0 Comments 
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. How much is a video worth, then? Well, in this case, enough to make people rethink which device they’ll buy. One player tested out the PS Portal and the Steam Deck and came to a surprising conclusion that the latter might be better at remote play.
One User Tested the Remote Play On Both Devices
Now, let us start by saying that there are probably a million factors that affect the performance of a device. So, keep in mind that this test was conducted by one user on their own devices, and it is in no way, shape, or form an official test. With that said, we all know that these devices are meant to be used. Therefore, it’s interesting to see how they hold up.
The Redditor who conducted the test, srtexugo, gladly shared their findings. The OP noted: “I can’t believe it. The Steam Deck can do remote play a thousand times better than the PS Portal, which is a licensed product just for that. Notice the difference in sound delay”.
They added: “No one is asking for the PS Portal to be a portable computer with an OLED screen and run current games on its own. But doesn’t it seem strange that it can’t even synchronize audio as well as a third-party solution?”.
The OP also provided a video that confirmed their results. In it, you can see the difference between the game (we’d say Blasphemous 2, correct us if we’re wrong) being played on PS Portal, followed by it being played via Steam Deck remote play. Now, if you pay attention, the difference is quite obvious.
Fans Agree That Steam Deck Wins This Round
As you may have expected, the community had a lot to say. Many players noted how disappointed they were, as the PS Portal wasn’t doing the one job it had. Furthermore, some qualified Redditors jumped into action and offered an explanation.
TheLimeyLemmon noticed: “Based on the video, it’s two frames of lag on the Portal, one frame of lag on the Deck”. Others chirped in and offered more info. Apparently, Steam Deck has a 17ms latency, while PS Portal has a 33ms one. These numbers might seem very low, but they’re enough for the human eye to detect the lag.
One player, Tsigorf, explained why this issue probably wouldn’t be fixed. They stated: “Honestly, from a company perspective, there’s a time when you consider performances vs. money. Spending 3 full-time developers for 2 months is not worth the chance to reduce latency by a few milliseconds—which will only make a difference if total latency goes under 16ms because otherwise it’ll just get displayed on the next frame”.
Even though the winner is clear in this test, that doesn’t in any way mean that you wouldn’t enjoy either of these devices. Although PS Portal is a solid device, we might be partial to Steam Deck. Especially with the Humble Bundle Halloween sale and the Fallout Day sale. If you’re a Prime member, you can even get BioShock Remastered for free. Whichever device you use, don’t let the lag stop you, and enjoy.