While the PS Portal is technically Sony’s first portable since the PS Vita, the Japanese giant is treating it as more of an accessory for the PS5, like the DualSense Edge or upcoming Pulse headphones. That’s because the device can’t operate independently of the new-gen console, requiring an advanced, streamlined version of Remote Play to function.
While it’s technically not a new handheld, then, it’s still an important hardware launch – and some outlets are beginning to receive their units ahead of the gizmo’s official release next week. Spanish website Hobby Consolas is one such outlet, posting an unboxing on YouTube. While an embargo forbids it from showing the actual gameplay experience, we do get a glimpse of the unit in the flesh.
Honestly, it’s an unusual gadget – effectively a DualSense with an eight-inch screen lodged in the middle. The analogue sticks are the smaller versions repurposed from the PSVR2 Sense Controllers, while all of the adaptive trigger and haptic feedback functionality from the PS5’s primary pad are present and correct.
Visually this is an oddball accessory, but it appears sturdy and comfortable, which is the most important part. Assuming the core Remote Play experience is excellent, we reckon this could ultimately prove an appealing accessory – assuming you’re the target audience. We’ll bring you our own review as soon as possible, but sadly we’re yet to receive a pre-release unit.
[source youtube.com]
Comments 92
I'm still completely on the fence with this one.
I really wanted one but didn't really want to pay £200 for it (I was hoping it would start at around £149)
But then I thought what the heck, it's only an extra £50, just treat yourself, so I pre ordered one.
Then a few days ago I was streaming a game on my PS5 and it wat glitchy as hell and almost unplayable at times which put me off so I've cancelled my Pre order.
I've decided to wait for a few real world reviews to see how well it actually works before getting one
@Member_the_game The hope is this will have improved Remote Play. Using some of the unofficial apps on Android nets a MUCH better result than Sony's official one, so fingers crossed!
I used to stream my ps4 games to my vita so I'll definitely be checking this one out.
I'm just going to wait how it performs before buying it though.
I have gigabit internet and even in my house remote play on my ipad pro and on my other devices had horrible input lag. Does this thing have input lag? Ive only used the official apps on my devices
@get2sammyb
I'm hoping so.
I'm hoping that because the Portal will be Streaming directly from My PS5 rather than from Sonys servers it will provide a better experience.
We do have decent internet at home but I'd still prefer to wait for some real world reviews before I commit myself
I stil personally think this is way overpriced for what it is considering it has so many limitations, but I'm sure some people will get some enjoyment out of it, which is never a bad thing.
I've pre-ordered mine and it's on the way, the only difference is that it's called the Ayn Odin 2 and it actually has some top tier hardware in it, for only 100€ more. Get your s**t together Sony.
If this was a new Vita or PSP I would be all over this. Heck, if it let me play my games outside of the house, I would be all over this.
As it is, you are just paying for a worse way to play your games. I see absolutely no reason at all to buy this over a Steam Deck or a Switch.
Probably best to just get the backbone one.
I'm really excited for mine to arrive, the use case is perfect for our household and I find using Remote Play on my laptop or phone to be an ergonomically frustrating experience, as well as less than immersive unless you mute all your notifications and turn yourself off from the world. So a DualSense + screen in the palm of my hands, with my other gadgets to one side if I need them, will be very welcome.
@LifeGirl
In theory you can actually play it anywhere.
If you're out of the house you can use your mobile phone as a hotspot and use your phones data to play it.
How well that works in reality remains to be seen but in theory it is possible
Mines arriving next week. I'm only 3 hours into Spiderman 2 which I purchased on release day. Unable to play due to competition with the TV. This thing is gonna allow me to actually play my playstation. Granted it's not as good as playing on a TV but it's the next best thing and better than nothing at all. Absolute no brainer for me. Can't wait
The wife says she’s bought me one for Christmas (she usually just looks at gaming stuff and buys anything for me she thinks might be OK). Honestly I wouldn’t have bought it myself simply because I have no faith in the native remote play app and I think it’s overpriced. Now I’m left hoping they improve it. 3rd party apps give me some hope it’s possible.
Too bad it's about £100 overpriced for what it is and what it is not.
I would've been falling over myself to preorder a PS Vita successor. I've actively ignored this thing's existence.
@Member_the_game your first Instincts were right. It's way overpriced for what it actually is and does. It's £200. Another £100 and you should be able to find a Steam Deck, which is way more with the money.
@MattBoothDev
In fairness mate I hate PC gaming and a Steam Deck is basically an extension of that so I wouldn't have one even if it was given too me for free haha 🤣
I prefer to be able to buy a game knowing I can put it in my console and play it without stressing over tinkering around with settings to make it work or being worried if it has enough ROM or RAM etc.
I'm all for simplicity so even though it does very little as you say, that actually suits me just fine and is good a selling point
When mine arrives I'll be checking to see how it runs on my hotspot. I get unlimited data with plenty of upload and download bandwidth.
The only issue might be my ps5 hooked up to my home internet. The home internet is not as good as mobile data. I was able to stream Spider-Man 2 to my phone well enough the other day, so I'm hopeful Portal will do the job.
Assuming that first test goes well, I'll be in full hype mode for Christmas. This device is perfect for my home, especially on Christmas day.
Goonies, Uncharted, turkey sandwiches all at the same time. Can't wait.
@P7um82 Let me address your points one by one:
1. Use case: Sometimes, the TV is in use by someone else. Yet, you still might want to play and stay in the same room, e.g. occassionally talking to someone else while they're watching TV. Also, it can be used anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection, so you can also use it out of your own home.
2. Yes, you will be able to hear without proprietary ear buds. Either by using the speakers on the unit or the headphone jack.
3. Internet connection - biggest misconception I'm seeing everywhere: People tend to believe the higher your bandwith, the better the remote play experience and that you need a comically fast one to enjoy remote play. However, the ceiling is reached rather quickly for 1080p streaming. It doesn't matter whether you have a 20 MBit or a 1000 MBit connection, the experience will most likely be the same.
Very much looking forward to this and mines been on pre order for some time.
I appreciate that its for a very specific use, so if you dont have that need, maybe you dont see its appeal. But for those of us who wish for that specific use, its a welcome unit.
We have two ps5s in my front room. On days when we dont want two tellys on, one can play on the big screen while one can sit on the same sofa and play on the handheld. I suspect we will use it a lot!
@dschons I keep forgetting it doesn't need to stream more than 1080. People will complain about that, but it wasn't done as a half measure.
Also, where did this rumour that it doesn't have internal audio come from?
@P7um82 you aren't the market then. It's for people who have to share a TV. And also for those lucky enough to be able to play at work. And on the commute etc.
Considering the price, I hope it has great image quality and latency. Otherwise, I'll just stick to PS Play.
I just wished it had additional functionality like being an extra controller rather than being the only one
@Shepherd_Tallon Yeah, I agree. People also forget or do not know that resolution only matters in conjunction with screen size. 4K does not give you anything when you're too far away, which is a lot closer than a lot of people believe. For the Portal screen 1080p is the sweetspot. If it were 4K, you would have to hold it much closer to your face.
As for the audio: I have no idea mate. People are probably just reading "does not support Bluetooth" and that's what they derive from it, lol.
In general, I always chuckle when I see comments in the vein of "Device x should have function y, what are they thinking?!" as if Sony does not consider all of it thoroughly. I get the feeling people base their judgments on what they want the device to be, not what it is. This is a dedicated remote play device for people with a specific use case and it most likely won't speak to the masses, I get it. But there's a difference between "I have no use case for that" and "This thing is trash"
@dschons Yeah I agree. It's the difference between subjective opinion and objective fact.
"I have no use for this" does not equal "This is objectively useless."
Plus, the thing keeps selling out on amazon UK. I can't imagine there are massive stocks of it or anything, but it's already selling.
@Shepherd_Tallon Will you be getting a screen protector for your unit? I was waiting for an unboxing like that to see whether there's maybe a softcase that comes with it but does not seem to be the case. Now, I am contemplating whether I should buy a case, a screen protector or both. I'll probably not use it outside of my home.
@P7um82 Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to convince anyone of the device, just to give you some perspective as to why this device does attract people with specific use cases. If you had bad experiences with remote play in the past, I can totally see why you do not want it when you have better alternatives. I don't quite get the squeezing money remark though. It's an optional accessory that no one is badgered into buying, especially since Sony is already providing remote play for no additional cost in case you want to use your PC, tablet or smartphone. The Portal is aimed at people that like remote play but want additional benefits, such as screen size or better haptics. Yes, very niche. But I happen to fall into that category. My girlfriend would kill me if I placed an additional monitor on the coffee table in front of our couch, lol.
I'm in agreement with most here. This thing is way over priced for just a streaming device.
Dualsense controller a 8in 1080p lcd screen, with a streaming chip inside.
You could buy a dual sense, a cheap 8in tablet and have it for 140.
If the screen was OLED and 1440p I'd understand but its lcd 1080p
I mean surely being in house they would have low costs.
Saying that and this is to the comments what say cant believe its just a dualsense with a screen stuck in the middle.
Isn't this exactly what people have been wanting since handhelds began. A portal device with the same controller as a home console. I really don't see it being a bad thing at all, I think that design is one of its pros.
Ill get one on sale but my stance is the same, way to over priced.
Day 1 buy for me...sit bak n let the hackers hack away.
@tameshiyaku looks like a beast
@Member_the_game I was hoping for 150 too, the way I’ve tried to justify it is Sony are not selling games for this, so I would assume it needs a larger profit margin than say a switch lite when Nintendo would look to profit from games.
@dschons I was thinking about this. I'm not going to be taking it travelling with me or anything. In bed for a few hours at night or outside under the trees in the summer is as far as I'll be going with it, so I shouldn't need the screen protector. I hope.
My main concern was wearing down the thumb grips. I found some old thumb grip caps that I had used on my PS4 controller and another set for my Switch controllers. I might see if either of them fit the thumbsticks on the Portal before I buy anything.
@P7um82 Way to misrepresent what I was actually saying while at the same time ignoring deviances that might not apply to your own home environment or preferences. You're right: Under these circumstances, there's no chance we agree on anything, which btw. was never a goal to begin with. Have a good one.
@Shepherd_Tallon Afaik, they're using the thumbsticks of the PSVR2 Sense controllers which are smaller than the DS4/Dualsense ones. But yes, I've been thinking about thumbstick caps as well. Maybe there'll be some 3rd party ones down the line. Although I have to say I never wore any of mine down but I remember this being an issue with the first few batches with the DS4.
@Member_the_game
Nah I get it. I don't hate PC gaming (some of my best friends are PC gamers! /joke) I used to play pc primarily up until a couple of years ago. I was ready for a GPU upgrade around about the time prices went through the roof after scalping. Nvidia released a £550 GPU, which was scalped over £1,000 and then Nvidia simply raised their prices to match.
I was already playing PS4 a lot anyway at the time so I managed to bag a PS5 at retail price and haven't bothered with PC gaming since.
I will say that for the most part PC gaming is just fine if you get decent enough hardware from the onset. I bought an i7-6700k and GTX1080 and that held up 1080p@60FPS max settings in most games. My only reason for upgrading was having been given a decent 1440p monitor from work and the GTX1080 struggled with pushing 60FPS in more demanding games
But, for the most part, games automatically detected hardware and appropriate settings and the Geforce Experience app from Nvidia died a decent job at picking the best settings for most games, if you used it.
So I don't expect there's much tinkering needing to be done with a Steam Deck, but it'll be there if you want it.
However, my point was for a bit more money you can get your hands on a vastly superior device and the the pricing of the PS Portal is a bit high.
@dschons Same. I never used to think of them until I wore through my first DS4 controller playing og Destiny. Both my Duealsense and my VR2 controllers seem to be holding up fine so maybe there's no need.
@P7um82 "I make no excuses for being fortunate enough to able to play my console in a different room to that of my main tv."
Me neither. In fact, my PS5 is in another room with its own setup. One of my points was that there are still instances or individual preferences that can still sometimes trump that option without replacing it. It's worth it for me, it isn't for you and the vast majority of PS5 owners and that is fine. You take care, too.
@Shepherd_Tallon Yeah, probably not but I will still look out for caps in the future. Surely, someone will make some or there'll be other ones that fit the sticks well enough.
@LifeGirl For one thing, Switch doesn't have God of War, so there is that.
@MattBoothDev
I genuinely appreciate your in depth reply but if I'm honest, alot of the language you've used is what scares me away from PC gaming. I wouldn't have a clue how to go about upgrading parts etc.
I did recently treat myself to a Samsung Oddesy gaming monitor to play my PS5 on and I get stressed enough with that trying to find the right settings that I need 🤣 (I think I'm just about there with it now)
For what it's worth though I do agree about the PS Portal being over priced. As I mentioned in my first post I do want one but didn't really want to pay quite so much for it.
Sometimes though, if it's something you really want you just have to bite the bullet and buy it, life's to short and you can't take your money with you so just enjoy it.
@dschons "Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case & Screen Protector Starter Pack (PS5)"
Search that on amazon. (Not sure if we're allowed to post links).
It's a case, screen protector and thumb grips for about €24.00.
@Shepherd_Tallon Yeah, I've seen that one, thank you! Maybe, I'll just buy a case, probably no need for a screen protector. I'm not particularly talented at putting them on. And when I nail it, there's an annoying dust spec somewhere, lol.
Pre-ordered and very much looking forward to playing my PS5 on the couch next to my lady watching TV every night. Also there will be dog snuggles.
@dschons Exactly. And then I just end up taking it off and scrapping it eventually anyway.
I think I'll just see if those caps I got for my Switch fit the sticks and leave it at that.
@Shepherd_Tallon Good call! Those might actually fit with a little bit of stretching. I just checked my Switch and Sense controllers, size is very similar.
This would be great for that antstream arcade that xbox has,is it coming to ps5 does anyone know.
@ear_wig also lol hey I can’t wait to get my mits on this 🤗 take it easy there jack
Excited to get my hands on this next week!
@P7um82
"They also don’t mention you won’t be able to hear it without the dedicated ear buds"
If you are going to dis something, at least do your research. It has built in speakers. If you cant hear it its cause your deaf.
After watching some unboxing videos on YouTube and some gameplay using it I've decided I need to have one, il probably get one on payday at the end of tbe month. The thing looks beastly but in a beautiful kind of way lol
@Member_the_game I do that somewhat often with a tablet I have. Basically, the further you are from your home, the worse latency gets. Even best case, it's not really precise enough for FPS's when you're out of the house.
That said, it's pretty much perfect for RPGs with a stable connection.
A stupid idea that will obviously sell nowadays. That was never in question.
Preordered mine, next Wednesday it should be with me. Looking forward to it.
@Member_the_game literally the exact same with me. I cancelled mine too. Wait for reviews
@DNortonX
Yeah, I figured it was too much of an expensive gamble for something that may or may not work properly so I shall wait a see first
Its a nice thing, but you can just plug a dualsense into an android phone via USB (and now new Iphones I guess) and run up the remote play app for the same experience.
As mentioned earlier there are a few 3rd party remote play apps out there but personally I've not had any trouble with the official (free) one.
@Member_the_game yeah, thing is, I have to admit, my PS5 is on the main TV and the kids are often watching TV on it, or playing on the PS5 themselves. I can, and have, but it's hassle, taken the PS5 into my office on my 1440p monitor.
So, something like the PS Portal would be good for when the kids are watching TV. But the price is off putting.
@naruball "For one thing, Switch doesn't have God of War, so there is that."
If you mean Ragnarok why would I want to bore myself on the go 😅 besides if that is your thing you will be able to play both of them on the Steamdeck in the near future!
Looks nice. But my next handheld is a Legion GO next year.
Love my Steamdeck but really missing out not having access to GamePass on a handheld.
Regarles if this for streaming or a Steamdeck or the Ally /Legion GO for GamePass - the handheld market is simply amazing right now if you travel for work like me.
Not being stuck having to pick between awful Nintendo hardware or a 6Lb gaming laptop is a dream come true.
@Tecinthebrain cuz I wouldn't bore myself
"I see absolutely no reason at all to buy this over a Steam Deck or a Switch"
I was specifically responding to this. There are plenty of other reasons. It's one of the many. But if you have to wonder why someone would buy this and not a Switch, then the obvious answer is PS exclusives. Another would be the ps5 controller and haptic feedback. There are just too many. It makes me wonder if people were ever taught to play devil's advocate. I'm not buying it either but I can think of a dozens reasons why someone would instead of a switch or even a Steamdeck.
It's bizarre to me that the sticks are the smaller PSVR2 Sense controllers considering what an absolute beast this thing is.
@naruball I mean, a hypothetical PS5 owner could buy a Switch instead of this and then have access to PlayStation AND Nintendo exclusives. Which seems like more of a win to me than PlayStation on the go.
Not disagreeing with people still being able to find value in this. Just saying... Why limit yourself to God of War when you can have God of War and Legend of Zelda for the same price.
Even if you think there is value in this. Which I don't. It's insanity to pre order the thing without any evidence thus far that Sony has improved the infrastructure/performance of their remote play implementation.
The performance of ps remote play is dramatically worse than most other implementations out there.
Hopefully they gave it an overhaul that will surprise drop on launch day....
Lmfao but current day Sony, and that hope sadly just don't align.
@__jamiie this. What thumb grips will rectify this?
@SystemAddict I've added some Joy-Con thumb grips to mine. They're not ideal though as they're still slightly loose.
@RoomWithaMoose Personally, I'd easily go for the Ps5 Switch combo so that I can play games like the latest Mario on the go. Hell, I'd go for Switch so that I can find a cheap option to game while traveling without constantly worrying if there is a wifi connection. So, I totally see what you mean.
I simply don't get how some people can't think of a single reason why someone would choose portal instead. Like, maybe they're a trophy hunter. Maybe they prefer the ps controller, maybe they want to play the latest ps exclusive in bed and not have to wait years till it comes out on Steam. So.Many.Reasons.
But, like I said, overall, the other ones make far more sense for most gamers.
I have a hard time believing Remote Play will work well given how bad it was on my iPhone 14 Pro. Hope I'm wrong
If it drops to $100, I'll think about it but Sony's anti-consumer BS where you can't just use any bluetooth headphones with thing is 1 of the things driving me away from even thinking about it.
The best way to enjoy all the non-core PS5 stuff (basically everything that isn't the console, regular DualSense controllers and games) like PSVR2, Edge, Portal is to wait for people to buy them, realise what a mistake they've made in a few years, then get them cheap and probably in the case of PSVR2 all the games cheap too.
Honestly, everything outside the basics over the years that isn't console and regular controller bombs sooner or later. Anyone still play PS Move games that aren't VR? Very few I'll bet. All this current wave of Sony junk is their Nintendo Labo. Here today, gone tomorrow, not important.
@NinjaNicky You can afford a Switch, Steam Deck and PS5 but not like a decent used 1080p TV for 50 bucks? Interesting budgetary choices...
@LifeGirl ps vita 2 is not going to happen girl lol
@naruball Sorry, but this device doesn't have God of War either. It's a $200 screen that can stream games from a $500 box.
@Bez87 I don’t think it’s overpriced. Just think, if Apple or Microsoft made something similar, it’d be around $3-$400 easy
@Number09 But there's nothing to hack? It's a screen with a controller and a wifi chip. There isn't any on-board storage. That's like you're saying you can't wait to buy a keyboard and mouse for your PC so you can hack them. It's just an accessory.
@elchorno Saying that something could be more expensive than it is doesn't mean that it isn't overpriced.
Can’t see how this will be any different than my iPad Pro and controller. Lag wont be any different and my pro has a better screen
I can totally see why many are really sceptical about this device. It's a consumer device for one of the world's best selling consoles. It was always going to be over the price we wanted to pay, Sony are here to take our money after all. I think all the comments about "I could get a Switch for £x less" etc are missing the point. If you want a Switch or Steamdeck then get one. I personally own a Switch and it never gets played (even my kids aren't even interested). The ergonomics are terrible in undocked mode and I get pain in my hands after 30 mins. Playing docker just feels subpar to me. I don't want to buy/play Steam deck games. I like the PS catalogue and I'd like to be able to play my games comfortably on a custom remote play device that doesn't require using my phone or tablet or Mac. Because the screen is integrated with a controller that I already know and love for it's comfort and haptics is huge. Its nothing to do with the battle for the TV for me. I have my own sound proofed man shed in the garden. I've got a 55" 120hz TV and high-end speakers and sub and it's glorious playing in there. Not worried about anyone disturbing me. Its a dream. But then my conscience kicks in a lot of the time and I should at least be present with my family some of the time 😆 I also work in there all day everyday so sometimes I just want to get the hell out of there and sit on the sofa and play PS but I can't. Portal is absolutely meant for me. Something I can pick up and put down that doesn't use my phone, enjoy my fix of PS5 goodness but still be with my wife and kids. I'm not at all upset that this is just a streaming device. It plays full fat PS5 games, not slimmed down or inferior versions of demakes. Ultimately, if it's not for you, you can protest with your wallet and not buy one. Me I'll be enjoying top quality games more often than ever and be with the family more often. Win win ❤️🔥
@B_Lindz I confess I was a bit naughty..a bit tongue in cheek..your right it is just a screen with a controller and a wifi chip..shocking!!! Sony.
@elchorno come on its a cut in half dualsense glued to a 1080p screen, with a WiFi chip and some streaming software in it.
200 for me seems very overpriced.
Id probably get one, but most of the times when my kids are hogging the tv....they are on the playstation meaning i couldnt remote play from it.
I do think i will pick one up at some point though. I can see some uses - but still frustrating it cant be used if commuting - say on a train (i never get any network coverage to hotspot it, or when in the air)
@Member_the_game That's the question. Can I play this anywhere? I thought not.
If I'm at work, and let's assume perfect Wi-Fi, can I play while my PS5 is at home?
I thought this wasn't possible, so I pretty much gave up on it.
@Octane
As long as you have decent WiFi at home (where your PS5 is) and obviously wherever you happen to be then yes it will work.
I'm under the impression your PS5 has to be in sleep mode and then in theory The Portal can wake it up from anywhere in the world (again as long as your connected to WiFi)
That's the idea at least, as I've mentioned previously, I'm waiting to see how well it works in reality before committing to buying one
In other words I'm waiting to read some reviews once it's out in the wild with real customers
I have one pre-ordered.
Having 2 kids the TV is usually in use with kids shows when I'm done with work. I would be glad to have another way to play. Plus when it comes to remote play cell phone screens are way too small. A bigger screen makes a huge difference. However I too will wait for a sale.
@NinjaNicky No one did, but not to be rude your phrasing was pretty poor 😂. "people like me that can't always get access to the TV" - you're using the word the in that sentence as the definite article, as in it's not "a TV" suggesting more than one or "the TVs" which is flat out stating it. If it wasn't worth a quick stop for a joke then I don't know what is. 😇
Not overly difficult to "lay down with a TV" I find; assuming you have a regular rectangular sofa you can place a TV at either the left or right end facing inwards and then lay across the sofa lengthwise, essentially reclined comfortably. That's what I do with my retro TV for 1080p consoles like the PS3 and Switch, works well especially when the main TV is used for something else.
For me, this is a no-brainer. I'd rather play PlayStation games than cash-grab mobile games when sitting on the can (if I'm not reading a book, that is). I also was considering getting a second PS5 for the bedroom and maybe a third for our main living area, in case I want to play in more places than the currently designated area. This device is much more cost-effective.
I always read all of the comments about remote play and input lag. I use a backbone and the PS remote play app and it usually works flawlessly. I’m not sure if I’m just lucky or if I am just an idiot when it comes to input lag and don’t notice it. I’m excited for this release. I’ll try to pick one up around Christmas
@B_Lindz neither does Switch have Mario. You have to buy it. There you go. Argument.
@NinjaNicky Such a po-faced, literal and humourless response... I miss the old days of the internet where people knew how to read and write humour. 🤷🏻♂️ All the best. ✌🏻
@lightningbolt79 overpriced? Really? Most of what I hear online and from all my friends who pre ordered they thought was gonna be more and are happy it’s only 199. But obviously I understand some might think it’s overpriced. I get that.
I love reading the comments and realizing they predominantly boil down to people who have a use-case and people who don’t.
On another note, I’m fine with people being skeptical, but speaking as if your assumptions about the product are proven fact is… a choice.
@Member_the_game nothing wrong with that. Though keep in mind the Mobile experience is generally pretty stable. I usually ahve to reset my wifi or restart the app on my S22 Ultra to get it to play nice again. I do it every time I get some chop. A lot of the time its not remote plays fault, its the communication layer it sits on top of that is the problem. That just boils down to networking industry standards that can't be helped.
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