Sony Says PS Portal Wasn't Designed to Make a Profit

I got mine today and so far so good. No problems playing any games in and around the house. The screen is very vibrant which helps and the speakers are fine given their size. The only annoying thing is the lack of blue tooth. Why can't I just use my wm-1000mx5's and not have to buy yet another set of headphones...

Just as I expected as this a niche device for a certain few!

sure it wasnt, if so why wasnt bluetooth included why because they want to make you buy new headset as well

classic upsell

Not supporting bluetooth headphones is huge problem for me. They really didn't nailed this

@cuttlefishjones That’s just typical Sony for ya. They always try to push their own proprietary media formats, and they almost always fail to catch on. MiniDisc, UMD, Memory Stick, PSVita Memory Cards — they always put a potential increase in profit ahead of customer convenience.

The only thing they pushed that was successful were Blu-ray Discs, and that was only because HD-DVD was pretty crap. It certainly wasn’t because they used it for PS3 — like how the PS2 made DVD catch on more quickly — because that console was definitely not as popular as Xbox 360 was at the time.

Yeah I doubt it

I bet you if consumer demand was higher he wouldn't have said that. This is nothing but face saving for the stockholders.

Well, to be fair, if people have more “engagement”, they will likely buy more games / microtransactions, and so drive more profit. But I get what he means in terms of the hardware itself. In face loss leading hardware is not even that unusual.

I’m sure PS occasionally release articles with a graph that show’s engagement, and Sony is regularly lower than its rivals, apart from when a new game releases.

So the live services, the gadgets are all to increase this metric, which as others have said means it can increase income that way

I’ve enjoyed playing with the Portal last night on release. Yes there’s lag but does it affect your enjoyment of the game… no, well depends.

Having access to all my games in the house or outside is great to have.

He also says on that interview that they may bring Cloud Streaming to the device.

Translated comments from Hideaki Nishino – the SVP of platform experience at PlayStation – suggest Sony is simply biding its time and making sure its cloud streaming infrastructure is stable enough to bring to the Portal handheld.

https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/sony-playstation-portal-can-support-cloud-streaming-4390962?callback=in&code=YZVLNTBLNMITYJKYYY0ZNZI4LTK0ZMETZTAZMTVMYJDKZJE2&state=44a1dc8df75c46b0a1d930b96fa49df6

Yeah, well, there's no way this thing costs £200 to make.

And I do not understand why they have even bothered adding internet enabled remote play. It's not going to be a good experience for most people. LAN? Sure. WAN? Pointless.

It's one of these things that I would likely get and then not use all that much because I would prefer to play my games on the bigger screen, so I don't feel like it worth dropping £200 on really.

And the lack of being able to hook up a Bluetooth headset without purchasing a Sony one is annoying but clearly to push you into buying their headsets. I own a pair of Sony headphones which cost me a decent amount, I'm not about to splash out on anything further.

So yeah, it's really not for me.

Why wasn't it cheaper then? And why can't I use Bluetooth? Lies.

@Impossibilium Sony were instrumental in developing DVD and CD, both of which they included on their platforms. MiniDisc is still used in Japan.

The reason Sony develop these formats is because they're actually good at it and occasionally they catch on, or the IP is useful one way or another.

Also, I have a Pulse 3D headset which I don't think would work with this, which is a shame.

Not designed to make a profit?

SURE JAN

I commend Sony that they keep sticking their neck out like this. Also with the PSVR2. I'm really enjoying it still.

Wow. Are they dumb?
If this device is not generating profit then I really don't understand why it exists in it's current form.
If it supported cloud streaming you could theoretically earn new customer and earn money on subscription that would not be possible without this device.
But since you are required to have PS5 to use it, you are already PlayStation customer.

No wonder PlayStation division margins are so slim.

@cuttlefishjones
Bluetooth is not suitable for gaming - because of audio lag. Why do you think Sony consoles never have Bluetooth audio output? You can connect your Sony wh1000xm5 to the 3.5mm audio jack. You don't need new headphones.

@Darth_Stofi
Funny they never supported Bluetooth audio for gaming before and suddenly you think they are going to implement it with this device. Bluetooth audio is not suitable for gaming. Sheesh....

It just seems like another half hearted idea by Sony like VR2. This is an expensive product for a very niche market. You eithe rmake it so you can download games on to it and play it natively or you make it a lot cheaper and more people will pick it up on a whim.

This does look like it has been released to just die like VR2. VR2 has been out 8 months now and Sony as far as I know only released 1 game for it and no other ones are even announced. They haven't even bothered to port old PSVR games like Blood and Truth and Astrobot!

Got mine yesterday its amazing you can chill on the sofa playing your favourite games was playing robocop awesome stuff I did try mw3 mp but gave up to laggy! Shame that!

@Godot25 like they said, it's about player engagement, they want to get people playing for more hours. Obviously your already a ps5 owner, but they want you playing at times when it's not possible(tvs tied up, your away from your home).
In their minds, more play time equals buying more games, or subscribing to extra or premium.

It has its place, especially for people who share a TV, I bet it will save a lot of arguments in some households. I can imagine it's profit margin is probably low but if people go out and buy the accessories for it and are spending more time gaming because of it they'll likely sell more games too.

@Mikey856 Yea competitive multiplayer is not going to work well on a portal but I don't think that was it's intended use tbh

I see this useful for a few people. If your in a crowded house with no tv to use.. but in that case wont that crowded ass house all be using your wifi and slowing it?

Or a trucker or someone whos away from the house and wants to game.. but in that case you need wifi wherever your at so that wont work.

My solution is making this thing 5G capable would make it actually useful to many more.

Will be interesting to see the sales numbers for this thing, if they release them.
I probably won't buy one, but after watching gamertag vr's video I was impressed by what I saw. He had it tethered to his phones 5g, and was playing outside with seemingly no problems.

@Mikey856 I've read and watched people saying how premium it feels. How's the haptics, screen, triggers in your opinion?

ACG gaming podcast kinda slammed it. Definitely said it was a premium product which was light and felt great it just doesn't do what it should. Really the main unbiased opinion around that I trust and this product isn't for me as I have access to a TV.

"PS Portal Wasn't Designed to Make a Profit" = we've sold six...

@Shepherd_Tallon You don't even need super fast internet. Most important is a stable Wi-Fi connection. I got mine yesterday and I can see myself using this a ton. Absolutely no issues so far. Obviously, some games tend to lend themselves more to remote play than others but that's fine for me. It's an accessory and not there to replace playing on a big screen entirely.
I tested a lot of games just for the sake of testing which ones make sense for me and which don't. The results were surprising to say the least. In Alan Wake 2 I noticed next to nothing in terms of input lag, the same for Ratchet and even Elden Ring and Demon's Souls. Spidey 2 was perfectly playable as well. For some reason Uncharted 4 was one where I thought "doable but certainly not optimal". I would assume the same for FPS games. But then again, some of those are more tanky by nature than others. I guess that's what makes the most difference. Very responsive games can probably all be enjoyed with remote play.

@Marquez How is the streaming quality? I'm interested in this as my living room TV is out of commission often, but every streaming experience I have had has been rough. I meet the recommended internet speed but it regularly chunks up and significantly drops resolution.

I wish there was a way to try it before purchase.

Then maybe they should make psp2 instead, with the power comparable to steam deck, just make it ps1, ps2, and ps4 compatible, and ps5 indie games.

"If you can play anywhere", but you can't play "anywhere".

@LifeGirl Initial demand seems fairly high. Pre-orders were sold out on both Amazon and PS Direct when I checked.

@MattBoothDev. @trev666. The Portal has a 3.5 mm audio input so the Pulse headset will work with an auxiliary cable. Any headset should work with a wired connection, which shouldn’t be too big of an issue with a handheld device.

@PSPortalRules As long as you are near your ps5, you can use your bluetooth headset. Just make sure you turn down the volume on your portal. I have neen using my pulse on my portal through my ps5. Just change the speaker setting on your ps5 to headset. It will work with all your bluetooth headsets.

@tinCAT-zero

WH's I could use the jack plug but I have the WM (Buds) there is no way other than blue tooth to connect those.

@Stevemalkpus yes, I'd spotted the 3.5mm jack and have some other headphones I'd planned to use but having looked at my Pulse 3D headset just now I have noticed the 3.5mm jack on it 😂 I've just been using the dongle!

@cuttlefishjones
Sorry 😊. I read it wrong. I can't see Sony ever using Bluetooth audio for gaming because of lag. I have the wh1000 xm4 and I use them for everything including wired gaming.

Having your PS5 On to use the portal anywhere doesn't sound safe or practical.
If someone expects to go on holiday with this thing they are leaving a device for what... a week?
Meanwhile the machine is running longer than it should at a time and doesn't that pose a fire risk.

Basically they're lying. What they mean to say is the Portal wasnt designed to make profit on its own but with the hopes it increases engagement, by players playing more games which in turn means more time players are likely to purchase battle passes and other microtransactions which they do make profits on any time a purchase is made on the PSN.

It absolutely is, just not on it's own. Helps to sell more consoles, more games, PS+ Premimum (if cloud kicks off) and boost the sales in Japan.

I like to think that they created this device to test the demand for another handheld. All hope for one seemed lost after the Vita. Really hope they consider adding an SD slot in a newer model should the cloud streaming become a thing and let us download games

Whatever people may like or dislike about it, it’s sold our everywhere.

I just fired mine up at work, 30 minute drive from home. Started playing Spiderman and it runs like a dream. So glad I got this device. My boss is now also thinking of getting one, haha!

@Yinx I love my PSVR2 but I do worry that Sony's interest in it is fading fast.

They want more engagement but won't make a long overdue mobile app for premium subscribers. Get your s*** together Sony!

@MattBoothDev I didn’t say that none of their technology wasn’t good! Without their innovations, the media landscape would be much different than it is now, whether their formats caught on, or made the competition do better.

But make no mistake, their main priority — like all large corporations — is to make money. CD, DVD, MiniDisc, and Blu-ray all innovated when they pushed media formats forward, whether they were better than what was available at the time, or just cheaper to produce.

When it comes to situations like the Vita memory cards or the PlayStation Link on the Portal however, that is purely profit over convenience — at least in a world where SD cards and Bluetooth are pretty much universal standards at this point. Link might be better quality in the long run, but not also including Bluetooth on the Portal is just plain anti-consumer.

Sell it cheaper then. Or throw it in with the console for free?

@Impossibilium I'll stand by it; I loved my mini disc player back in the day! Cobalt blue beauty with a primo collection of 1gb mini discs that I made as mixtapes!

Though definitely not as convenient as the ipod I bought (and lost!) a few years later, haha.

Tempted by this, just to keep in the bedroom, so I can play some games at night, before bed, but will probably wait for the inevitable black/ red colour swap! 😜

@J2theEzzo Haha, yeah, I never used them, but there were definitely a few people that swore by them. They were a good in-between technology, between CD and MP3 players — at least until MP3 players got more storage.

When I worked in retail, we sold MiniDiscs for a brief period. But they were soon pulled from the shelves, due to the lack of demand, after selling very few of them.

But there was one customer that bought them. He ran a local radio station, and loved the things. But he only bought them one at a time, roughly every six months. So when they were taken off the shelf, we had a full case of unsold stock.

He still came in to look for them, though. So every few months, I would have to dig through the stockroom to sell him another one.

He eventually broke down and bought a whole bunch of them all at once, and never came back looking for them again. I think there were still a few left last time I looked 🤣

That's the exact same thing with PSVR2 that people don't seem to get. It's a value add. You buy a PS5 over an Xbox because it offers many more options down the road. Yes, the games are great, but the ecosystem is all that richer and more vibrant.

At the end of the day, the individual performance of a given peripheral or even game may not matter if it benefits the platform as a whole.

@Impossibilium I agree, I was just adding some extra info!

It took far too long to get SD2PSV cards on the market. They're a godsend, really. I have a 64GB PS Vita memory card that's on the fritz, but a 128GB SD in place instead. Cheaper to replace!

@Impossibilium I would consider holding on to them! Sony is big in re-porting old tech in shiny new dresses right now... walkmen are getting big again, and going for primo prices. I wouldn't be too surprised to see minidiscs make a brief resurface, with a revamped price attached.

"Sony Says PS Portal Wasn't Designed to Make a Profit"

Well, then they're on the right track.

@Mikey856 Definitely would be a smoother experience. I believe that's how the PSP used to work with the PS3. Although doing it that way would confine you to only using it on the same connection as the PS5.

@SoNico89 It needs to be on standby, not on. I have mine on standby pretty much 24/7. Haven't had an issue in years. Same for my PS4. It's better than turning it on and off every day.

@cuttlefishjones Yikes. That's a very necessary feature left off. Sony is about as good at Bluetooth as Nintendo is at online services. (Hint: they suck)

@Dekker451 the scalpers will help them the first few months

Engagement with BC/let alone remote play, does Sony think at all?

I'm fine with niches for remote play/VR/AR/HMD/MP3 players/cameras/camera enthusiast phones and more Sony offers of niches but still come on, engagement, proprietary remote play connection/encryption for hacking when people will anyway and make it more/teardown to show if it's even worth the power/casting potential or not.

Vita had Japanese/Indies (besides it's storefront/physical/gimmicks/PS Now, niche audience enjoying different sides of it), this thing has no dev support, it exists because that's what it's meant for.

@cuttlefishjones You need to buy a pair of those headphones first before you can use them. Once you actually buy a pair, you'll find that they are wired headphones. The analog plug is on the left headphone, as everyone who owns a pair of these knows. They even come with the wire!

@trev666 On the other hand, the number of people born before 2007 who don't own a pair of wired headphones looks like the limit approaching 0.

@themightyant
Yay finally someone with enough hardware knowledge to advise on the drawbacks of bluetooth, I will be getting the portal nearer to April once my partner gives birth so I can be doing a bit of multitasking

@Darth_Stofi Bluetooth adds lag, and there's no way around it. Good for music, bad for gaming.

@MattBoothDev Costs 200 not just to make, but to advertise, distribute around the world and to service.

It’s definitely got me engaged. I was playing everything on my switch and now the ps5 is back to being my preferred way to play and the switch is my portable console.

My only regret is not preordering the earbuds PS Link

@viktorcode yeah, sure, but even at £200 it's overpriced for what it is. The display isn't OLED, for instance. A Switch is about £50-80 more and that does way more. R&D costs on this are going to be low. They've already developed the dual sense controller. They've already developed the smaller controller sticks. They've already developed the Remote Play software.

They've literally taken lots of parts and put it together. Not saying it's a shoddy job or corners were cut... Just that even with R&D and the very minimal marketing they've done here, they're definitely making money per unit.

However, obviously £200 wasn't that bad since they've sold 🤷‍♂️ but it's out of my range for such a device. Especially since I've used remote play before and this doesn't seem to stop the lag!

I can see where this makes sense. If you just buy a console and you aren’t using, you won’t be as inclined to get the next console and you lose a customer. So with this, a husband can play whilst the wife and/or kids watch other programming. This is why I loved the WiiU, but that’s another story…. I get that it’s expensive, but so is a pro/Edge controller. A more casual gamer won’t need that, but would probably find this more appealing.

@MattBoothDev I think you are confusing cost with the price. Cost of developing, producing, shipping and supporting is very important, of course, but the price point is where the product's success is determined. So far it seems they hit the nail on the head. If it costs so little for Sony, all the better for them.

@Michael10293978
Not sure what you're talking about I have a pair of WM-1000XM5 buds (very nice they are too) and it would be nice if they worked with the portal. Instead I'll have to buy a pair of the Pulse Explore buds instead whch just seems a little overkill to me. I suppose I could use the Arctis 9 headset I have for my PC but, too be honest, I much prefer buds to over ear headsets.

@Octane

Ah that makes more sense. I've know a few people who have it and it's handy when your PS5 is a bedroom setup and you want to do some minor grinding while chilling in the lounge in front of sports or something.