PlayStation Portal users report unplayable levels of lag

PlayStation Portal users aren't happy about the unplayable levels of lag they're experiencing while trying to game.

[darthv72]

Most likely it is environmental. Meaning the surroundings they are in at home or the internet hops the signal has to make from outside the home. If i was still on the base wifi/router that my ISP (ATT) provided... yeah Id experience some lag as well. Its because it is a single point of access, and one that was not centered in my house. Which is why I upgraded my wifi to a dedicated deco x20 mesh setup. I may still get lag, but having a good home wifi helps to mitigate that situation.

[CrimsonWing69]

I have 300mbs up and down for network strength and the only way I could get it to run pretty well is through an Ethernet connection to my PC.

I did this to run a script for that damned jump rope trophy in FF9. Doing it over WiFi was a huge mistake and the service would either freeze or disconnect frequently over WiFi.

[rob-GP]

That's standard remote play, that ALWAYS goes via the internet, even in your home network. The portal goes direct through the router if used at home, so there isn't any lag.

[darthv72]

Your ISP speed does not matter if you are doing RP on a home network. The quality of the signal does.

My ISP speed is 50 down and 10 up... I have been playing just fine. I attribute it to the quality of my deco and how it really covers in my house.

If I were to do RP over the internet then my experience would be very different. In that scenario it relies more on ISP.

[sadraiden]

Yeah, that's online gaming for you.

[Eonjay]

I have 1G down and I was still having issues. It has nothing to do with your internet speed. It has to do with your local network and router. If you are getting skips lag or reduced performance do the following:

1. Make sure you PS5 is on ethernet or make sure your PS5 is on a 5Ghz signal on a WIFI 6 enabled router. (This is the single most important step)
2. If you can, split your ethernet channel into its corresponding 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands and rename them to prevent your PS5 or Portal from using the 2.4 Ghz. Make either network private if you have to. This is important because some ISPs ship routers that try to manage your devices across both channels and will automatically set up your Portal on the 2.4Ghz band. This is what was happening to me.
3. Consider giving your PS5 its own dedicated IP and forward the appropriate ports. This will improve performance over the internet.

I used this opportunity to go over the devices on my network and sent everything where it needed to be to maximize network efficiency. My Portal works like a dream. But beyond portal, I was able to find several opportunities to make my own local network a lot better for all of the devices.

[QuantumMechanic]

Also important to consider: bandwidth != latency.

[FernDiggidy]

bruh. the cope is fucking CRAZY!!!!

[Rocketisleague]

Pathetic too

[Haki1112]

Big facts

[Snookies12]

This is why being able to download a game directly to the handheld device is one hundred times better than anything that solely relies on WiFi. I'm sure it's a great gaming device. I just would have personally been so much more interested in this thing if it didn't have that limitation. The Vita was the perfect Sony handheld in my opinion. (Other than the proprietary memory.) It's just such a shame they left it barren on support.

[blackblades]

Don't wanna download a game for both device and the developer definitely dont wanna waste resource to port a handhled version to a handheld that wont sale much. Also it ls 5 days late to bring this up.
https://www.cheapassgamer.c... wish my walmart had it on clearance

[northpaws]

@Snookies

But it is not a limitation, it is a streaming device, this is the best way to play your PS5 remotely. It is NOT a PSP or PS Vita successor.

And I wouldn't say it is 100x better if you can download, because it is not possible to have ps5 power in a handheld, and my PS Portal experience so far is perfect, never experienced any lag or delay.

[Michiel1989]

if Sony thinks this should be the best way to play ps5 remotely, they will seriously need to reconsider the entire product. They couldn't even be arsed to put a browser on it so you can log into public networks. big L from Sony for once, I expected better from them especially at that price.

[Extermin8or3_]

@michiel1989 not really they don't include that becauae the lag over a public network would be awful...

[Neonridr]

is it the best way though?

[Cacabunga]

Not trying to defend Portal or anything, but it was designed for a totally different purpose compared to vita. If you want Portal to download a game and play it natively, then it would have been called PS5 portable and price would have been totally different.

People have been complaining about PS Now, but I rarely had issues with it.

[kayoss]

Its strictly a remote play device. THis is not an actual hand held gaming device. Why people keep treating it like is one?

[Gamingsince1981]

That seems to be why moat are complaining too, they think/assume they bought the vita 2 but it's just a screen so you can play portable around the house, it's like complaining because your smart TV won't play ps5 games directly without a ps5

[RNTody]

I really don't get people's attachment to the Vita - it's pure nostalgia given that it didn't sell that well, and not at all practical. I loved my Vita back in the day as a smart successor to the PSP, but that was then. Now, I can't imagine the logic of having your development teams pour resources into making watered down versions of your big franchises when you can just play the exact same game on the go via Streaming. There's no need for a Vita library anymore, it's nonsensical.

On the other hand, Sony could have made another Steamdeck competitor, but that isn't their market. They need to stay in the PlayStation lane. Why spend Steamdeck money on a Sony device that's limited only to the Sony marketplace? The Steamdeck is a multi solution.

Therefore the Portal is one solution that makes sense - the improvements they could make to it would be the addition of an OLED version, cloud streaming support and Bluetooth support, although Bluetooth has audio delay with remote play so there is that.

[crazyCoconuts]

Man this article

[MaximusPrime_]

I bought PS Portal knowing that I will experience some lags. You'd just have to be at the right time or right place.
Make sure you have a good router or just make sure noone in your household is using the same router at the same time.

I only play for an hour or less so PS portal is kinda ideal for me. If you want to play for hours, play on your console instead.

Man those who complained should have done their research first..

[NotoriousWhiz]

If only consumers had a device they could use to test out the remote play feature before shelling out 200$.

[Duke19]

TBF - comparing the wifi streaming performance of one platform with another may give wildly different results. Entirely depends on the strength of the wifi chip and antenna setup.

Very possible that folks with fine wifi on their phones may have different experiences with the portal

[Gamingsince1981]

Why are we pretending $200 is some major investment? People pay more than that for a pair of shoes

[Angyobangyo]

Listen to yourself, "You'd just have to be at the right time or right place".

The last excuse ponies were churning out was that this device for those who have a family where the TV is being used by the kids. Now we have to manage the exact time and conditions to use this device. Lol!

[boing1]

Wifi6

[Eonjay]

This is the correct answer.

[darthv72]

this was a missed opportunity. Especially since the PS5 has 6 support and this does not. I dont think the chip would have been that much more costly.

[TheColbertinator]

Sony should have planned for the future there

[Deathdeliverer]

My nephew is having no issues. Definitely depending on your setup I guess.

[bRuud83]

No buy for me. Too bad the repairability is bad. I saw a few video's on YouTube about this. It's a crime to open this thing. If you get stick drift or the battery is failing, the Portal is useless.

[philm87]

Making sure it's connected to the 5Ghz Wi-Fi connection and blocking other devices from using 5Ghz in your house goes a long way. Also make sure your PS5 has an ethernet connection if possible, if not possible make sure it's a 5Ghz Wi-Fi connection to the PS5 also.

[Neonridr]

imagine all the hoops you'd have to go through just so you could use something once in a while.

[badz149]

Yeah... The hoops you only have to go over ONCE! How dare they require you to do initial setups for all your new devices. Why can't the the device just works perfectly when I turn it on the first time? Ooohh...don't get me started on the hoops with game devs all wanting us to install their games and updates and patches before I can even play the games I bought. Why don't they just works out of the box? The setups... The horror...how EVIL!

[philm87]

Just trying to help people get their best experience. Some people may be alright on their default setup. Nothing can be done from Playstation's end if people's home network isn't set up well.

[Neonridr]

@badz149 - going through every device and making sure they only use a specific wifi network is not anywhere close to the same as putting a disc in your disc tray and letting it install the game / download an update. You don't even have to press a single button there chief.

Nice try though.

@philm87 - I understand that this is a potential workaround, but the fact that you are having to do this in the first place sorta shows how much Sony didn't really think this device through. Either that or they didn't do much real world testing on it.

[specialguest]

Wow, I thought one of the key reasons to have this PS Portable was the issue of sharing 1 TV in the home. So now this presents a new issue of sharing the wifi usage 😂🤣

[BanginTunes]

They should've tried to do some proprietary connection with an adapter or something, make it a more valuable option than using remote play on other devices

[ubers]

I switched to a wired connection for my PS5 and it works almost flawlessly now. I guess most people have sucky connections because they might have a fast download speed, but their ps5 is connected wirelessly to a network with ~5mbps upload speed. Seems like a solid upload speed connection to the ps5 is the key for PSP.

[GoodGuy09]

What confuses me is Sony didn't add a direct connection to the ps5 as an option similar to the wii u and gamepad. Streaming via wifi, you need a perfect connection for little lag and bitrate issues. The portal neither has wifi 6....

[NotoriousWhiz]

Direct connection is only good if you are in the same room as the console. If your console is downstairs and you wanna play in your bed upstairs, that's not going to work.

[Neonridr]

didn't the Vita allow you to directly connect to the PS4?

[darthv72]

^^yes, that was an option. It did pretty good so long as you were in close proximity of each other. I have my Pro wired into a switch, so the wifi is unused and I only use direct connect with the vita when i want to do RP.

[rob-GP]

It kinda does. If on the home network, it stres over the WiFi without having to go via the internet like standard remote play.

So, it's not direct to the console but if you have 5ghz WiFi then it's practically directly conected

[Barlos]

That's the question isn't it? I was expecting it to have WiFi direct or something like it. Not really sure what their thought process was by not having it included.

I won't get mine until Christmas but I'm hoping having the PS5 wired to the router will help, and the WiFi connection will only be between the portal and the PS5.

[AmkOwns]

It really depends on your setup, i had problems from day 1, my signal wasn’t strong enough cause my router isn’t strong enough and it was far away from my bedroom, so now i had to invest in a new router cause my old one was 10 years old. Now i’ve moved the new router closer to my bedroom and now im having no issues at all.

[darthv72]

I still use the same modem/router that my ISP provided me for over 10 years now. i just disabled the wifi built in and plugged in a deco x20 setup. Made a hell of a difference in my home. My original could barely muster 1k sq ft for wifi coverage, the deco is over 5k now. No more dead spots inside (or outside) my house.

[derek]

I'm a portal user and it's generally been great.

[rob-GP]

Calling BS on this. When used at home there's literally no lag. Especially if used via a 5ghz WiFi router - as the portal doesn't go through the internet if on the same network.

Externally, they probably have crap WiFi outside of a poor upload in their house

[ChasterMies]

How is this any different than the issues with streaming games via xCloud or PS+ Premium? What this article is really saying is that internet is lagging behind in too many areas and folks need to update their home wifi. A lot of folks rent a router from their ISP. Don’t. Buy your own, better, router, maybe a mesh network, and upgrade when you feel like it.

[Abnor_Mal]

Probably a hand full of people if not just one person , and an entire article is written about how the sky is falling.

The only time I had lag badly and was losing connection, I was playing while watching YouTube and talking on the phone over my home network doing a video call.

With that I had a few instances where I was frozen for a minute or two and I had a few disconnects. Any other time when not on YouTube and video calling there was no problem outside of two small one second freezes that happened.

Mountains and mole hills I guess.

[babadivad]

Hhhhmmmmmm

[z2g]

But all those great reviews….

[Lexreborn2]

My buddy bought the device, he played in the office to his house Spider-Man 2 flawlessly. I think it goes without saying… the connection and results vary to where you are and how the places you use set up their internet.

Pretty obvious

[RAFTECH26]

Try playing a rhythm game with this device…. You feel so disconnected with the lag.

Portal is straight useless, garbage, and overpriced.

[Michiel1989]

XBOTS ASSEMBLE!! your time has come

[babadivad]

What do they have to celebrate?

[Michiel1989]

it's called a joke

[Spenok]

I've been playing mine with little to no issues. SOMETIMES (usually just after startup) it's got some small hiccups... but it never lasts, nor does it ever become unplayable.

[Cockney]

Why are people still referring to the speed of their Internet when they have lag at home using remote play?

[badz149]

people are clueless that way and a lot of people think that they know things when they are actually clueless.

[anast]

Get a better Wifi set up if streaming games are something has to be done.

[1nsomniac]

Digital foundry newest podcast talks a lot about it and it’s not great listening. There doesn’t appear to be any added streaming techniques being used at all. It’s just the basic low bitrate remote play. Which is pretty crazy considering the price of the thing. Lag is very much a by-product of the system infrastructure as well as what ever your own network is capable of.

I give it 6 months before these are selling for around £80

[Calvaro]

Anyone can try remote play for themselves.

These guys praised xcloud which just by the nature of it being an internet based connection will have worse latency than using your own WIFI it's obviously bias on their part.

Remote play works great it has almost no latency on a home network.

I give it 6 months before Cloud Streaming and Sony Pictures Core video streaming are added.

[Nintentional]

garbage piece of hardware :) who's actually surprised?

[RNTody]

Unfortunately there's too much variation in this to take this article at face value. I have a TP link wifi6 router and a TP extender and one mesh network that covers my entire house and my remote play experience is near flawless on 5Ghz. I almost never have issues.

It could be that they're connecting to 2.4hGz connections, have troublesome signal spots, interference, or didn't optimise remote play on their phones before jumping into the Portal.

Once I had unplayable lag and I fixed this by 1) removing the HDMi cable which I got from Reddit and 2) the easier way was just switching my TV to Netflix so it wasn't on the PlayStation. Don't ask me why it worked.

Other than that whenever I fire up remote play it's awesome apart from a few stutters at livable intervals.

I'm definitely getting a Portal when it's available.

[jznrpg]

I’ve been playing a lot I live out in the country I get lag near my farthest bathroom near metal room but besides that it’s been great for me . I guess it depends how far you are from your router, your setup , mesh speed etc.

[__y2jb]

Any mid range router will provide a flawless experience to this device assuming you have good signal.

[mjchitown]

im shocked i tell you, shocked. well not shocked .

[Neonridr]

it's like people just assumed the device wouldn't be bound by current limitations and hiccups of wireless play. My Switch aside, I have everything on ethernet, I can't stand using WIFI for anything other than my phone or tablets.

[jwillj2k4]

“Got’eeem!!!”

Na for real they should’ve used a proprietary protocol to connect the devices at short range. This product has been on the roadmap prior to ps5 launch no reason connectivity should ever be an issue within a certain range.

[Profchaos]

So if we look at what's happening with the portal there's data packets leaving the ps5 and being routed to the portal and that's the key word here routed.

And in the words of Rich from DF there's no secret sauce here it's just remote play.

What does that mean it means this isn't like the Wii U where it would use a wi-fi direct technology to send the image to the gamepas from the system with minimal lag this is a solution that gors via the home users router to the device.

That's a important note because if the users ps5 is on wifi and there's walls and distance between the router and the console that's already a bad start.

If there's again distance between the router and portal things get even worse

Oh and if the user is using a older router or more likely a isp supplied one that's again another strike.

Also for in home streaming your internet connection does not matter you could have 1gbps or 25 Mbps that is irrelevant it's about the in home speeds your home network is capable of.

For optimal results you should have the console cabled in to the router then the router is ideally a gaming or at least more premium router with a decent cpu to allow faster packet processing and ideally a cable backend meshed solution if you want to move away from the modem into another room with a mesh router close by.

Does the marketing convey any of this no it's up to the end user the marketing doesn't even advise people to test with their phones prior to purchasing it if the experience is bad on your phone it'll be bad on portal again as Rich from DF put it there's no secret sauce.

Lets not even talk about playing over the internet sure it's possible but you've added more latency and variables including home and destination internet speeds also destination wifi on top of your home config.

In saying this my experience is actually really good because I have the full setup a cabled ps5, ethernet backend mesh system and premium router I can remote play without missing a beat however that setup wasn't cheap and isn't something the average consumer would go for as the vast majority of people seemingly whack a isp supplied router in wherever their internet comes in and connect everything off of that.

I don't discount the portal as a good device I just think more information is needed to tell consumers if this is worth their time and money

[RhinoGamer88]

Oh Sony... $199 x tax and shipping = buyer's remorse.

[StarkR3ality]

This comment section is generally just a massive list of examples as to why Sony fanboys are genuinely the most deluded people on the internet.

Can't believe you're all defending and excusing this shit product.

[FlameWater]

A fool and his money are easily parted

[specialguest]

So now it's the consumers fault for not having the right router or wifi setup?

Here's what the official Playstation site says about the requirements: *PlayStation Portal™ Remote Player can stream compatible games installed on your PS5 console. PlayStation Portal™ Remote Player requires broadband internet Wi-Fi with at least 5Mbps for use. For a better play experience, a high-speed connection of at least 15Mbps is recommended. The quality and connectivity of your play experience may vary depending on your network environment. A PS5 console and account for PlayStation Network is required. The PS5 console must be connected to a broadband internet connection, powered on fully or in Rest Mode, and it must be paired with your PlayStation Portal™ Remote Player.

Nothing about that gives details on how to get the best results or ideal network environment

[DarXyde]

Unsurprising.

I can't say I've had much faith in this thing.

On the bright side, it sounds like this streaming thing is a ways off. Good.

I've mentioned this before, but I'm a pretty ridiculous Ninja Gaiden player. I've managed to get the platinum for Sigma II, which, if you know anything about the missions, that is an exceptionally difficult and tall order. I've tried the game via PSNow trial and I was getting handled quite a bit on the first level.

So I'd like to say: until streaming would allow someone to get through something intense like Ninja Gaiden in a way that is commensurate with their real skill level on local hardware, it just can't be the future. The delay is tolerable for games that are turn based, but beyond that? No.

I'm glad that more people are getting their hands on the thing and three reviews don't seem to scale general user experience.

I'd like to hear more from others, but I am biased and think it's just a bad idea.

[thecodingart]

Because duh

[Tex4242]

The thing that sucks is Sony is seeing how popular this thing is....knowing that an actual portable PS5 (Vita 2) would sell like fire right now, especially with the current BOOM in Handheld gaming....and they will NEVER give it to us.

[Games1st]

Shouldn’t skimp on wifi chip.

[Flenter]

Zero issues and having a blast playing Titanfall 2 mp on the toilet 🙂🤘🏻
This thing rocks❤

[mastershredder]

Guess what? Remote Play users have the same issue (for year). Sony cannot guarantee your network connection speed yo. Never will. Derp.

[Neonridr]

but they could have at least given you a device that supports the latest and greatest to help ensure your experience may be the best it could be.