
Prior to its release, few predicted PS Portal would be successful. Many were baffled by Sony’s decision to release the Remote Play handheld, which streams gameplay directly from a PS5. But as the months wear on, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that Sony’s added a permanent fixture to its hardware portfolio, with the device exceeding expectations.
Stock shortages have hindered the accessory, but US data for February reveals it was the best-selling peripheral when ranked by dollar sales. Obviously, the unit is pricier than your standard DualSense, but this is a category which also includes the fairly expensive DualSense Edge, so it’s clear there’s a pretty strong market for the portable.
Sony admitted recently that “demand has exceeded” even its own predictions, and it’s exploring ways to increase the available inventory of the unit. It’s yet another surprise success from the Japanese giant, with Helldivers 2 also beating all expectations and instantly becoming the best-selling game of the year thus far. Looks like the firm’s on a run, eh?
[source twitter.com]
Comments 122
The portal is excellent. Been very pleased with mine. Quite often my wife will use it whilst sitting on the sofa next to me as we both jump into Helldivers 2 with some friends. Of course you need 2 ps5s to do that, but thats exactly why we bought it, we have two..
Its nice to see the haters proved wrong, including the high levels of skepticism from this very site 😊
Couldn't get one but have jumped on the handheld bandwagon with the Backbone One on my Pixel phone.
And boy am I happy!
As well as the (PushSquare) recommend app PSPlay allowing me to remote play on my PS5 using 5G aswell as Wifi, I've discovered that Dolphin runs rather well and has allowed me to play all my old Gamecube games on my phone again.
The door to emulation heaven have opened to me, I always dismissed Smartphone games due to a hatred of touchscreen controls, but now my eyes have been opened.
Nope, people were just baffled about the lack of features. And I still am.
Switch has been around long enough for the blueprint to be copied... Sony elected for this silly halfway house product like they thought there was a risk?
Meanwhile... they go full on with overproduction of PSVR2. Honestly, I know we're PS fan boys on here but how many mistakes will the Sony board continue to make before we see some changes? It's embarrassing at this point.
Incidentally, the only people surprised are those without children!! Anyone from the 80s will know full well why a portable pick up and play device is going to be seen as a god send. And Sony have massively underestimated the impact on software sales from the generation that simply can't play as frequently.
Portal, unsurprisingly since Switch has done it for nearly a decade, finds the gaps in time to fit play in. I've played my PS5 at least 10 times as much since Portal released, and I'm not alone!
Yet, Sony back the PSVR2 horse...? It's poor from Sony. Anyone, and I mean anyone, would know which of those two horses should be given the resources. Utterly ridiculous!
I hope the recent successes of doing things differently pays off in other areas.
I love wacky side gadgets and while the Portal isn't for me, I'm glad to see stuff like it.
I hope Helldiver's success leads to investment in other AA games that aren't chasing the newest trend. Good word of mouth, fun gameplay, and non intrusive micro transactions have shown to really pay off.
Although I'm sure Sony will be dropping some marketing collaborations in there in no time.
Portal Boys >>> Vita Boys
Portal Boys where yall at?!
And here's me considering selling mine as its just sat collecting dust and getting no love as since I've bought it, my situation as changed 🤣
I've had mine for a month now and it's been great, no issues at all and gameplay has been smooth even when playing online games like HellDivers 2. My only gripe is the battery life which I'd be happier if it lasted 2 hours more.
Hang on.
Suddenly Circana lists it as a peripheral despite Sony telling them when it launched to count it amongst consoles?
I was sceptical when I first got it but have been blown away by just how brilliant it is. Even connected to my mobile phones hotspot it works so well.
As long as PS5 is hard wired the results are amazing.
Can’t wait to have this for playing on PS5 Pro and then PS6. Compared to streaming from
Xbox this is a whole new game.
Superb.
I actually saw a PS Portal out in the wild at a Walmart in Toronto. As for me I was able to get one off Amazon a few months ago and I love it. Can't wait til it gets warmer out so I can sit on my patio and play while I smoke and drink.
I love my Portal ❤️
@nocdaes I have gamed more and more since having the Portal.
I've had a nightmare with my internet being unstable. It's entirely the ISP's fault and nothing to do with Remote Play or the Portal but... it's really made me wish that if Remote Play loses connection it automatically pauses the game. Sick of being thrown out and reconnecting only to find I'm dead.
Besides that, it's a hit in our house. My wife's actually started playing games for the first time ever. Getting an hour or so in a night on sim games.
As a guy that travels for work… I can’t guarantee good hotel internet in locations I go. This is pretty much a waste of money if you just stream from your pa5 - and for those that’s ah they have 2 - you could literally buy a small smart tv for the same price to play side by side.. Not being able to stream without my ps5 running is a joke. I said it. A JOKE.
Get some servers Sony . I can pair my controller to a tablet, laptop or phone - all devices I already own.
Grabbed one myself and once I hardwired my playstation directly to my router it's been a dream. Wife plays it CONSTANTLY in bed or while kiddos are watching TV.
The portal hasn't received a firmware update in over 2 months. What kind of support is that?
I love mine so far - it's perfect for when I want to sit in another room with my wife and keep playing, and it's definitely better than the tablet and dual sense remote play option I was using before. I do have to point out that Alan Wake 2 was nearly unplayable, at least for me, because it splits up the touchpad into two, and it was incredibly difficult to access the mind palace while using the portal.
@pyrrhic_victory I was having the same problem with AW2. Then I found that if you double tap it'll work every time.
It seems to have done well but it was always intended to be a low volume product, which is were the stock issues come in
@Savage_Joe I dunno. It feels like Nintendo simply re-invented the handheld space, what with the prevalence of handheld PCs now (especially the Steam Deck, which feels very console-like most of the time), devices like the Portal, and now even rumors that the Series S successor will be a hybrid device like the Switch.
I recall writers here talking about how the handheld space was dead (mostly, I suspect, to justify Sony's decision to abandon the Vita and pull out of that portion of the market entirely), and now the Switch is the most popular console of all time, likely to outsell the PS2, and everyone wants a piece of that portable gaming action lolol.
@Bklynst8ofmind I was trying that but it was very inconsistent for me. It'd come up once then not again. I had to finish the game regularly, but every other game works fine
Can't help but think the Portal is eating the PS VR2s lunch. I mean you can't use the PS VR2 headset w/ the Portal, and if you are actually using your $200 controller are you going to spend another $600 on PS VR2?
I know PS VR2 has a lot more against than just the Portal, just saying the Portal is not doing P SVR2 any favors.
I have been using it non stop for past 3 months. I love it. The circle button seems to be sticking sometimes. Wondering if others have similar issues
Fantastic device. Using it to play Like and Dragon in bed and will probably start Ace Attorney on it. I was concerned because I’d had terrible experience on my phone with remote play this has been faultless.
The price isn't as bad as it could have been but I am definitely surprised how successful the portal has been. Not because I'm not the target market, but because I am the target market, have been using similar setups since long before Portal was rumored, and those setups are both cheaper, more featureful, and support more platforms than the Portal. And have longer battery lives. As someone that specifically shopped for a remote play handheld, I still don't really know why one would buy a Portal instead of the variety of others (G Cloud, any Retroid device, Steam Deck, any of the portable PCs) unless you just don't know better and only plan on ever playing only PS on your local console.
I use a G Cloud for "bigger" screen and comfier controls and long long battery. I use a Retroid because it's so tiny and cute and that's honestly the one I pick up for moments of play here and there. I used to use a Note 8 with a gorgeous screen and a Razer whatever their controller clamp is called, and it was great, but the battery on that thing drained itself. Then again, Portal doesn't have a great battery either.
I have a dedicated PS4 for streaming smaller PS games and a Series S dedicated for streaming XB games. And use cloud gaming albeit less frequently than I wish I could if it had save states like XB's quick resume on it for a Switch-like experience.
But TBH if XB's real handheld rumor becomes true that'll probably replace all the above and I'll just stop RPing for PS games.
It's not that Portals a bad product, or that the price is especially bad, it's just that you can get so much better, often for less.
@nocdaes "And Sony have massively underestimated the impact on software sales from the generation that simply can't play as frequently."
With a focus on "engagement hours" and live services with "dailies" designed to consume endless time and thus connect to endless money, I'd say, more likely they don't actually care about software sales from the generation that can't play as frequently. They see it as pocket change. We're not the target market for growth. It's the people dedicating 5 hours a day 6 days a week to a platform game the money comes from now.
@TrickyDicky99 "how Sony messed up so bad I'll never know, probably the Jim Ryan era."
Is there even any other possible explanation?
@Ralizah Nintendo didn't "re-invent" anything, they established a monopoly on the market in the late 80's and nobody else ever had a chance. Sony tried, decided they couldn't compete with Nintendo in handhelds and bailed. Xbox point blank said there's no point competing with Nintendo in handhelds and they don't want to bother ,though that might be changing with the rumors, and makes sense because GP is a big differentiator for their own handheld vs Nintendo's, plus the rise of the portable PCs. I still think Sony should have gone all in on a real handheld if they were doing Portal as a real Switch rival though. But they don't want to support the software on anything but the base platform.
Great that it's more popular than predicted.
I still don't see the point when you can get a Backbone for much less and get the same capability.
Or, if you have a laptop nearby, you can use that with a PS5 controller hardwired and that doesn't cost any extra if you already have said laptop.
🤷♂️
I just knew an article about the portal doing well would have people bashing the psvr2 in the comments section 😂
Like many, I didn't really expect this to take off, but given I use my Steam Deck for streaming the PS5 around the house I shouldn't have been pessimistic. Obviously the Steam Deck is a way more capable device, but it's also a lot more expensive and the setup to get streaming working isn't hard but it's non-trivial.
I suspect the out of box experience with the Portal is really good, along with it having the native controller, so in a way I'd actually warming to the idea of getting one even though I'm using the Steam Deck.
I don't get it but hey I'm glad people like it. I just don't like the idea of buying a streaming only device but clearly there is a market for this so good for Sony. Looks like they found a nice little niche market for this thing.
@nocdaes Your comment sums everything up perfectly. Sony clearly has the perfect opportunity but because of the failure of the Vita they're too scared to go for it.
@GamingFan4Lyf because you can just pick it up turn it on and start playing. The other options require some sort of setup.
@Dman10 I've noticed the same thing with the O button. It seems to stick out from the plastic casing more than a regular DualSense. Hmm
I managed to get one a few weeks after it launched (right place right time, just happened to be in Smyth's just after they'd had a delivery)
I love the idea of it in principle, but I found it just glitches far too much for my liking.
Imagine playing a game of FIFA online and your opponent has a bad connection, unless I was in the house on my own and nothing else was putting a strain on the WiFi, it just didn't work very well.
We do have pretty decent fibre optic broadband as well.
Long story short, I sold it to a lad in work a week later, he's now sold it on again for the same reason
I absolutely love my PlayStation Portal and use it all the time. Amazing piece of kit, works perfectly and ergonomically spot on.
@Bklynst8ofmind I guess people will pay $200 to save themselves 30 seconds.
@NEStalgia
I just want to play PS games with full haptic support when in bed lol. Added bonus, seems it works well away from home on other wifi, but I’ve only had a few occasions to use it.
I know I could get a system that plays games locally, but I have no time or desire to play games away from PlayStation, so no need to pay more for that (I mean we’ve had a switch since launch and I’ve never played it). Battery has never been a problem for a couple of hours play, which is the most I do before sleep, but if it ever was then I have a plug socket by the bed. I’m also more confident of a good connection long term now, as it’s a Sony made device connected to another Sony made device.
I mean it's not all hits. You ran a story this week about PSVR2 stock collecting dust...
Sony needs to go all in on the handheld space and probably abandon VR (they unofficially have!). They got their feet wet with the Portal now make something that can go head to head with Switch, Steam Deck and Rog ally.
I love my PS Portal. I use it everyday and have had no major issues.
@NEStalgia It reinvented expectations for what portable gaming looks like. Switch essentially realized the dream of the Vita (home console gaming on the go), and since then, additional technological improvements have made that approach increasingly viable. In this way, they took their most lucrative market and expanded it intelligently so as to also absorb the home console market as well.
We would not be sitting here with our PS Portals and Steam Decks without the Switch providing the framework for what portable gaming should look like in the modern era.
I wish I could have the Starlink internet the people have here so I could use Portal without any issues. I sold mine because It was unplayable.
@thefourfoldroot1 "I just want to play PS games with full haptic support when in bed lol. "
The jokes just write themselves here.
I guess if you're into the haptics, that's a thing. I don't really care about the haptics on the PS. Seems like an irritating waste to me. Haptic STICKS would be great, but instead we get haptic triggers that IMO don't add anything but potential arthritis. Love it on the VR Sense because that's all part of the immersive suspension of reality, and you actually SEE your hand holding the object, so the feedback feels connected in your head, but on a regular controller where my hand isn't specially represented in the game itself like with VR it just feels like annoyingly resistive controllers buzzing about. Haptics aside though when you compare the Portal to the other devices out there you just get so much less for more.
To me the problem with Switch is, if I buy a game on Switch it means I get no option of a prettier, better performing version at all. And if I even buy it twice, once on Switch once on PS or elsewhere, I don't get cross save so there's no point. So I use remote play on PS/XB whenever I can instead. Would still be nice to have a real handheld option though like Steam Deck but I do like my RP alternative otherwise. But yeah, my Retroid cost less than half and fits in my pocket. My G Cloud is similarly priced by also plays XB, PC, Cloud services, etc. And a charge lasts for days. Portal is a decent machine, but I'm surprised how successful it is since there's so many other options. PS to PS is more plug and play, sure, but i don't think I spent more than 30 minutes setting up my Retroid and that was for linking it to my PS4, PS5, XSX, XSS, and GP cloud. Actually strike that, I spent probably an hour or more on the PS4 because I had to dig it out of mothballs, find a controller floating somewhere, get that linked, then sit through patches because I hadn't booted the base PS4 since like 2017.
I still want to buy a Portal, but that will only happen when they are readily available.
@Ralizah Switch is funny because it changed a lot of the way people looked at handhelds, but didn't actually DO anything particularly unique. They took a GBA, made it bigger, amped it up to 2011 standards (in 2017) and stuck an HDMI dock on it. Boom, done. It's the rare case where the marketing presentation is the product more than the product is the product. Functionally, it's nothing but a giant GBA2 with a TV out and no BC. And suddenly after mocking handhelds for 30 years everyone suddenly decided "ZOMG HANDHELD ARE AMAZE!" All it took was a stupid TV out. and a marketing campaign.
Edit: And a Zelda Skyrim Farcry game. PSVita TV tried the TV out trick kinda before and no one cared.
Removed - trolling/baiting
@BaldBelper78 I can testify to gaming more which results in the portal being a brilliant machine
@NEStalgia I'll admit to being amused by all of the "It's so cool being able to play games away from the TV!" rhetoric when handhelds have existed for ages. Like... I agree it's cool being able to play a home console-tier title on a portable system, but let's not act like the concept of a portable console itself is something new.
Hell, the Nomad was effectively a Switch back in the 90s, and nobody cared. It's definitely less "Nintendo did a new thing nobody ever thought of before" and more "Nintendo found a way to take this style of console design and make it appealing and mainstream."
I do agree Breath of the Wild as a launch title was an important part of its success as well. It was very much the proof-of-concept people needed to sell the idea of a Switch. I'm so used to playing big boy TV games on a portable system now, but back in 2017, playing the new, hugely ambitious Zelda game on a portable system, booting it up on the tablet, was a WOW moment that'll stick with me forever.
@TheCollector316 they’ve been available in the UK store direct from Sony for sometime now.
I’ve been wanting to buy a Portal but I haven’t been quick enough to purchase it when the supply drops. Feels like trying to get a PS5 during the pandemic all over again. I refuse to pay at 30% markup to a scalper though.
Glad to hear they are exploring ways to increase stock. I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep the $200 in my pocket from burning a hole. 😄
@Luigia Unfortunately the U.S. store sells out within hours of a supply drop.
@Ralizah With how people act about handhelds being this new revelation you'd think Pokemon wasn't the #1 selling franchise of all time having launched exclusively on handhelds....
I honestly don't know how Nintendo managed to do it. They took the old concept that had already been done, sort of even by themselves with the Super Game Boy cart (I own one!!), the Nomad, Vita TV.... and I really don't know how they convinced the masses it was this huge deal. Especially off the back of WiiU. People only half cared about 3DS, nobody cared about Vita or Vita TV, less than half a person cared about WiiU.....suddenly Switch comes out and everyone wants one and thinks of handheld gaming as a revolution. Was it the superbowl Imagine Dragons half time commercial? I swear that was the difference.
TBH as a Vita and WiiU owner, the idea of Botw on a handheld didn't really "wow" me that much, it still felt normal. But for the masses, I think, not just the "wow" of the game, but the fact that it really squarely hit the zeitgeist of the time of Ubisoft formula (without icons) open world, climb the tower, semi Farcry formula was a big part of that. In a lot of ways it's the most mainstream western-AAA derivative game Nintendo ever made.
It was a magical game at the time, but ironically I don't think it ages well. It already kind of blends into the murk of 8th gen open world games to me now. It's maybe poignant that that is the game that reshaped "handheld" in the public mind.
@Krydle So much truth. G Cloud and PSVR2 are the poster children in the last few years for otherwise great products that destroyed themselves with terrible pricing.
@NEStalgia
I was actually talking about the vibration haptics not trigger force feedback (although that’s good too depending on the game). I guess it’s just I want the full features. I also want the exact (almost) controller ergonomics rather than a different shape. I guess I didn’t look into other options honestly, it did everything I wanted at a price I was fine with and have the peace of mind it would just work out of the box. I guess I’m a classic console (rather than PC) user in that sense. Really happy with the purchase anyway.
I just use my OLED steam deck. Works well. Nearly bought a portal until I tried it.
@NEStalgia I felt a similar, although less pronounced, awe when I first played Gravity Rush on my Vita. People didn't buy the Vita, though, so it never had the chance to really prove itself to the public.
I totally disagree on BotW. Aside from the towers to expand your map, it's nothing like Ubisoft open world games at all. Which is why it was such an industry-shaking release: it created a new type of open world game that defied the established conventions people were used to.
That Elden Ring and Breath of the Wild are considered two of the greatest games ever made, I think, speaks to the potential of this style of open world game design.
Let’s get this out the way and say I’ve been sceptical here and on our own show but … it’s actually impressed me , once I got it working , most of it was my own stupidity but to get it working outside of my own home had me feeling like someone out the movie hackers or for the older more discerning gamer - war games. What I had to do is probably every day stuff for the master race but I felt out on a limb. With that said since it’s been really good , yes I get dropped frames but nothing crazy and I live in the middle of now where with internet that’s as good as you imagine.
Also don’t pay the scalpers and be patient the most successful way I found to buy it was direct from ps them selves but it involved daily checks
@Luigia
Alas, I am in the U.S. I did see them available on the U.S. PlayStation Direct store once, but I was not fast enough.
Removed - flaming/arguing; user is banned
@Ralizah I definitely felt the Botw influence on Elden Ring for sure. But I also disagree that they're that different in style, from Ubi, really. At the time, it definitely seemed and felt different when Botw came out. But really it's the same design as Ubi minus the map icons. I don't want to downplay how fresh it felt in 2017, it did, but looking back with hindsight, it mostly blends in with the ubi formula games to me now. Totk doesn't but I have problems with totk that I haven't even played 30% through it yet. I find the focus on scarce resources/survival mechanics tedious, and the gluing together of parts even more tedious (though with VR controllers it would be a blast.) Personally I feel botw is the better game BECAUSE it's simpler, despite my complaint that it's a bit generic.
Vita remains the only platform I've ever played a Ninja Gaiden game from start to finish on, lol.
I don't know that critics were saying it wouldn't be successful. More that it was a worthless product that could've been something more.
At least, that's anecdotally all I saw people say about it. Were those critics wrong, though? Well, it seems to have garnered enough appreciation to disprove them... But I would still say it's a worthless product that could've been something more. At least people are enjoying it, though.
@Titntin That's actually a cool way to utilize it. Still requires two PS5s, which is a little impractical. But I'd love a setup that allows pseudo-couch co-op.
@NEStalgia It's just not, though. It completely de-emphasizes the checklisting, quest design, and mindless gameplay loop that define Ubisoft open world games. There was nothing like it at the time, and it STILL feels fresh today, even if other developers are starting to take notes for their own games.
I will admit to hoping that the next one is more Elden Ring and less Minecraft, though. TotK is a super innovative game, but we're at the point where, yeah, it's starting to feel like a new IP.
@NinjaNicky There are comparable products to the PSP that are half as much and only like 6 games that actually push the base model PS5. If people have the money and want to buy those things good for them but that doesn't change that the primary draw is clearly brand allegience. And Sony has caught on and is moving towards a busness model of milking their whales so I hope you enjoy your shiny new consumer products. I would buy them too if the value justified the cost.
@Ralizah It checklisted, it just didn't list it so you had to keep track yourself. Korok Seeds are even more Ubisoft than Ubisoft.
Keep in mind that I'm not actually against Ubisoft-design. I don't think their design is usually inherently bad, I think it's just been overexposed by too many AC gmames + FC using it + others copying it because it's successful, including Sucker Punch, so everyone's fatigued by it. So calling something "Ubisoft" isn't a condemnation from me as it is for others. I just think it makes it a bit generic at times because it's so common.
And yeah, Totk....I really don't know how I feel about it but it's the only zelda game in the history of zelda games I find myself not really wanting to play very much with the only other exception being Zelda 2. And those two will likely remain the two I never finish. The minecraft assembly is innovative and leads to interesting creative puzzle solutions, but it's ultimately highly tedious, and not actually fun to do, at least on a regular controller (again, as a VR game it could be amazing though. If Nintendo does the VR thing again, and I think someday they will, because they've been dabbling in stereoscopy since the 80's and never seem to step too far away from it), that's when a totk remaster will shine.) But as-is I just really dislike having to assemble the fiddly parts and half the time have to keep redoing it. Feels like a time waster, and kills the sense of adventure.
Totk feels like it's asking the question "What if Media Molecule made a Zelda Game?" That's a question I never wanted answered.
@NEStalgia I don't necessarily hate that style of open world game either, as long as it's done well. Horizon is that type of game, and I loved it. It actually is a closer equivalent to what BotW would look like if it was more in the style of an Ubisoft game. Just give it stylized anime visuals and the soft Ghibli filter. And slash the budget in half.
I spent a couple of weeks OBSESSED with TotK. Like, I cleared 80+ hours in that time. And then I just... dropped it. Haven't been back since. I will go back, since I'd like to fully beat it, but yeah, it's weird. I didn't stop playing BotW until I had beaten it and was satisfied with my progress.
Probably doesn't help I spent half my time in the Depths mining zonite. Although I exploited a duplication glitch that saved me hours of tedium, so that was cool, I guess.
I just impulse bought my portal yesterday (apart from a few minor connection issues) I'm really happy with my purchase.
@thefourfoldroot1 Oh, yeah, I mean they all have vibration haptics, even just using a phone. It's not the fancy "HD rumble" or whatever Sony calls it, but tbh I really don't notice the "HD rumble" stuff on Switch or PS5 vs normal. The tech demos near each console launch was fun and then I never really notice the difference again. I go back and forth between PS and XB and Switch, and the difference in rumbles between them is completely unnoticed by me 99% of the time. Same for my G Cloud - I don't think my Retroid has any rumble, but the whole point of that one is to be super tiny and pocketable so it makes sense. It's smaller than Switch Lite. But yeah, if it does what you need, and you dont have any desire to use any other platforms or anything, there's nothing wrong with the Portal. Looks like a good unit, and the price isn't too excessive, it's just that it has competition that can be considered more featureful often for less money but, there's a few advantages on the Portal (slightly bigger screen being the biggest.)
@ralizah I never went through the totk addiction. I started it. Thought it was great. Thought the resource gathering was annoying with scarce supplies, more like a survival sim. Thought the parts gluing was really annoying. But still kind of just played it botw style. Kind of speed-ran the snow area, finished it and thought it was really atmospheric but also annoyed still by the survival resource gathering. Got to that shrine with the stealth play that you have to go undetected and retried it like 30 times, increasingly enraged each time over stopping and starting for a month. Then just ignored it and moved on, did a more elaborate major puzzle area. Got even more annoyed at the constant fiddly controls for gluing things together and basically just rage quit and never returned. I keep telling myself I should play again "because it's Zelda' then play 10 other things instead that are actually fun.
Botw otoh I darn near 100%'ed minus the korok seeds. And I never 100% stuff. Horizon is one of the only other things (actual platinum on that one.)
Totk just feels like "Tedium: The Game." Both ACNH and Totk feel like Nintendo leaning into the western GaaS time-suck design philosophy, and I worry about that trend when they start hooking a money backend to that next gen.
@NinjaNicky Hey, if you want to spend $200 to lay on a sofa and stream your PS5 to a device, uninterrupted, that's on you.
I will personally take a few inconveniences and save that money for something else.
@Th3solution ahhh. My bad.
@TheCollector316 fingers crossed you can get one next time. I do have to say the 8inch screen is really sweet
@mcdreamer the 8inch screen and dual sense controls really shine
The one thing besides availability that is stopping me from getting one is the fact that two of my dual sense controllers have stick drift. If that happens to the portal...
I guess it's pretty cheap, but I found PS to PS streaming markedly worse than Streaming games to PS...
@Pranwell I understand that and so does Sony. That's why their business model is rapidly changing to bleeding people like you dry now that they have tapped out the console market and cannot realize additionaly growth from increasing their market share.
There's a really high chance this will do more than 10m. units sold WW.
Never thought this would be the case, but I love my portal. There’s something satisfying about playing Gran Turismo in bed.
It fits people's niches of off tv play I guess. Whether it's 10 years later marketing of a feature people finally realise exists and the Vita app to phones to now a companion handheld. The right games to play it with. The tech/screen size being good enough, whatever the case.
For night/TV and play, with or without kids to bother I totally get it. Besides me just thinking remote play has some merit but I barely use it. I prefer dual screens or other use cases off the TV. Doesn't mean I don't think off tv doesn't suit some parents for sure. Or not having to move their console into the bedroom just keep it in the living room/game room or wherever and Portal use in bed. Or cough PS Vita TV remote play years later, same idea, years later. Granted things change for people in life it's just funny how long it takes for some things to align or tech to be understood or companies to try it again that's all. I don't always hear about things the first time either sure. Or maybe people are busy and timing just doesn't happen it makes sense it's just yeah timing or situation suiting.
I just expected better of dual screen split screen, HUD on it or just Android support. Actually something not that basic. But can be basic or can be more not only basic. The Logitech G Cloud is perfect for cloud and still Android apps even though I was skeptical of it too.
I am totally fine with no new dedicated handheld/new eshop. I'm totally fine with that it makes perfect sense fiancially then PSVR2, PS5 and a PS Handheld to support. I don't need another Sony handheld and not just because I don't care about the PS5/their current first party that's it's own thing. I can understand why they wouldn't make another one and I'm fine with the Switch and my old Sony handhelds/Nintendo handhelds for backlog old titles.
Vita they gave up and left it to third parties, western ones gave up. Japanese and western Indies kept it alive. Nintendo kept 3DS alive as well Wii U wasn't doing well but they still kept it alive. Vita production may have lasted till the normal length of 10 years (which many ignore even if yes Japan but still) even if first party they dropped off or model attempts to keep trying with it. Phones were a period western third parties jumped on, made mistakes, learnt how to thrive it in over time as you would with a new market unless researching it hard enough then dive in with console games then change course. Nintendo thought eh well 3DS did well enough, some tweaks, the Tegra like they planned with 3DS but left for Switch and well they did some Shield game ports of Wii games for China so it was a fair test bed and they put all into 1 focus then split team.
We aren't getting Evercade style same hardware handheld or console any time soon. It just isn't happening even if would be cool. Vita/Vita TV to just deal with the account system let alone save files is a pain in the butt without hacking or PS+ cloud saves because thanks Sony.
But I mean you can get a screen for a Series S, a PS5 screen? A case to take your console in like PS4/Xbox One offered which is overkill but still a thing or just well streaming instead. PS1 LCD. Not just the Wii U Gamepad the Portal offers off the tv with the console they enjoy more than complaining the Wii U had games that didn't interest them and claiming the system sucks when it's the same idea of remote play/off tv play 10+ years later on a console they like now but without the local side of Wii U Gamepad as Xbox/Steam/PS have always been wifi/data focused then local distance or the dual screens the Portal can't offer, but 'could', but doesn't.
When it suits people for a system they enjoy (PS/Xbox then caring what Wii U ever did because it was about those games not the direction it was going till they love their PS/Xbox consoles so much they get screens and Portals 10+ years later or those cases like I mentioned prior if they did buy those) they sort of get it more or just accept it besides just the functionality I think but is Portal suitable for off tv play sure it is.
Just it's primitive.
Enjoy it those that want separate of a phone/other screen (I see the appeal but like anybody will buy a separate MP3 player, camera or others? only niches into those still do not everyone and Portal is the case, a niche that is suiting some appeal of a use case) and buttons.
I totally get that side of separate devices but at the same time it could offer more and the not everyone does proves my point. People don't have to be 100% all separate, but it also makes the point of well you do still have your smartphone for so much all in one anyway and the odd separate (unless have dumb phones in that case makes sense for those wanting that option and live better without the notifications, without ads, other apps and annoyances then just calls and getting by with a GPS/maps/working it out themselves among other things which is fair of a way to live and I respect those with dumb phones).
Im very tempted by a portal. I've always loved online gaming, but with kids and family life often competing for tv time, my gaming tends to be restricted to late at night. I was yearning for a portal whilst playing the dodonko island section of Like a Dragon infinite wealth, and there are many other games that i could definitely see benefitting from owning one.
Dont get me wrong, as a huge advocate for PS Vita (low key one of Sony's greatest bits if hardware), i'd love a playstation handheld with an option for native play, but as a half way house, this seems to tick a lot of boxes
Yeah, I broke down and got one (Had tons of Bestbuy reward points)
It is nicer than I thought it would be based on the pictures. It definitely beats my old controller clip set-up in every way.
But it makes zero sense it is also not just an App for the Steam Deck or make the Windows app see the Legion GO controller out of the box. Would have been happy to even pay for it.
For me it's unnecessary, as I actively use my Switch, which runs games natively, whereas Portal doesn't; its biggest flaw. Plus I don't have to share a TV with anyone, so I'd almost never use it at home. 🤷♂️
I still don't get why you would pay £500 for a top of the range console then play it on a screen barely bigger than your phone often enough to warrant a purchase.
Might get the PS Portal Pro to go with the PS5 Pro when that releases though!
@RoomWithaMoose My girlfriend and I are both gamers and our living room set up is two 55” TV’s next to each other with our own PS5’s under each one. It’s awesome and I could never go back to just sharing one TV lol. It makes co-op games more enjoyable when you can also watch the other person play.
It’s weird how some people (including some in this comment section) seem to react like it’s a personal affront to them if other people buy (and enjoy) a Portal. So much so that they feel the need to insult them, call them names or imply they are of inferior intelligence if they buy it. That’s such a strange and harsh reaction. I mean, is Sony killing babies with every sale of a Portal or something? Why does it bother people like buying a Portal is some kind of crime against humanity? 😅
@Enigk some only have one TV. It isn't really meant for the single guy living alone unless they're lucky enough to play at work
@Th3solution I agree with you, its downright silly how personal people are trying to make it.
As to the reason, if the comments here are anything to go by, it seems that many are still burned by the Vita flopping, which I feel is why many seem to love to trash on the PSVR2 and its relatively low (not necessarily poor, thats up to sony) sales. And that any similiar kind of hardware must've only been bought by fanboys or idiots for not buying a vita instead.
@Andy22385 If I can't play on the TV in my house then I don't play at all. I play my Switch docked almost all the time. Basically have to wait until everyone else is in bed before I play.
@Enigk see then it'd be useful. I'd happily play on the couch with one if others were using the TV. It's still a great experience
@Rob_230 as a father of two boys 5 and 3, the portal has allowed me to play and complete Cyberpunk while the wife can watch her TV shows. Go treat yourself daddy 🍩👍🏻👾
@Yozora146_ Yeah, you might be right. The Vita flopping still stings for a lot of people, but what people seem to forget is that it’s poor adoption doesn’t negate the fact it was a great little handheld. It could have been much better handled with better first party software support and the use of non-proprietary save cards, but I loved Vita for what it was. For a while there was still plenty of games to play on it and actually, I still have a Vita backlog. I haven’t turned mine on for ages now, but I still have a couple games I wouldn’t mind getting back to (the most recent game I was playing was MGS2 remastered. I have Trails of Cold Steel 1 & 2 that are still on it, among others that I never got around to) but at this point I’d rather play my PS5, so I choose to spend my limited time there.
And there’s where the Portal is enticing to me. As far as time management, it makes a lot of sense. We all have enormous PS4/PS5 backlogs now, with the access to PS+ catalogues. Yes, the Steam Deck or the Switch has a greater use case with the ability to download your games on the go, but why would I subject myself to entering a whole new gaming ecosystem, with its requisite additional costs to build a library there, when I have 400+ games on PS5 I’d like to get to? I could buy a Steam Deck for $500 then Baldur’s Gate 3, Horizon Forbidden West, and Elden Ring for $60 each (so now my investment is reaching $700… and that’s just 3 games) when I already own those games and can play on a mobile for a mere $200 instead. Oh, and I get 60 fps instead of 30 fps and DualSense quality of life features and I don’t have to have a degree in I.T. to get the games running. 😜 I understand with “a few simple steps” you can make the Steam Deck into a Portal type of experience and stream from your PS5, but it just gives me a headache hearing about the workaround and I’m just not a computer guy. It’s why I game on console and not PC! 😅
When I think of what makes me a bigger “idiot” or “whale”, I think paying $700+ (and for a lesser experience, mind) instead of $200 is what would make me feel like I was foolish.
Anyways, a bit of a rant I went on there, but I’ve thought about it a lot. And I’ve finally decided to buy one… and I can’t get one because they’re always sold out! 😂
@nocdaes I honestly do not understand why you're railing against PSVR2 or for that matter individuals without children.
Let's start with the latter. I don't have children. I get plenty of use out of my Portal, always saw it as something with a lot of potential and preordered it. I was super psyched for it and I'm glad I got it. I don't find the Switch to be a compelling case against the Portal either. I don't use my Switch. I use my portal. Why do I use my portal? Because the eco system and games I want to be a part of and play are all on my PS4/5. I've gotten great use of the portal outside of my home. I've done everything from CoD to Hell Divers, FF7 Rebirth to MGS1 on my Portal. Sometimes I just don't feel like being crammed up in the game room. It's been especially good this past couple of weeks since I've been stuck in bed with covid.
As far as the former. PSVR2 is a great bit of kit. It's failure at the moment has very little to do with VR and more to do with sony not putting their weight behind it. We got Horizone and GT7, that's it from first party. There are some good games, but the system is about as well supported as the Vita during its day. If PSVR2 fails, its because Sony sabotaged it long before it even had a chance. Hopefully when they open it up to PC, it'll turn things around. At the moment I have 2 headsets, and I really want to distance myself from META. Sell my rift s, will certainly go a long way to reducing vr clutter in my home and reduce the need to get the latest quest. Sony very much should be supporting both. PSVR2 is a large under taking than portal. Portal fills that gap of players who don't want to use their phone with a half assed attachment from a 3rd party that doesn't give you the same experience. Seriously, good luck with the mushroom picking mini game on FF7 Rebirth without those haptic triggers. Nothing short of getting a 7 inch tablet is going to get you that screen size. Only problem I have with the portal is the lack of OLED, if they upgrade the unit, I'll be first in line for it. PSVR 2, shutting down GG's other studio that made RIGS (which honestly would have been fantastic on PSVR2) as well as studio London to name a few is hurting PSVR2. PS Portal they just had to throw it over the fence and see what happens. No support needed. Which leads me to the last bit of your point about the lack of features. We all saw what happened to sony when they spread themselves too thin. They hurt the Vita. They chose the PS4 over the Vita, seeing as portables had little future ahead of them. So it shouldn't b e a surprise that the PSVR2 is struggling. They can't even get a first party title out this year, 4 years into PS5's life span. Now there are a lot of reasons, including this false perception for a need of open world bloat in order for a game to be successful. Probably the only reason FF7 Rebirth took as long as it did to release because of the pointless features and open world busy work they shoved into the game. That's really hurting sony right now.
I absolutely LOVE mine and use it almost everyday both at home and when traveling.
Where can I get 1?
@Th3solution No worries with the "rant". I hope you get a portal soon bud.
@Yozora146_ Thanks, friend. It’s not keeping me up at night, just a thing that would be nice for me. Not sure if the reason the U.S. sells out so quick is because of higher demand here or if it’s because the supply is being prioritized to go to UK and Europe first, or maybe a little of both, but I suspect within the next few months that they’ll be much easier to find. Was hoping to give myself a little Easter treat in the form of a new toy, but I’ll have to find another excuse later. 😄
Love my Portal—more than I expected.
I would've got one if I didn't have the Asus ROG Ally which I stream the PS5 to
Selling well doesn’t prove it is a good product, it’s still an absolute scam in my eyes considering you could do more by attaching your phone to a clip-on control pad.
@ingie try googling “buy PS portal”
If it can be updated to do more when not connected to a PS5 would be what gets me to buy one.
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
@ButtsOnSwitch not quite no, my housemate is never here anymore as they have a partner, so I have the TV to myself. As well as I game on deck, rog ally, laptop, tablet ps5 (currently 130 hours into ff7rebirth and on hard mode) and waiting for my mig to show up before I catch up with switch stuff. That and I've recently got back into painting and music... so enough to do, let alone a long distance relationship... so plenty going on 🤣
Ah... didn't realise that was trolling... its late and I didn't notice his other baiting... I still stand by
i have a lot on 🤣
@Slideaway1983 Butthead trolled me too. Oh well, I hope it was worth the banning, lol. 😂
@EVIL-C seems to have trolled quite a few looking upwards! I get exactly what you mean though! Gone 11pm here in uk so I'm off for shuteye; have a good night, mate!
@Slideaway1983 @EVIL-C Best troll moment ever, they tagged a mod to troll them. Like robbing a police station! 😆
@Yozora146_ I have 3 Vitae, 2 PSVR, 2 PSVR2, and an Edge controller in the house.
I like to hurt myself.
And some people want to say I hate PlayStation 😂
@Slideaway1983
Have a good night! 🌙 🐄
@NEStalgia
Hahahahaha! 😆😆 That's too perfect, lol. 😂
@EVIL-C I did haha! 👍
@NEStalgia there's only one good place to rob a police station though - evidence room! Now where Push's "tasty" bits?!
PSVR2 is also getting no love in my house... need to fire it back up as I have a backlog on that, too! It's better than most say it is, as good as some say it is; and as a punt, I was impressed with it compared to the original. I just keep getting distracted!
@Slideaway1983 Haha, yeah I'm definitely a big vr2 fan. I wanted to love 1 but it was a menace with the camera setup I ended up rarely using it. 2 has it's flaws but I think most of my PS5 time is spent on psvr2.... Just got that Minecraft clone cyube...I hate Minecraft but darnit I can't seem to put it down in VR lol. That and the mini golf game... Those Easter egg hunts are OCD fuel.
Portal seems cheap by comparison lol. Costs the same as the edge controller. That's just plain depressing 😂
@NEStalgia which mini golf game you on about, pal? I've not played for ages and can't remember, but I have the one with like a (bowie) labyrinth themed course - with the dog, big sasquatch thing etc? - if so I know what you mean for the hunt!
Honestly I've so many - haven't played since maybe June as life and ps5 in general has got in the way, not to mention ever crisis on android. Haven't even dipped into some like call of the mountain and stuff.
I also get you with vr1. Mines in my room boxed up and no idea what to do with it. Had too much motion sickness and it's too heavy for my head, so complete waste of money - and again I have a backlog on that, as I ended up just playing borderlands 2 a lot (for the 3rd time on ps?!) 🙄
I agree with the cost - and it does fill a niche; already have 4 dual senses (to connect ro ps5, deck etc) and play offline predominantly (no social circle haha) so and edge isn't really mandatory for me. I bought the portal last December as I could barely get in on the "main tv" downstairs, and now my housemate has disappeared it's just basically a fifth controller but only for ps5 now 🤣
@Slideaway1983 Yep that's the one! Darned addictive. I thought I bought a quaint little minigolf game and ended up easter egg hunting and then the "foxhunt" treasure hunts in the hard mode course and I'm still spending hours on those! Every once in a while a putt too.
Lol, Borderlands 2 and Skyrim, the games I've bought 3+ times and still never beat.
I'm very picky about input devices, and I technically hate the PS controllers in general, though DS5 is the first one I don't hate, so the Edge was kind of a must-have for me to make it a little better. And it does. But I still don't know why they don't offer stick tension while being the most expensive pro controller out there. It's kind of a basic function of that type of controller, but, no, stock stiff tension. Grr.
I have a G-Cloud, so does the same thing as Portal. Use it all the time, but I mostly only use it with the XSX because I save the wear & tear of PS5 for VR and exclusives and play the XSX as the remote play server. Except when I was using it for No Mans Sky to tend the daily resource spawns when away from VR lol
The Portal is exactly what I wanted. I don't really understand people who have a switch and play it on the go. Like sure, sometimes I take it on a trip, and play it a little bit, but I'm on a trip what, like 3 weeks at most out of the year.
Ok, for people with long bus commute, I can see it as well.
But by and large, I'd wager most people use their switch or steam deck at home.
At least I do.
So the Portal is perfect, because it lets me switch between my TV and playing anywhere else in my house instantly. It's even more convenient than my switch, which I have to physically move and dock/undock. I don't even need that with the Portal.
Also, the Portal nailed the ergonomics. I wish the switch joycons were just full sized controllers. And the gap between the stick and the screen makes it feel like a real controller, and gives it a really comfortable hold.
And then, the screen size, the switch is too small. Heck, even the Portal I think could have tried to go for 9 or 10 inch if you ask me.
So ya, Portal is amazing!
@Monochrome321 You don't understand why some people who bought a handheld, sometimes play it... as a handheld? Running games natively is the main advantage. Millions of Switch Lites have also been sold, and that can only be played in handheld form, regardless of where one is.
Also, saying switch's screen is too small is silly. It's of similar size of many modern smartphones. Have a look at handhelds of the past. We are spoiled now. These things still need to be portable, one of the main points of a HANDHELD console. You'd need a bigger battery, which increases weight, size, costs, etc. No design is perfect; the compromises Nintendo was able to make with Switch for the final product in 2017 were nothing short of incredible, that's why they've sold 140 million, and why everyone's copied them... again. 😉
@EVIL-C I don't understand those who mostly play it on the go, as opposed to at home. I play my switch almost exclusively at home. I use it in handheld or docked. My point was that the portal can be played at home but not on the go, and the switch handheld I play at home 99% of the time.
So when you consider that, the Portal makes a ton of sense.
Now I don't think native is the nice thing about the switch. The nice thing is the ability to go from playing it like a console on your TV to playing it handheld. The PS5 + Portal delivers that as well, and for me it has done so even more conveniently because docking and undocking the switch is annoying, you don't even need to do that with the Portal.
Finally, the Portal feels way better to play in handheld, because it's a full size controller and has a bigger screen while weighing less. Its also nice to play PS5 quality games, and not the reduced quality version switch ports normally are.
Off course Nintendo games are amazing and I have to use my switch to play them. And yes what they did with the switch is genius, and I wish the portal controller could similarly detach itself.
But the people that knock the Portal I'm curious why, and I can only imagine it's cause they play their Switch away from their home most of the time or a large amount. And that I don't really understand. Like what are people doing outside their home that they have all this opportunity to game?
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