PlayStation Portal: a game-changer or gimmick?

Just yesterday, Sony officially released the next addition to the revered PlayStation lineup: the PlayStation Portal. Designed to provide a wireless gaming experience similar to its predecessors PSP and Vita, the PlayStation Portal is dubbed as a "remote player" that will "bring the PS5 experience to the palm of your hand". PlayStation fans who grew up with the classic PlayStation Portable (PSP) and later the less-successful-yet-popular-nonetheless PlayStation Vita might find the $200 price tag on the latest portable PS "console" a dream come true. However, there is more than what meets the eye with the new Portal. Let's take a look into what the brand-new PS Portal really is. Please keep in mind that this is not a product review and should not be used as reference to influence your purchase needs.

What is the PlayStation Portal?

First thing first - the PlayStation Portal is better described as a gaming "accessory" rather than a gaming "console". Unlike PSP, Vita, or the Switch, PS Portal is incapable of playing games on its own. Instead, you can use it to remotely connect to your existing PS5 and play those PS5 games on this device. This means that not only does your Portal need to be connected to your PS5 over Wi-Fi, but your PS5 also needs to be turned on for you to play on your Portal. Of course, this also means that unless you own a PS5, there is absolutely no point in getting a Portal.

What about specs? PlayStation Portal features an 8-inch LCD screen with support for 1080p resolution at 60 fps, which is good enough to remotely play and enjoy the in-depth details of high-definition PS5 games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and God of War: Ragnarok. The screen is connected to two DualSense controllers, which the company says have features of adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, being able to simulate the experience of clocking a gun or pressing down on a gas pedal when driving a car in a video game.  

In PlayStation's official blog, it's stated that the Portal supports PS VR2 games as well, though you will still need the headset. The Portal also has a 3.5 mm audio jack - so you can enjoy the remote play with your headphones if you prefer. However, if you have the money to buy a PS5 and a Portal, you might as well grab the new PlayStation Elite wireless headset and PlayStation Pulse Explore wireless earbuds to truly immerse yourself into the "PS5 experience". 

Elevating the "PS5 experience"

Since the release of the original PlayStation 5 console in November 2020, the PlayStation brand has been going out of its way to "elevate the PS5 experience" through a few PS5-compatible products, particularly the VR2 and the new Slim redesign.

Announced in November 2022 and officially released in February 2023, PlayStation VR2 is, as the name implies, a VR headset that can connect to a PS5 console using a USB-C cable. For $549.99, the headset was positively reviewed by most international platforms. At the time of writing, the PS VR2 supports over 100 games, with Sony claiming over 500 games being in development for the VR headset.

PS5 Slim, the latest in line of PS5 redesigns, has begun its rollout this month, offering a console that is 30% slimmer and at least 18% lighter than the original PS5. It also comes with an attachable Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive and a 1 TB SSD for internal storage. The official PlayStation blog adds that once inventory of the current PS5 model is sold out worldwide, this new Slim version, currently priced at $499.99 in the US, will be the only PS5 model available.

A possible game-changer?

So far, reviews about the PS5 Portal have been mostly positive. A review from CNET, a globally reputed tech news platform, stated the controls of the Portal to be excellent, though the streaming quality is described as "hit or miss". This particular review even adds that the Portal, at first glance, looks like "a PS5 controller that sprouted a screen in the middle". 

As of Q2 2023, Sony has sold 46.5M units of PlayStation 5. From its release in November 2013 to September 2023, sales of PlayStation 4 reached over 117 million. Putting the sales of the two consoles into perspective, the PS5 has already reached impressive numbers even though it has been out for only three years. With integrated gameplay accessories such as the VR2 and now the Portal, Sony might just rack up more sales of the PS5. 

However, at the end of the day, the fact remains that the PlayStation Portal is only an accessory to your already-bought-and-owned PS5. Unlike the Nintendo Switch, a competitor to PS5 and an actual handheld gaming console, you cannot directly play, install, or download games on a Portal. So, should you still get one? If you are the proud owner of a PS5 and looking to try a remote, hand-free gaming experience, this should be something cool to pick up if you have the cash to spare.