PlayStation Portal solves a problem that doesn't exist

GF365: "Instead of being a portable PlayStation, Portal is a Remote Play device. In short, PlayStation Portal solves a problem that doesn't exist."

[philm87]

Doesn't really explain what this problem that doesn't exist is. Does it mean that there are already plenty of options for remote play? I get a pretty much flawless performance using my phone and Razer Kishi. It would be nice having a separate device for it with a bigger screen, but not £200 nice without Bluetooth.

[DogJosha]

So is it just the PC version that doesn't work well? It can lag like crazy while being 2 feet away because it forces it to go through the internet rather than a local connection.

[philm87]

Never used the PC version. I use an unofficial app on my phone because the official one doesn't work with a Razer Kishi. Took a bit of messing around with settings to get it working properly over WiFi, but lovely now it does. Main thing for me was making sure my phone was connecting to the 5ghz WiFi signal, and all the other devices connect to the 2.4ghz signal.

[CrimsonWing69]

I will say this. I’ve done Remote Play for the jump rope script for FF9 and if your console isn’t hard wired via Ethernet the service drops almost immediately for me. And this is in the same room the router is in…

Wired I have no issues. There is a slight lag and I know this because I see actions on the TV and display at the same time, but it’s only jarring if you look at 2 screens… you get sort of used to it just playing on the PC. I also have my controller connected via USB, so there might be a difference if wireless.

I mean, hey, it works decent for what it is, but in no way is it a way I’d want to play if I have the option to just play on console. Like I said, I only did this for a damn trophy and once I got it, I jumped off immediately.

[DogJosha]

@Crimson
I actually tried it wired in on a network that was high speed/ low latency and it still worked like crap and I wasn't able to get the trophy for jump rope. Gotta be near a Sony server I guess.

[philm87]

@DogJosha Sony server location won't make a difference for remote play. There's so many different issues going on with different connections, how well the router handles traffic etc. Unless you know what the issue is it's a case of trying loads of things to get it to work right.
I'm sure I'll get a few more downvotes for saying this, but it is possible to get a great experience with very low latency. Standard router tech will improve down the line and handle all this stuff automatically hopefully. I know people who use a backbone and have had a great experience without having to mess around with any settings.

[jznrpg]

For the price it’s just an inexpensive option for handheld play. I’m getting it for sure as my wife makes me come to bed with her when she goes to sleep but I can play in bed. Also when my wife and kids are using my TVs I can still play if I want. It’s not going to take over TV play but it will be nice to have. I don’t want to use my phone or any other device.

I’d prefer it to be a dedicated device with remote play option like the Vita but that would add 200$ to it at least.

[victorMaje]

Agreed, I think that’s exactly the market for it.
In any home where the TV is already being used by someone, you’ll now have the option to still play your PS5 games.

Only concern will be the battery & strength of the wifi, & I’m not really fond of not being able to connect your own bluetooth devices (i.e. wireless earphones).

All in all I think it’s smart, catering to growing gaming households.

[philm87]

I can't see the battery being too much of a problem because the power consumption shouldn't be too high as it's just streaming rather than processing (plus haptics).

[Nurket]

4 kids/no lifers/butthurt ppl dont understand what you are saying, hence the dislikes. But yeah, this is gonna sell alot, alot more than VR. Its us, the grown ups, that got the money for it. Makes no sense that Sony would try to sell a 4-600 dollar handheld with all the options people cry after…So many no factors.. it would damage their ps5 sales fx.

[Grilla]

Another psp is never going to happen. It’s the same reason why Nintendo went to one platform. Splitting game development to two platforms isn’t feasible anymore.

[Angyobangyo]

You sure sound like an adult by the way you write. You're kidding yourself if you think this thing is going to sell a lot. It is a half baked device. Sony couldn't even bother to add Bluetooth connectivity to the device because they want to sell you their proprietary earphones/headphones. I don't blame them, ponies are suckers. The fact that it has to stream from a ps5 and not include cloud streaming is a laughable.

[BlackOni]

Can't you just remote play to your phone and use a controller with it?

[NotoriousWhiz]

Good luck reading anything on a tiny phone screen if you're playing a game with text.

[Guitardr85]

@NotoriousWhiz...

My Fold 4 and attached GameSir controller say hi lol.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

I like how you two above mentioned $2000 phones lol

At that price it better be able to say hi 😂

[Guitardr85]

@outsidetnebox

...ORRRRRRR you could be a savy consumer and take my phone's MSRP of $1900...subtract the $1000 trade in I received because I paid attention to the deals...subtract another $400 because of customer loyalty perks...and then subtract another $200 from accumated cellar provider credits.

Suddenly that $1900 phone isn't so much different from the Playststion portal AND it has a much.l bigger screen AND its Android so I can also (allegedly!!!!) use it as.a portable SNES, Genesis, PSX, PS2, N64, 3DS, Wii, GameCube, etc)...

Now I wait for the down votes because what I did makes sense and had some forethought to it haha....

Still haven't figured out how to get my phone to say hi... 😞

[darthv72]

I'll pick one up too. Im finding it harder and harder to get up the enthusiasm to go into my game room and sit and play. Im more used to kicking back on the couch with my steam deck or switch. Having this to play some PS games seems right up my alley. I still like to pick up the PSP and PS Vita and DS/3DS as well so this will make enjoying more modern games in a casual manner that much better.

Plus i have my game room on its own private network so I wont have to use my main wifi. I wish it supported wifi direct like psp and vita did for PS3/4. Maybe it does... just have to wait and see.

[neutralgamer1992]

There is a market for it. May not be for everyone but there will be a good size market for it

[BlackOni]

Sure there's a market for it, there's a market for nearly anything. My point is mostly, that we all have a phone and/or computer (hopefully a computer as well) and I've run remote play on a laptop and it's worked surprisingly well. I've even live streamed to platforms while remote playing, which was bandwidth intensive, but manageable.

We have ways of doing this now. There will still be things that are hard to read even on a screen as comfy as this one, unless you're specifically on a LARGE screen (switch for example has the problem of small text, but that's unavoidable unless you're dealing with a huge screen.)

I'm happy that people are excited about gaming in general, I just dunno if this is the product to be hype for. If this could output to another screen, or stream steam games or run xcloud as well, it would make for a much more compelling product, even if it couldn't run games natively from it.

[randomvoice]

Written by someone who doesn't have kids or a big family. I'm gonna get this just because wife likes to watch TV but have me sit around. I can play this on the side. I know I can do it on a phone or a tablet but there are so many things to setup, connect a controller, ensure your phone battery doesn't drain out etc. which makes me want a dedicated device.

200$ isn't that big a deal in my opinion

[Stanjara]

Is that called quality time with your family?

[anast]

We got ourselves the next Dr. Phil. Nice job...

[DivineHand125]

I fear if I get something like this it will just sit and gather dust. On paper it might sound like it is good for niche scenarios like if the tv is occupied I can still game but in reality, would I want to game on an inferior screen. I am also concerned about the distance I would be able to go from the console because the wifi in the house sucks.

[talocaca]

Such a lame article.
I live in Tokyo. The weather is disgustingly hot lately. I've mostly been playing Switch because I can play it in bed (where the Air-conditioner is stronger).
This would make it much easier to play games like FF16 🤷‍♂️

[Lionsguard]

And you think there are millions of people out there with this problem and think it's worth spending money to fix?

[Old McGroin]

@Lionsguard

And you think his specific problem is the only reason people might be interested in this? You actually think there needs to be a problem to begin with for somebody to be interested in this?

[raWfodog]

Why are you thinking that Sony is marketing this product as something that every PS5 owner will buy? They simply see a need that SOME gamers will want it for. Just like with the DualSense Edge which also costs $200. Do you think millions of people out there with the problem of not having a customizable, specialized DS controller? These products cost Sony very little to manufacture and they make profit off of every one sold.

[Angyobangyo]

If you live in Tokyo, your aircon is hitting all four corners of your 1LDK.

[isarai]

I just don't see what the point in this is that literally any other phone or tablet out there doesn't already do. Remote Play literally works perfect on my $80 Amazon tablet, and if I have a PS5 I already have a Dualsense. Just seems weird, doesn't even have Bluetooth, OLED, and only 1080p? I don't get it

[Greg2801]

I want to use my phone for phone things, it's pretty annoying to constantly switch to reply to a text when playing a game or when I get called.

Also I always need a controller with me, and both my phone and controller needs to be charged.

I rather just have a separate device that does exactly the same as my controller phone setup but is easier to use

[raWfodog]

I don’t understand why some people just can’t imagine that a buyer will want options for themselves? Everyone saying ‘I can use my phone or tablet with a backbone’ are correct. Yes, you can. But don’t you think that someone may just want to buy a ‘complete’ dedicated product also? There’s no one-size-fits-all product out there for everyone.

[blackblades]

Well to make it cheaper and theres no need for 4k screen when I believe remote play is only stuck at 1080p to begin with. Also if the ps link actually does lower the latency thats another reason which that comes from some people that had hands on experience with it. Overall I see the reasons for it as a accessory whoever wants it can get it other dont have to and life moves on for each person.

[Grilla]

I’m wondering with the ps link if the games will be super sampled to 1080p. That would clean up a lot of jaggies.

[Eonjay]

So does this article.

[sero33]

ive actually never tried remote play but at $200 this is an easy purchase for me. other than the occasional AAA game or pc exclusive, i do all my gaming on handhelds. as long as the battery life is decent this looks like a pretty good handheld for any ps5 owner.

[Nurket]

Im glad the author dosent work for Sony with those eyepatches on. Im pretty sure its gonna solve alot for us parents specially. But others will also buy this.

[Asplundh]

What exactly does it solve that you can't already do with a phone or tablet?

[MetroidFREAK21]

Unfortunately for me... since most of my library is disc based, this will kinda pointless for me. Having to swap discs just to play remotely doesn't sound too exciting

[darthv72]

so i dont know if you are a + member but I have found recently that Sony has changed their position on disc/digital versions of games. Meaning before if you had a disc game installed, and then that game was offered on +, it was treated as a separate install.

I think it was an update a couple months ago that made it so you could turn any disc installed game into a working digital version if it was offered on PS+. I have done that with several games lately, and no longer need to insert the disc to play. If i cancel my + then I would.

[MetroidFREAK21]

I didn't, but noted for future knowledge

[Binarycode]

Just like xbox I guess.

[Elda]

A hard pass for me I always game on my 65 4k hdr tv without any issues.

[mastershredder]

If this source can’t figure out that they don’t need this, nor that it some sort of “fix for problems” they should not open their yap about it. Spin some more.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

I like it…

[Rols]

Obviously the writer of the article doesn’t have kids taking over the TV where my ps console lives. There are clearly times where this has an use when you can’t get a screen to play games on.

[derek]

It's not trying to solve a "problem " its giving ps5 owners and accessory option. There's always these weird media and internet campaigns against anything playstation related.

[Ryuk_2007]

All these lame excuses as to why people need to buy this thing. Kids, wife, grandkids using the television so I NEED this so I can keep gaming lol. Just use the $200 to buy another t.v.

[navi87]

Theres plenty of Android based handheld systems being released these days for similar price but have bluetooth and allow you to emulate retro games etc too. Ayn Odin comes to mind. Odin2 is out soon too which starts at $299 and can emulate upto ps2/gc era very easily and also stuff like 3ds and the switch

Sony should of made their own version of the razor kishi and released an app that only works with that for some exclusivity. Muppets.

[anast]

It's not for me, but it will be the best option for this type of gaming.

[GrizzliS1987]

I have a problem. My inlaws have a cabin in the mountains with an old tv. Every other weekend I sit at night with not much but my phone. This would be great for such nights.

[NEVMOR]

Is there something wrong with having more options to play games, is that what this is about?

[InUrFoxHole]

I'm all for options but I can't see this thing selling well.

[Gameseeker_Frampt]

I just want to know what all these people's kids are doing on the TV connected to their PS5 that doesn't involve playing the PS5? Why can't you just buy a second TV? Why aren't your kids watching things on their phone or tablet like most kids these days?

[GrmpyolGamer]

Sony certainly knows their audience. Build useless tech and the suckers will come

[ocelot07]

To me it's just a missed opportunity. Yes I know this is perfect for others that solely use it for remote play.

I have in the past month or two been using 3 different streaming services. PS Remote play, Nvidia Geforce Now, Xbox Xcloud.

It apparently has a android OS but no storage option. If it just had like 4gb if storage and a way to sideload apps. It would be perfect for all them streaming services. Or at the very least had a basic web browerser as both Geforce now and xcloud can be used on a browser.

[mudakoshaka]

I am tired of this cash-grabbing peripheral mindset. Nobody asked for new headphones or earbuds. I have the Pulse 3D headset already, you want me to pay again for a new headset? I don’t need the earbuds. Let me use my own earbuds over bluetooth! Forcing the user to use a USB dongle so their choices are limited and will most likely result in them getting the Sony product. Jim Ryan really needs to be fired. He is trying to get ”new” money from Playstation owners with new accessories and handhelds nobody asked for. Just wait for the wave of mediocre GaaS that are to be launched. Mark my words, unless Jim Ryan is fired and Playstation goes back to its roots which is making over-the-top single player games, this will be the beginning of Playstation’s demise and end their supremacy over the video game industry in the coming decade. PSVR2 is almost abandoned by Sony and that is one of the greatest products ever released for gaming! They should invest more in PSVR2 to make more AAA games for it so it becomes more mainstream. Jim Ryan did not greenlight PSVR2 and he seems indifferent to its success. Relying heavily on 3rd party studios making VR games is not a strategy Sony should be taking. If Sony’s leadership have any sense, Jim Ryan will be fired in 2024 or 2025.

[BanginTunes]

There's two things I think could've justified the price but one of them is impossible and the other could possibly be rolled out.

If it had a proprietary connection to the PS5 like a Wii U then they could advertise the low latency as an improvement to phone/PC remote play - but it's clear the PS5 wasn't designed with this in mind so this isn't an option.

Meanwhile if it could stream PS Plus Premium games without the PS5 then you have a pretty good cloud option if you don't have a PS5 or don't keep it on remote play.

How it is now though isn't really worth it unless you really care about the dualsense features or the 1080p screen - it might be fine but remote play lag still sucks

[Angyobangyo]

Imagine if any other company released a device like this that doesn't have basic Bluetooth connectivity and you have to already own a console to stream it to device, and at the same time can't stream games from their own cloud service even though requires you to be connected to wifi. Sony fans would be trashing any other company for making this nonsense device, but because it's Sony, the ponies are claiming this device is so great. Sony diehards never disappoint.