In mid-November, one of Sony’s most controversial gadgets, the PlayStation Portal, went on sale. Some call it the heir to the legendary PSP, while others call it a useless purchase. I consider myself to be in the second camp, and here’s why.
What is PS Portal and who needs it?
First of all, it’s worth explaining what the PlayStation Portal is and who this device might be useful to. In fact, it’s not even a console, but a regular screen with a built-in controller to which sound and image are transmitted.
PS Portal is equipped with an 8-inch IPS screen with Full HD resolution and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. This should be enough for full gaming. For example, users of Steam Deck and other portable devices generally enjoy the game at 720p at 30 FPS and do not complain.
The built-in PlayStation Portal controller has all the same features as the original DualSense. These are adaptive triggers and high-quality haptic feedback, which no console on the market can boast of, with the exception of the same PS5. This is one of Sony’s selling features in this generation, along with a high-speed SSD and ray tracing.
The device has a place for a 3.5 mm audio jack, but you won’t be able to connect your Bluetooth headphones. Therefore, if you do not want to untangle the wires before the next session, you will have to separately buy Sony headphones with support for PlayStation Link technology.
The “console” weighs only 529 grams. This is affordable considering the fact that it has a built-in screen that is large for a portable device, vibration motors and a 4370 mAh battery, which can last up to 8 hours of broadcasting.
And most importantly: PS Portal is not a standalone device, which means you must have a PlayStation 5 and a stable wireless connection to play. There’s no SIM card support, so you’ll likely be stuck with your home Wi-Fi.
Many who have tested the PlayStation Portal don’t see the need for it. They write that this is a useless toy that may only appeal to Sony fans or those who have only one TV. For example, if the only TV in the living room is occupied and you want to play, take Portal and take a comfortable position on the sofa or bed.
This is a pointless waste of money
All PS Portal can do is stream games from your PS5. That is, it doesn’t even have Android app support, PSP emulation, or PS4 connectivity. There is nothing to justify this purchase.
Apparently, the budget Snapdragon 680 is responsible for the performance of the device. This could be enough for at least some mobile gaming and emulation of older platforms.
But, despite conflicting reviews from experts and users on the Internet, PS Portal is popular among gamers. At least this is indicated by device sales. In early November, during pre-orders on Amazon and Best Buy, Portal stocks completely ran out.
Then the device was included in the top 60 products from the “Video Games” category, and on Amazon the Sony gadget “has entered one of the top five best-selling controllers for PlayStation consoles and became the most popular accessory among new products” The positioning of the device alone raises questions, doesn’t it? How often do you buy gamepads or console accessories? I haven’t done it once in two years. It turns out that getting into the top sales of controllers is not so difficult, especially for a new product.
And don’t think that the high demand is due solely to the quality and desirability of the PlayStation Portal. Most likely, it is due to the limited edition and artificial scarcity that Sony created to drum up interest in its product. This is not the first time a Japanese company has resorted to such a marketing strategy. What were the attempts of gamers around the world to buy a PlayStation 5 at release or even after some time worth? The “shortage” of the console ultimately led to an increase in its value on the market and activity on the part of resellers.
In this way, Sony continues to manipulate its loyal fans by creating the illusion of exclusivity and scarcity of its products. It works like this: a person sees news that says that the two largest marketplaces have run out of stock of the device. The gamer wanted to wait for full reviews before buying PS Portal, but in the end he was forced to pre-order until all the nuances were clarified, so as not to wait for months or overpay resellers. A real profit for Sony.
Still, I don’t believe in the success of the PlayStation Portal and don’t see the point in buying it. In the USA, they offer to buy a “console”, if you can call it that, for $200 (about 17.5 thousand rubles). In Russia, retailers have already begun accepting pre-orders for the new product for 40 thousand rubles. Somewhere you can find it for 5-8 thousand cheaper, but taking into account the fact that to use it you also need a PlayStation 5, which is now sold on average from 45 thousand rubles, it turns out to be expensive.
Free Alternatives
If we take the cost of a new product in Russia, then for the same money it is better to buy a smartphone, tablet, average laptop, Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch. They can also stream games from PlayStation.
Most likely, you don’t even have to spend money, because you will definitely have some of this. If you’re a PS5 owner, then you also have a DualSense controller that you can connect to your smartphone. In total, for just 0 rubles you get a more functional alternative to PS Portal, where you can still watch games and run games not for the Sony console.
Mostly PlayStation 4 and 5 users use a proprietary application for remote play PS Remote Play. It is easily customizable and available on almost any platform: Android, iOS, macOS and Windows. However, there is another application for streaming with a wider list of supported devices.
Example of PS Remote Play on Android:
Chiaki is a free, unofficial, and open-source Remote Play client that streams games from both PS4 and PS5. Moreover, it is also supported on Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck, but this application is not available for the iPhone.
An example of Chiaki running on Android:
What is its advantage? Chiaki, unlike PS Remote Play, supports any gamepad, including the built-in one from Ayaneo and Steam Deck or the regular iPega from AliExpress, which connects via Bluetooth. At the same time, the official application is very picky – either DualSense or nothing if you play games with PS5. However, adaptive triggers and controller rumble are not available on any type of streaming. This is a Portal exclusive feature.
Example of Chiaki running on Ayaneo Air Plus (Windows 11):
Additionally, Chiaki doesn’t solve one of the main problems – you still need to share a stable Wi-Fi network with the PS5. I was never able to register the console while away from home. But in this case, you can already pay attention to PS Remote Play. The main thing is that your mobile Internet works at sufficient speed. I played in pairs several times, everything was quite tolerable. True, in this case you will have to get a holder for your smartphone, because playing with touch controls is not entirely convenient.
No matter how stable and fast your Internet is, one way or another, you will encounter low bitrates, frame loss, audio interruptions and other problems that occur when streaming and cloud gaming. Be it PS Portal, PS Remote Play or Chiaki. So there is little point in spending money on a practically useless device.
However, if you’re looking for a portable console, choosing the Nintendo Switch or even the Steam Deck will be more practical than the Portal. For the same 40 thousand rubles. you can buy two consoles from Nintendo or one from Valve, install Chiaki, and download dozens of games beyond what you’ll be streaming from PlayStation. As a result, instead of a limited accessory, you will get two platforms at once, and maybe more if you take into account emulation. But the most important thing that a third-party device will give you is the ability to play even if you are left without the Internet.
