Per-Device Configuration Is Apollo’s Biggest Advantage for Me

Inside Apollo’s device management options, you can define permissions and behavior for connected devices.

You can control things such as whether the device can use:

• Controllers
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Touch input
• Pen input
• Clipboard
• Application launching

You can also override the display resolution.

That’s the setting that makes the biggest difference for my setup.

Instead of using one resolution everywhere, I can configure the streaming experience around the actual device I’m holding.

What Resolution Should You Use for Moonlight Streaming?

For most of my remote gaming, I personally like 1080p at 60 FPS.

It’s a good balance between image quality, responsiveness and network bandwidth.

That doesn’t mean you have to use 1080p60.

If you’re streaming to a large 4K television and your gaming PC and network can handle it, you could experiment with higher resolutions.

On a smaller screen like a phone, however, pushing an extremely high resolution may not always provide a meaningful improvement relative to the additional bandwidth required.

The advantage with Apollo is that you don’t necessarily have to make the same choice for every client.

Your phone and your television can have different configurations.

Installing Apollo on Windows

I moved to Apollo after removing my existing Sunshine installation.

The process itself is straightforward.

At a basic level:

1. Download Apollo.
2. Start the installer.
3. Follow the Windows installation process.
4. Install the required components and drivers.
5. Open Apollo’s configuration interface.
6. Pair your Moonlight client.
7. Configure the connected device.

If you’ve previously configured Sunshine, much of Apollo’s interface will already look familiar.

Because Apollo is based on Sunshine, the transition isn’t like learning an entirely new streaming ecosystem.

Can You Use Apollo With Moonlight?

Yes.

This is important because the naming can initially make the ecosystem confusing.

You don’t need a completely different streaming application just because you’re using Apollo as the host.

You can continue using Moonlight as your client.

My configuration essentially becomes:

Gaming PC → Apollo → Moonlight → iPhone / TV / Laptop / Tablet

That allows me to continue using the Moonlight client I’m already familiar with while getting Apollo’s additional host-side functionality.

Adding Games and Applications to Apollo

Another useful feature is the Applications section.

Normally I can launch Steam Big Picture through Moonlight and then browse my Steam library.

That works perfectly well.

But sometimes I don’t want to navigate through Steam just to open one game.

Apollo allows applications and games to be added as shortcuts.

For example, you could have entries for games such as:

• Hades
• Overwatch
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Other PC games
• Desktop applications

Selecting the game in Moonlight can then launch that game or application directly.

This isn’t required, but it’s a nice quality-of-life improvement if there are certain games you play regularly.

Using a PS5 DualSense Controller With Apollo

Controller support is another area I found interesting.

I regularly use PlayStation controllers, including my PS5 DualSense, and I’ve also played remotely using mobile controllers such as the Backbone and MCON.

One problem PC gamers frequently encounter is controller identification.

You may physically be holding a PlayStation controller, but the computer or game may detect it as an Xbox-style controller.

That can result in Xbox:

A / B / X / Y

button prompts appearing instead of PlayStation:

Cross / Circle / Square / Triangle

prompts.

Apollo provides gamepad emulation options that can help determine what type of controller the gaming PC receives.

Apollo Controller Emulation Options

Inside Apollo’s input settings, the gamepad type can be configured.

Depending on your setup, options can include configurations such as:

• Automatic
• Xbox 360
• DualShock 4

This is particularly useful if you’re like me and prefer PlayStation-style controls.

Keep in mind that the final button prompts you see can still depend on the game itself, Steam Input and how that particular title handles controller detection.

I’ve actually covered that problem separately with games such as Hades because controller detection on PC can sometimes require additional configuration.

Is Apollo Better Than Sunshine?

I wouldn’t describe the answer as simply Apollo is better than Sunshine.

It depends on your setup.

Sunshine Makes Sense If:

Your current game-streaming setup already works.

You’re primarily streaming to one type of display.

You don’t frequently change between devices with different resolutions.

You already have Sunshine configured exactly the way you want.

In that situation, there’s no reason to change software just for the sake of changing it.

Apollo Makes More Sense for My Setup Because:

I use one gaming PC with several different displays.

My desktop monitor is ultrawide.

My phone has a completely different aspect ratio.

My televisions use standard 16:9 displays.

I may also stream to tablets or laptops.

Apollo’s virtual display and per-device configuration makes managing all of those screens significantly easier.

That’s the feature that convinced me to switch.

Apollo vs Sunshine Comparison

The important part isn’t choosing whichever application has more features.

It’s choosing the one that solves the problem you actually have.

Apollo Isn’t Cloud Gaming

Another distinction worth making is that this isn’t cloud gaming in the traditional sense.

I’m still using:

My PC.
My GPU.
My games.
My network.

Moonlight and Apollo are essentially giving me remote access to that gaming hardware.

That means the performance available to the game itself still comes from my gaming PC.

For local streaming, everything stays within my own network, which is the way I prefer to use this setup whenever possible.

My Current Remote Gaming Setup

My setup has evolved quite a bit.

I originally used NVIDIA’s GameStream ecosystem before eventually moving through different solutions.

Today, my basic setup looks like:

Gaming PC → Apollo → Moonlight → Streaming Device

For controllers, I’ve tested several options depending on the device, including:

• PS5 DualSense
• Backbone One
• MCON
• Other PC controllers

On an iPhone, this effectively turns my gaming PC into my own personal handheld gaming system.

And because the games are actually running on my desktop PC, I still get access to my normal Steam library and gaming hardware.

Should You Switch From Sunshine to Apollo?

If you’re already using Sunshine and everything works, I’d keep using it.

There’s no need to rebuild a perfectly functional game-streaming setup simply because another option exists.

But I would take a serious look at Apollo if you have a setup similar to mine:

One gaming computer with multiple Moonlight clients using very different displays.

That’s where Apollo’s virtual display features start becoming extremely useful.

For me, the upgrade to an ultrawide desktop monitor created the problem.

Apollo solved it without forcing me to constantly change the resolution of my actual gaming monitor.

That’s why I switched.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Apollo Replace Moonlight?

No.

Apollo runs on the gaming PC as the host while Moonlight can continue to run on the device you’re using to play.

Is Apollo Based on Sunshine?

Yes. Apollo is built from Sunshine, which is why the interface and many configuration concepts will look familiar to Sunshine users.

Do I Have to Uninstall Sunshine Before Installing Apollo?

If you’re moving completely to Apollo, using one game-streaming host generally keeps the setup simpler.

Experienced users may be able to maintain different configurations, but for a straightforward migration I prefer removing the unnecessary host and simplifying the setup.

Can Apollo Create a Different Resolution for My Phone?

That’s one of the main reasons I switched.

Virtual displays and device-specific settings allow the streaming display to be configured separately from the physical monitor connected to the gaming PC.

Can I Use Apollo With an Ultrawide Monitor?

Yes, and that’s actually the problem that led me to Apollo.

My ultrawide desktop resolution wasn’t ideal for every device I streamed to, particularly smaller screens and standard 16:9 displays.

Can I Use a PlayStation Controller With Apollo?

Yes.

Apollo includes gamepad configuration and emulation options, and I’ve used the setup with my PS5 DualSense as well as several other controllers.

Is Apollo Better Than Sunshine for Moonlight?

Not necessarily for everyone.

Sunshine remains a great solution.

Apollo became the better option for my setup because I wanted easier virtual display and per-device configuration.

Final Thoughts

Switching from Sunshine to Apollo wasn’t about chasing the newest piece of software.

It solved a real problem created by my hardware.

Once I started using an ultrawide monitor on my gaming PC while simultaneously streaming to an iPhone, TVs and other devices, one desktop resolution no longer made sense for everything.

Apollo’s ability to create and manage virtual displays makes those different devices much easier to handle.

If you have a basic Moonlight setup and Sunshine already works perfectly, stick with it.

But if you have one powerful gaming PC and several different screens, Apollo is definitely worth exploring.

You can watch my complete setup and walkthrough here:

https://youtu.be/iieVMFMfKVc