch if you would like your PS5 to go into rest mode once you turn your TV off.
With Alexa connected to the TV and the TV connected to the console with HDMI-CEC, issuing a voice command to Alexa will turn your TV on, and the TV turning on will prompt the PS5 or PS4 to turn on as well.
Connecting Your PS5 or PS4 to Alexa without an Alexa-Compatible TV
If you don’t have access to an Alexa-compatible TV, you won’t be able to control your TV directly with Alexa, and because of this, you will require an extra piece of hardware capable of both connecting to Alexa and turning your TV on to practically act as the bridge between your TV and Alexa, known as an Alexa-compatible IR blaster.
For the purposes of this guide, we will go through the process of setting up the connection with Logitech Harmony Hub, in particular, which is one of the most popular Alexa-compatible IR blasters:
- Connect your Harmony Hub to power and the IR blaster to the hub. Ensure that the IR blaster is in sight of your TV.
- Get the Harmony app for your mobile device from Google Play or App Store.
- Press the Set Up New Hub button, and follow the instructions to initialize your Logitech Harmony Hub, which will include steps such as connecting to the wireless network and creating an account.
- Navigate to the Add Device section, and choose Entertainment Device from the list.
- Fill in the manufacturer and model information for your TV, and press the Add button.
- Test the integration using the Harmony app’s Power On/Off functionality, which will ensure you can turn the TV on and off with the IR blaster.
- Navigate to the Add Activity section, and choose the Watch TV option from the list.
- Switch to the Alexa app on your mobile device.
- Press the More button, and navigate to Skills & Games.
- Search for the “Harmony” skill, and enable it.
- Sign in with your Harmony account when prompted, and confirm any permissions.
Now that you have made it possible to turn your non-Alexa-compatible TV on with Alexa voice commands, the next step is to make your PS5 or PS4 turn on automatically once your TV turns on by using HDMI-CEC:
- Navigate to the Settings menu on your PS5/PS4.
- Navigate to the System section in Settings.
- (PS5 Only) Navigate to the HDMI section.
- Check/Enable the Enable HDMI Device Link checkbox/switch.
- (Optional for PS5) Enable the Power Off Link switch if you would like your PS5 to go into rest mode once you turn your TV off.
Once you’re done with both procedures, issuing the corresponding voice command to Alexa will prompt Alexa to send an instruction to the IR blaster (Harmony Hub in this case), which then will turn on the TV by emitting an infrared signal.
Finally, when the TV turns on, your PS5 or PS4 will turn on as well, as the HDMI-CEC feature being active will allow your TV to communicate with your PS5 or PS4 over the HDMI link.
Is It Possible to Use Alexa Speaker (Echo) with your PS5 or PS4?
As the Alexa speaker can also act as a regular Bluetooth speaker, the question of whether it’s possible to connect a PS5 or PS4 to it is a widely asked question by users who have their consoles connected to a gaming monitor that often doesn’t have speakers for sound.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to use your Alexa speaker, or for that matter, any other Bluetooth speaker or headset with your PS5 or PS4, as these devices are not supported by the Bluetooth module of your console.
While this definitely sounds like an odd decision at first, especially considering that the PS5 and the PS4 controllers connect through Bluetooth, Sony has most likely made this decision to ensure that the Bluetooth bandwidth doesn’t get overloaded with both an audio device and controllers attached to it.
That being said, if you really need to connect a Bluetooth audio device to your PS5, you can do so by purchasing a USB Bluetooth adapter that is compatible with PlayStation consoles, which will introduce a separate Bluetooth module that is capable of accommodating audio devices.
It’s worth noting that you can experience issues such as delay in sound, sound cutting out, and low-quality sound when using the Bluetooth adapter method, as the quality of the signal may not be reliable enough to transmit high-quality audio consistently due to interference.
How to Activate and Use PS5 Voice Commands as an Alexa Alternative?
While the functionality that Alexa offers for a PS5 is limited to turning the console on or off with voice commands due to there being no direct integration between PS5 and Alexa, the good news is that the PS5 does come with its own voice commands that allow you to control the console in a more extensive way.
That being said, as the PS5 voice command system doesn’t allow you to turn the console on or off, at least for now, the combination of Alexa and PS5 voice commands actually works perfectly together.
To activate the voice commands for your PS5, you can follow the step-by-step guide we have provided below:
- Open the Settings menu on your PS5.
- Navigate to the Voice Command (Preview) section.
- Enable the “Enable Voice Command” switch.
- Enable the “Listen for Hey, PlayStation!” switch.
Once you have enabled voice commands, you will be able to communicate with your PS5 by using the phrase “Hey, PlayStation”, followed by the command you would like to use.
Below, you can find a list of the voice commands that are supported by the PS5:
- Open / Go To – Starts a game or application
- Find / Search – Finds a game or application
- Pause / Resume / Rewind / Fast Forward/ Previous / Next – Allows you to control music and video
Finally, if you would like a quick reminder of the commands while using your PS5, you can always use the phrase “Hey, PlayStation, Help”, which will bring up a list of the voice commands on the screen.
Conclusion
Even though connecting your PS4 or PS5 to Alexa only comes with the benefit of being able to turn your PS4 or PS5 on or off with voice commands, there is no reason not to take advantage of this feature due to easy it is to set up.
To summarize, you can connect your PS5 or PS4 to Alexa indirectly by connecting your TV to Alexa first and then enabling HDMI-CEC to allow your TV to control the console, which will make it possible for you to turn your PS5 or PS4 on and off with Alexa voice commands along with the TV.
That being said, the fact that the PS5 comes with its own set of voice commands means that your voice command journey doesn’t have to end after turning your console on, with PS5 voice commands taking over once the console is powered on and ready.
Mark’s first real encounter with tech was when he had to format his computer with Windows 98 around the age of 6 to quickly get back to playing Heroes of Might and Magic III without having to send the computer in for a repair, which he strangely found to be rather enjoyable since it was a new challenge for him at the time.
While he has always been particularly interested in the software side of things, which eventually led to him becoming a software developer, he enjoys keeping up with the advancements in consumer electronics and smart home technology when he’s not busy coding.