One Year On, Plucky PS Portal's Sales Remain Strong

To this date I don't understand who the target audience for this is. Is it the dudes and dudettes who found WiiU handheld feature compelling (free up the living room TV for others in the family and play your games with some lag). Not putting WiiU down, it's the most innovative and still back compatible console we got since ps2, destroyed by Nintendo's marketing.

@TheDudeElDuderino people with families mostly I'm guessing. Much better to stay sat with your family than banished to another room whilst you play a game. People who want to play on the go as well. Can imagine its pretty cool if you just want to chill in bed as well and don't want to drag the playstation upstairs

@TheDudeElDuderino At 3% of the install base I'm not sure it's hit wiiu levels despite the media pretending it's this smash hit lol.

Not knocking the device. I have some issues with it but it's absolutely the cheapest device in its class if you are ok with the limitations and only play PS. I'm actually surprised the numbers are as low as they are. As someone that values remote and handheld play I'm kind of the target market. I play on handheld at home about equal to consoles. And also loved wiiu.

But I'm also multiplatform so I got G Cloud instead which is great if overpriced and more expensive than portal.. Then I moved into Ally and Legion that does everything and more, but for less money for they PS only crowd it's still a decent buy. Only 3% though? I thought it did better. Weirdly I actually think Pro will do better than portal.

@Andy22385 " Much better to stay sat with your family than banished to another room whilst you play a game. "

Awkward eye aversion from a VR gamer 😒

Best selling accessory (in dollar sales).

Well yeah. I'd certainly hope so given it's over two times the price of most of the accessories on the market.

@TheDudeElDuderino My guess is either remote play fans of the PSP/Vita days, Wii U owners or parents/kids wanting to while the TV is on or parents playing at night in bed. Or those that want to play it in a reasonable space elsewhere then moving the console or buying a PS Vita/PS Vita TV or moving a PS4 into another room.

Like sure PS5 storefront but it is just an app that's 10 years on, reworked on their phone/PC/PS5 to PS4 app on a screen & Dualsense. Nothing more than that.

Wii U had no lag it was only between the console/Gamepad, Vita on the other hand HAD to use the modem/access point and then bounce back to the PS4, same with PC or phone/tablet or PS5 to PS4 app. G Cloud or others would be the same remote play/streaming whatever the case. Physical and digital games but obviously digital is the way to go for things like this but I've had fair remote play physical attempts and it works.

So Wii U never had lag if it was ONLY to Wii U and the Gamepad. That's the point about a local or more locked down connection then Vita being a game system an app capable of remote play with a focus on being part separate device, part connecting to other device via something else to bounce off of and communicate with your network or outside on the go to other networks.

Portal acts how the Vita, phone or others do and not how the Wii U does that's why it has interference. Gamepad has more limited range, a more local/strict code or whatever the case but it still functions better than Portal does because of it's differences.

I mean second screen we use to setup TVs or control apps with our phones it's the same thing only Sony has tried to do it since PSP and kept doing it and Xbox Smartscreen to remote play (or third parties had iPhone/Android apps for some PS3/360 games Deux Ex is a good example) to Nintendo Wii U.

All 3 console makers have been doing this at some point it's just they have kept going at it for 3 consoles now. XD Do I think most normal people noticed. Nope. Do us that pay attention to this stuff did, yes we do.

Or people new to remote play which is fair Sony only sometimes markets it and never experienced PSP/Vita or Wii U 10+ years ago.

Or maybe bashed those prior but praise it on PS5 because they have come around to it on their newest console they use more and are willing to use it now than those back then because oh they wouldn't be caught dead with a Vita or Wii U it's not popular enough or didn't have the games they wanted so they didn't bother and are a bunch of hypocrites because that does happen. XD

I mean Vita did the outside in an airport/hotel (where were the Vita airport ads like Switch Sony XD) gaming with 3G or wifi 10+ years ago now (you can find videos on YT about it, don't think modded either) and still works on 2.4GHz while Portal can do more than Vita could in 'that' way with 5GHz but it has so 360/540p like Vita did (why Sony it can't be that hard to implement seriously) or even a 720/1080p resolution target option.

Why does the Portal, phone or PS5 to PS4 or PC even NOT OFFER THIS AS AN OPTION TO AVOID INTERFERENCE WITH OTHERS ON THE NETWORK, WHAT YOU THINK OH PLAYERS COMPLAIN WELL MAYBE THEY WANT RESOLUTION CONTROL LIKE ON CONSOLE YOU OFFER IT ON PS3 TO PS5 WITH 480p TO 4K, WHY IS IT SO HARD TO OFFER ON PORTAL SERIOUSLY? Lazy!!!!!!)

Not even the phone or the PS5 to PS4 does. When it's just a reworking of the Vita app from 10 years ago. Why are Sony incompetent I don't know.

Part 2:
I see reason it in for sure.

I myself enjoyed it on Vita (more games supported too even if incompatible of button layout, then handful of Indies/fewer big games on PSP), not used it on PSP as eh WEP and modem security isn't worth the effort.

But Wii U I enjoyed it (and successor ideas, same with Vita/Evercade or Switch type combos with Wii U but anyway). But thing is unlike Vita/Phone or Tablet for the PS4 camera playroom app it had DLC for Vita or DLC for phone/tablet or Playlink PS4 party games (phone/tablet which I think Just Dance does and not so Kinect/PS Camera support anymore) that a few were good like Hidden Agenda, Singstar is probably fine, others were just quiz games.

PSVR had some dualscreen experiences with Playroom VR app for 1 Headset (like Wii U) unique player and non-headset players for party games (only thing of it I know that does it for PSVR) but mostly a TV/headset repeat of the same thing cast between them for pretty much every VR game, it's about as similar as me casting my phone to the TV with third party apps then using Apple/Android second screen apps and just casting my phone and my phone without a cable is on the TV and if I want to be stupid cast my phone with remote play back to the TV. XD Besides just not having limited apps on the console I can use the apps on the phone/tablet.

Portal is just a remote play device & Sony did that on purpose (so they don't have to support it/do anything with it like PSVR where they have to XD) as it exists for remote play ONLY so if Indies wanted dual screen experiences they can't... Which is probably why they laughed at Portal when it was announced because they went whelp that's how were being treated after our support of Vita or not much else we can do to experiment with PS5 with Portal then.

I sort of fit the I have a family member that owns one and uses it from time to time but I myself as the remote play/Vita/Wii U fan don't like Portal because no dual screen, no Android support and the remote play experience is the same one as PS5 to PS4 or the phone/tablet anyway and like i said about resolution targeting. WHY!!!!!! If people like the Dualsense or a larger tablet then sure by all means but to me it's the most I don't have an excitement for this product.

I liked PSP 2000 cable to the TV, I think Nomad was also good for it. I like Dreamcast VMU, GameCube GBA support for minigames, I like cross save between Outrun 2 Coast 2 Coast PSP & PS2 or cross save in other games (or other cool stuff controller gimmicks or whatever) & I like Wii U or how some DS games did things Wii U couldn't even though Wii U is separate screens then DS being connected but videos played it on while Wii U had...... safer use of it's features and panorama views..... But yeah Portal is fine for kids/parents to have another screen for basically.

I was playing Doom Eternal last night on the portal in bed and fun experience. The screen is awesome and you get the PS5 experience playing.

For £199 after one year I’ve been a happy gamer 👍🏻

@Haruki_NLI Yep. If you somehow sold a single screw for a million dollars then it would be the best selling accessory in dollar sales on the market.
This is a textbook example as to how you can twist stats to say literally anything that you want them to (not implying any intentional malice btw).

Ive got the 30th edition on pre order but im tempted to cancel. My mate had his at work the other day connected to his mobile phone through hotspot and it ran terribly. Taking it out and using a 4g hotspot was one of the selling points for me but seeing that was enough to turn me off it.

I expect 50% of the sales are from misinformed parents that dont realise its just a screen for remote-play (nor understand what remote play is).
I'll wager so many giving it to their kids and feeling right numpties when a 10 year old tells them what it really is (versus a PSP/Vita/Playstation handheld).

I have my Switch set up so I can do remote play on it. It's nice playing in bed, especially for more story-based games like Ace Attorney. I really can't imagine paying £200 for the ability to do that, though.

It was a niche handheld console at the beginning but it became a bit useful thanks to the ability to connect to WiFi in public places like cafes and restaurants. I only use it when I have some interesting games to play on PS5 (like Astro Bot I played before my bowling session)

@lindos I doubt it. People with that low level of knowledge about gaming wouldn't know the Portal exists in the first place, let alone assume their child definitely wants one and they it's definitely worth spending £200 on.

No one I know IRL had heard of it until I mentioned it. Also, people with a low level of gaming knowledge are usually too scared to buy anything as a gift for a gamer as they're scared of messing up. All through my life, any birthday or Christmas, my parents just give me money instead of buying me a game or accessory.

As a father of two, having Full-time job and traveling from time to time. PS Portal helped me to play more than ever before since I had kids. That doesn't mean I'm taking from time with my family but there are small sessions in between now that I can have. For example the first hour of their sleep I'm not playing on the TV because they'll notice the light but now playing on my Portal. When I'm going back to my home country I play in the evenings on my Portal... etc.

So yeah I'm one of the targeted audience for this.

The PS4 to the PS5 is a reflection of the Wii to Wii U- No real system seller difference, not many games, people sticking playing the old system because they don’t need the extra 5% of power to play their basic games.

If they think copying Ninty, then I honestly think Sony would be better off avoid chasing graphics and make the PS6 a handheld hybrid like the Switch. The amount of people playing this suggests that people want to play off TV.

I'm a bit tight on funds do to the economy. But once I'm back on top, I'm getting one. I like the flexibility it would provide my lifestyle.

I loved mine, but sold it recently because I bought a steam deck. The Portal screen was so good and having the full dual sense experience was great but I couldn’t justify keeping both.

Remote play on steam deck is actually a little smoother.

@lindos just 50%? Why not 99%? If you're gonna make assumptions based on zero evidence, might as well go all the way.

The ps portal is a success no matter how much some people wish otherwise.

@TheDudeElDuderino
I was of the exact same thought as you. Something I could never be interested in. Then I had an operation 6 weeks ago that would put me on my back for a while. So in the weeks notice before the op I grabbed one and got it set up. I'm so grateful it was released. I cannot explain how well it has worked over my home WiFi (I do have the PS5 hardwired and 1Gb fiber). I understand this makes me pretty niche. Although I will use going forward for single player games from time to time. I completed and Ghost of Tsushima and had no issues. The only game I could not play was online COD with friends when I wanted to have a more social experience. When back to work I usually spend a couple of nights in hotels. So looking forward to trying it out and hoping it saves me for converting too much money into beer tokens.
I will add. My wife who hasn't touched a game for years. Has been playing a lot of the old classics she once played on Amiga. Like Rainbow Island and New Zealand story. She's really been enjoying a daily play. Something she'd have never have done if it was not on a handheld.
Too me it feels like a premium kit. And I'm happy that current circumstances have got me to buy one, as I doubt I ever would have otherwise and it will definitely get used. I guess the value is where you see the use. I'm on my way to being 50 with adult kids, so price is not as important than it may be for some so I believe I have value. But if you can't see a use for yourself or family then it is of no value.

It's changed how much I play my PS5 from maybe once or twice a week to every day. I still play PS4 games on it primarily. That's fine. I used to main on my Switch but that's changed since I got the Portal. It's not for everyone but I love it.

@Khwarezm89 Thaaaaaat's why people call it the Dadstation Portal.

@TheDudeElDuderino free up the living room TV for others in the family

Exactly this.

and play your games with some lag

I haven't experienced this, even with the Mrs streaming 4k movies to the telly and the baby monitor pumping a live-stream of a sleeping toddler through our network, it's very solid.

@LowDefAl Actually you can extrapolate the sales of controllers, because each colour is tracked as it's own SKU, and this is ranked by overall value of sales, not volume.

So a controller at $80 across multiple SKUs tracked as unique items isn't going to rank compared to one high priced product selling more.

It's stupid and doesn't actually tell us anything.

It's like how for many years PS5 and Xbox Series (sometimes in that one's case anyway) came ahead of the Switch in dollar sales, followed by a footnote that the Switch sold more units.

It's a weird way of tracking things but Circana isn't concerned with sales, it tracks the movement of money

Don't get the fascination - I had a Vita slim with the HORI 4-button grip and used that to connect to my PS4 to play Dragon Age amongst others.
Lag wasn't the issue (barely a stutter) but tiny screen was and I couldn't see the point (or anything else!)

Decided to buy another PS4 Pro (2nd hand for less than a portal and traded HORI grip in for about £60!) and installed that in the spare room - main TV collisions averted!

@TheDudeElDuderino I don't have one, but I was interested because I live with my girlfriend and 3 kids so the tv is often taken up. So I did have an interest in getting one to play when the tv is in use

This will sound offending, but I never understood why would people buy a piece of hardware like this? I mean, who is the targeted audience, why is it so expensive for the functionalities it provides and when should you use it if you already own a console hooked to a TV?

And the most important question is why is it so hard to use an internet browser on it because writing this comment took more time than usual, I really think they should do something about it in the next firmware update.

I still don't understand, why there is no option to directly connect to the PS5, just like the gamepad did on the Wii U.
There was basically zero lag, when I played games on the gamepad, and no artifacts.

@TheDudeElDuderino @NEStalgia @themightyant @gingerfrog @StrickenBiged @Batesy125s some great replies and use cases. Thanks for taking the time to react.

@SuntannedDuck2 duuude, you seriously need to work on redacting your own messages. I have read them both this time, but dude, I COULD HAVE HAD another family and got new set of kids through college for the time it took me to read your brain dump. Edit. Edit. Cut, cut, cut more, till only the essence is there. Still, like with others, thanks for your point of view.

Stay cool everyone. 😎

And as sure as the turning or the earth, a “Portal is doing well” article is met with a flurry of questions about who could possibly want one. We’ve done this dance for a whole year, and I doubt the music will stop anytime soon.

Good sales, but I still need to understand why and how this device is any good when my Galaxy TAB s9 Pro, plays stream better, has a bigger and better screen, and is more complete than this portal.

@NEStalgia You're Wii U comparison is r*t*rd*d. One is a console and the other is just an accessory also that 3% is not the global adoption rate and even if it was it wouldn't matter seeing as it's just basically a controller that's sold separately.

Got one and use it a lot. My use case is not always having access to the main tv. This works perfectly and other than a large screen, the experience feels like a PS5 rather than using a phone controller or tablet (or another android device like the G Cloud that I was using before).

It's not a console - it's an accessory.

I’m interested in getting one but since I only play PS exclusives is it worth it? My son would also like to play Fortnite, Roblox etc but I don’t have PS+ for online or do those games not require it?

I was initially looking at getting something similar for Xbox but the ROG Ally is like £600 and I’m looking for a dedicated handheld that isn’t a Switch and not one of those handheld controllers that you attach your mobile phone to.

Do the fanbases of the other consoles get this upset when an accessory/hardware they don't like succeeds?

I admit I thought this was literally a pointless accessory....but after my missus got me one ...it's got me playing games I wouldn't have ..and playing games more ...just prefer chilling laying in bed on the handheld...keeps me alot more engaged than on the big tv

@MaccaMUFC I wouldn't get a ps portal for online games...but it's great for single player games

I bought it yesterday used from GameStop and returned it yesterday. I didn’t see the point.

@Kidfunkadelic83 I kinda regret buying mine because if I'm not on my home Wi-Fi network the lagginess makes most games fairly hard to enjoy. I consistently struggle to steer in Hot Wheels, often mis-time dodges in Tlou p2, and my shooting average drops considerably in nba2k all because on just about any connection I have there's a great deal of delay.

I did need another controller though and as this works fine at home and can essentially be used as a second controller I guess it's not a complete waste. Just kind of expensive for just that.

@zupertramp cheers for the input. Ive got a couple of weeks to decide if i will cancel my pre order or not. My wife wont be happy as thats what she was going to buy me for christmas lol.

@StylesT I think I’ll just go for the ROG Ally, it’s a lot more expensive but it’s practically a handheld PC. The ROG Ally X is a better model but no way am I paying £800 for it when I can get the Z1 Extreme for £450.

Had mine since november,but use it mostly winter time in bed.Curious to hear from people,any problems with stick drift?

@Kidfunkadelic83 not a problem. though keep in mind, while I don't think of my area as having horrible internet options, there are places with better. and that's probably the deciding factor on out of the home use. if you just want something you can use inside the house without hogging the TV, then you should have no issues.

Use it when wife or child wants to watch some TV show on the TV that I'm not interested in. But even with headphones on I am not isolating away fully since I remain in the same room.
Runs perfect at home, although remotely I have issues. At work there is a 500Mb connection, yet picture runs perfect, however there is constant audio pop everytime. It's almost like the PS5 is not degrading the audio enough for the upload. Upload is 40Mbs at home so should not have an issue but there is.
Has anyone else experienced audio popping with wired headphones but only remotely away from home?

@TheDudeElDuderino I think on the spot. I am slowly working on that over time what to cut, or make as the first post but shorter. I was going to edit my comment to not be directed at you or just make it short and say what need to and the rest be myself commenting to the article/thoughts in a comment then directly at you I just forgot/gave up trying to edit it to be that way.

This is a shorter comment at least. XD I never know how the comment/notifications end up though so sorry about that.

A lot of information/thoughts go through my head.

It ends up a mess sure, how else does someone make a point/tell a story, oh it has to be tweet/text length? Or they just don't..... which by that then sure says everything need to know/care.

A video as visual? People will read articles or tweets and news comment sections/forums offer long character limits for a reason.

I do research in my spare time as can tell by my weird response of course breaking down different things then use social media for brain rot.

Not everything I say is worth reading, I don't expect people to. I mean it's the same with any passage/paragraph in school, pick out what need to and move on. It's just thoughts/observations in the end. Take some parts.