Portable consoles are a technological element that is already a part of some users’ daily lives. But we always wanted more, right? For example, taking our Play Station 5 on a trip without worrying about whether there is a TV or not. Although this situation can be solved with some spatial gaming monitors, we always need to take advantage of what we ‘have’, right?

Did you know you can use your iPad as a console display? This problem, which is one of the biggest innovations brought to us by iPadOS 17, can be solved in a way you would never guess.

iPad as console screen? How is this possible?

Firstly, This possibility becomes reality thanks to one of the new functions included in iPadOS 17. This feature gives you the ability to use an external camera as a webcam for your iPad.

It is worth noting that this feature exists. iPadOS 17 was available in betahowever, it was confirmed to be ongoing after its launch.

How this function works consists of using an external camera or webcam and stream it to your iPad in real time. As a result, you can use it as your main camera instead of the built-in FaceTime camera.

You can now play with your console using your iPad

First of all: what do we need?

This configuration is very (very) simple. Moreover, We want to confirm that it will work with any existing consolethat is, with PS5, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch; but it will definitely work with consoles that have HDMI input.

But to do this you need the following:

• Any iPad with a USB-C port (not Lightning)
• Of course iPadOS 17
• A video capture device, just make it functional
• A video game console
• For capturers, you’ll need to download the CapturePro Mobile app or another app.

How to use your iPad as a gaming monitor

Now that we have gathered all the necessary equipment we can begin the installation. As we mentioned, this is the easy part. Just connect your console to power and plug the capture card into the HDMI cable. Connect one end of the HDMI cable to the console and the other end of the capture card to your iPad. Then turn on the console, launch the Capture Pro app, tap the “start” button and you’re done!

What are the advantages? There are some very interesting ones among them.:

• By default, game audio will be output through your iPad’s speakers. If you have a Pro model, you can enjoy the full power of its speakers.
• Since there is no lag, we can play Shooter and other games that require maximum precision. This is because you are connected directly to the console as there is no remote or cloud gaming.
• Thanks to the Stage Manager, you can play and perform some tasks. The video will not stop, but don’t get distracted.

What do you think about that? Would you give this a try? Do you think console gaming has a future on the iPad? Would you upgrade to iPadOS 17 just to try it? Honestly, this is a great feature that suits all types of people. Maybe the only thing is that you need a catcher to make it work.