DLsite Tests Mobile Streaming for Doujin PC Games

EISYS, the company behind Japanese digital content platform DLsite, has launched a time-limited experiment allowing users to play doujin PC games on smartphones and tablets. The campaign, called “DLsite’s Big Experiment: PC games on your phone?! Experience the future!,” runs until November 30 at noon Japan time.

The new service lets players access any PC game they’ve purchased on DLsite through their mobile devices at no extra cost. Games run through DLsite GamePlay, a cloud streaming web application that requires no downloads or installation. According to the announcement, the experiment addresses a growing gap in device ownership. As smartphone users far outnumber PC owners in Japan, DLsite aims to make doujin games more accessible and expand the reach of Japan’s independent game development scene.

Over 20,000 titles which is more than half of all PC doujin games sold on DLsite are part of the campaign. To play, users visit the DLsite GamePlay website and log in with their viviON ID. Purchased eligible games automatically show up in their library. There are some limitations to note. Save data doesn’t transfer between PC and mobile since each platform creates its own separate save file.

The service works best on certain devices and network conditions. For iOS, its recommended to use an iPhone 11 or newer models, iPhone XS/XS Max/XR, or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later) with at least 4GB of RAM. Android devices need 6GB of RAM or more. A stable Wi-Fi connection is necessary, with network latency under 50ms and internet speeds of 20 Mbps or higher for both uploads and downloads. Safari is recommended for iOS users, while Android users should use Google Chrome.

Through this campaign, DLsite plans to collect feedback from both game creators and players as it works toward fully supporting PC games on mobile devices.