I have a problem. Admittedly, its a very first-world kind of problem. See, the way we have our gaming set up at home, our PlayStation 5 is hooked up to my wife’s gaming set-up in the office. If she wants to play something non-PS5 related, but I do, I need to set up the whole console again in the living room. And since her passion for evergreen games like Helldivers 2 isnt going anywhere I will have to set it up again in the office. This back and forth makes me not want to play PS5 games because it’s a bit of a hassle. Like I said, it’s a first world problem.
So how does the PlayStation Portal fit into this? Well, it’s a remote-play (i.e., streaming) device that lets me play the games I want to play on the PS5 wherever I want to, thereby solving my issue and giving me the portability I appreciated so much from the PlayStation Vita – Sony’s previous “handheld” console.
The hardware
So this is actually quite simple. At its core, the Portal is just a standard PS5 DualSense controller…with a large 8-inch LCD display where the touch pad should be. At first, this setup seems a little flimsy or fragile (based on pictures you see online). However, I can assure you, once you hold it this device feels just as sturdy as any other Sony-made peripheral.
The integration of the touch pad into the touchscreen is not perfect and a little awkward, but its still functional. The rest of the Portal feels just like a DualSense with the exception of the sticks. They are much smaller to their DualSense counterparts. In fact, doing a side-by-side comparison shows they are just about the same exact size as those of a Nintendo Switch. This is neither a pro or a con in my eyes, but something you should be aware of. At least they are bigger than the Vitas joysticks.
All told, this is a big, sturdy controller. It’s wider than both the Switch 1 and 2, and the screen has a thickness that ranges from just about 0.7cm on the bottom part to right around 3 cm at its thickest point. Despite its relatively heavy nature (it weighs exactly 500g, compared to the 275g of the DualSense), it’s still very comfortable to hold. For reference, an original Switch 1 weighs around 400g, and a Switch 2 weighs around 530g. The second-generation PlayStation Vita weighs a solid 210g.
The system is charged by a USB-C port hidden behind the screen, and sitting next to that is a 3.5mm audio port. That may seem antiquated, but its essential given Sony’s baffling decision to not include any bluetooth functionality. In fact, Sony is gating off all wireless communication with the exception of their own PS-Link capable headsets and earbuds. Given that these cost the same as the Portal itself, at least we are given the option to use wired headsets. A small built-in microphone on the underside of the screen finished off his rather clean design.
Another strange decision is the lack of support for Wifi 6. At the time of the release of this system, most higher end devices used Wifi 6 – given how the success and/or failure of this device rests on its capability to communicate rapidly with the PlayStation 5 you would think Sony would do anything to ensure rapid speeds.
One final point of criticism here is the speakers. I understand that the speakers of a controller or a handheld system will never compete with a dedicated headset or a good Hi-Fi system, but these sound poor. Musical high notes come out very metallic and strangely quiet. Compared to other handheld devices, this is a little disappointing.
So, how good is it in practice?
My experience using this system has been largely positive. To ensure I am doing everything I can to improve my experience, our PlayStation 5 is permanently hooked up to our internet via cable. When the Portal is connected to our main router, and not an access point, the connection is largely stable, and gameplay is smooth. Even running it through my phone’s mobile hotspot (using LTE, not 5G) works pretty flawlessly. However, when it’s connected to my access point (because our main router doesn’t work across our whole apartment) it simply refuses to connect. I still don’t know what’s causing me issues here (none of my other devices have these issues), but the Portal clearly seems to be struggling with that. To remedy that I decided to get a mesh compatible range extender to complement our router and that seemed to do the trick.
Finally, when you do get a solid connection going you can rest assured that the system will give you about 3-4 hours of streaming gameplay (depending on factors such as brightness, volume, etc.).
Another really great thing about this system is that Sony patched in cloud streaming support. If you have a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription, you can use this system without a PS5 and simply stream your games from Sony’s servers.
So…will I be using this to play more PlayStation games?
Yes. Ultimately, at the end of the day, this system works really well when it has a strong connection. The latency is incredibly low, and the image clarity is top-notch. This is truly a step-up from earlier remote-play efforts of the Vita or even the PlayStation TV. However, as I have also seen with our home setup, your mileage may vary and is highly dependent on the Wifi setup you have at home. Once properly configured though, the Portal blew me away!
Finally, the price. This system costs 220€ or 200 USD. That’s not little for what is basically a controller with a Wifi antenna and a screen. The lack of Bluetooth adds insult to injury. This is not a system I would recommend to everyone, but if you’re like me and you want to continue playing PlayStation 5 games wherever you want in your house, then it’s a pretty solid value proposition.
So what do you think? Is there a place for the PlayStation Portal in a handheld-filled world? Are you interested in getting one, or is this one device you will be passing on? Let us know in the comments!
