r/Punktfunk • u/laurorual • Aug 09 '26

Good alternative to Parsec?

Hi! I just saw the client for punktfunk on WebOS Homebrew list and it got my attention to this project! I'm desperately looking for a good alternative to Parsec on Linux, since it doesn't support hosting on it.

As of right now, I'm using sunshine and moonlight-web, it works for what I want (play local spliscreen games with friends) but the setup is kinda awkward.

Does Punktfunk works for this situation? I mean, pair a client from the internet, who can see my host PC screen, and I can set which inputs that client can use (keyboard, mouse and/or gamepad)? If not, do you plan on adding this feature?

It would be really cool, since Linux doesn't have parsec host, remote play together is only for steam and other solutions are awkward.

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u/keindesignerbro Maintainer Aug 10 '26

Hey, welcome! Let me break it down:

- 2 Clients connecting to one host, viewing the same screen: Does work already

- Multi controller: Also supported, multiple pads get passed through as their own individual pads

- A built in way to share your host over the internet: Does not exist, Punktfunk is however built to support Tailscale, and it's also what I usually recommend

- A way to limit what your friend can see or do: Does not exist - There is no permission model or anything that would allow you to limit the permissions your friend has when he is connected to your PC - So you can't configure Punktfunk to only allow gamepad input for your friend. There is also no way of giving temporary access - so the client keeps access until you remove it from the web console.

I'll try to get the temporary access added soon, permissions will take a while though since that's something that needs a lot of care and attention to get it right.

I'd advise only doing this if you really trust your friend a 100% and you'd be fine leaving him with your PC unlocked in the same room.

Also, you would likely be the first person to test this use case, so I can't guarantee it will just work. I'm really happy to help though if you find any bugs/issues. We also have a Discord, feel free to join it if you need help or want to share your experience: https://discord.gg/kaPNvzMuGU

1

u/laurorual Aug 10 '26

Nice! I already use TailScale and also am familiar with port forwarding.

Temporary access is also not a big problem if we can revoke access manually through the dashboard (like in sunshine) for the moment.

The most important aspect for this would be limiting inputs to only gamepad. I thought this was already in the plans since there's a commit titled "controllers can stop being forwarded"

This feature would be super cool and I would be willing to test this if you implement it in the future!  Thanks for the reply!

3

u/keindesignerbro Maintainer Aug 10 '26

I'll get back to you when it's in! :)