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The PlayStation Portal is a handheld gaming device that has confused a good deal of hardware enthusiasts recently, including myself.
You need a PS5 to use the PlayStation Portal, which should be no surprise in the fact that it’s a niche remote playing console for home streaming. It’s not the PS Vita 2 as many people had hoped for, it’s not a standalone handheld, and unfortunately, it’s not a cloud streaming device either.
Why this is an issue for the PlayStation Portal
If you’re in the close vicinity of your home PS5 console while connected to the same network, you’re going to be able to activate remote playing via the PlayStation Portal. From the looks of things, the Portal does this adequately. However, for me – that’s not enough.
“It’ll be perfect for when my girlfriend is watching TV and I want to play CoD,” says my co-worker Jay.
“Will you actually buy one then,” I ask.
“No,” he replies. “Probably not.”
This is how I imagine some other consumers could react to the PlayStation Portal. It’s a cool concept – but is it enough? For me, the fact that the Portal requires a constant connection to a PS5 is a big reason not to pick up the next PlayStation handheld. Sure, it’s a remote player for the PS5, but that’s not enough reason to add a whole new piece of hardware to my arsenal. In fact, each review for the device has seemingly picked up on the same trait. It almost looks as though people are grasping at straws to praise the device.
The Portal targets a very specific niche, and sure, it might do that well. But it’s so limited in its function that it doesn’t even feature Bluetooth, having replaced it with PlayStation Link instead. There’s no expandable storage and the hardware is so basic that you couldn’t even dream of running games natively to the device. The PlayStation Portal is much less of a console than it is an add-on for the PS5, and the resulting price tag of $200 is just as disappointing. Competitor hardware offers so much more for only a fraction more of the price, and with Black Friday Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch deals already looking tempting – it’s hard to see how the PlayStation Portal is going to see success this Fall.
The Steam Deck OLED, for example, is launching in a matter of days. It offers a much more complete and versatile gaming experience, on top of a design that’s a little easier to wrap your head around. It’s going to cost a significant amount more than the PlayStation Portal, but at least you can use this one during a power-cut. On the other end of spectrum, you have the Backbone One, which is a PlayStation licensed game controller for your smartphone. With support for both iOS and Android, you’re going to be able to benefit from all of the perks of PlayStation Remote Play – alongside much more.
The PlayStation Portal seems to offer up a decent response to a very specific user demand that other handhelds also offer, though the opposition shine because they do more than just that. The fact the PlayStation Portal only works while your PS5 is running is just the start of a handful of design issues that will haunt the console.
The PlayStation Portal is available to buy from November 15th. We advise keeping an eye out on any Black Friday PlayStation Portal deals to bag a potential bargain, or you might consider the Backbone instead.
