Playstation Portal Yes strange product. That’s odd, because on the one hand it offers fairly obvious value to a very specific set of consumers, but at the same time fails to offer the broader functionality that would fit nicely into Sony’s overall PlayStation product group. It’s a handheld computer without Bluetooth, a handheld computer without a dedicated operating system, but at the same time, I’ve been using it nonstop the entire time I’ve had it.
So, where does this leave us? It might be worth taking a step back. The Playstation Portal is a handheld device, but not in the traditional sense at all. “Handheld gaming console” implies some functionality on the go, but the Portal is absolutely useless without a stable and reasonably fast WIFI connection. Basically, its only function is to mirror your PlayStation 5 console. This is how a lot of streaming services work, from GeForce Now to Shadow, and you can even get the exact same experience by buying a Backbone or any kind of Bluetooth controller phone holder and streaming games directly from your console Stream to your smartphone – both on PlayStation and Xbox.
You can use Portal at a vacation home, on vacation, or anywhere that technically has WIFI, but from there it adds an extra step, introducing latency and poor responsiveness. Basically, Portal is more or less designed to stay at home while someone else claims the TV, as an alternative way to play on the PS5.
As I’ve mentioned on this site, this limited functionality appealed to me very directly, although as a reviewer I sometimes need to look beyond the tip of my nose and put myself in the shoes of a more mainstream consumer, which It was difficult because Portal met a very specific need of mine. My little boys watch TV, or my partner often wants to watch something while we catch our breath after a long, hard nap. In these cases, I took out my portal and played Baldur’s Gate III. Smart, right?
The design itself is easy to describe; take a standard DualSense, cut it in half, and insert an 8-inch 1920×1080 touch-sensitive 60Hz LCD panel. You’re not sacrificing haptic feedback, a headphone jack or USB-C – it’s all here, and while the lack of Bluetooth to support the proprietary PlayStation Link connectivity of some Sony products is downright ridiculous, that’s not because it’s missing anything, especially It’s £199.99, which is £100 less than what Logitech charges for the G Cloud, which I used for much the same thing with my Xbox Series X earlier this year.
That’s not to say it looks particularly elegant, it’s obvious to provide consumers with some way to protect the device when not in use, a small flip to protect the screen or even a case. But at the same time, all the basic features are there, and six or seven hours of battery life is decent, but not great.
However, the relatively powerful hardware and competitive price won’t distract from the fact that you can essentially use your phone as a screen, use almost any controller, and achieve the exact same functionality that Portal offers , just use Bluetooth without paying anything. What sets Portal apart is of course the joy of having a dedicated device for dedicated tasks, and the streaming experience on Portal is very reliable.
Compared to the slightly grainy and washed-out colors I experienced with Diablo IV on the G Cloud, Portal managed to produce a vibrant, contrasting, and bright image, even though it’s an LCD. It’s hard to tell at first glance, but when I tested it on an iPhone 15 Pro Max sitting in a Backbone controller, Portal seemed to produce less lag and the images looked better, but since it was connected over the internet, I struggled to use it. Parameters to sketch, not just…well, what the eye sees.
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However, this still means you basically have to go out and spend £200 on something you already own. This means that Portal is a somewhat confusing product. Like I said, I use it a lot more than I immediately imagined, and it actually still makes a good argument in favor of using a PS5 as my primary console since I find myself in a situation where , that is, this dedicated device is often used when the TV is busy.
I can recommend Portal to anyone who can demonstrate similar use cases, such as having a kid steal a good TV, or being able to play games in the bedroom and on the couch, which sounds enticing. For others, the Portal isn’t made for you, which perhaps illustrates the limitations of the concept.
