The new PS Portal still feels like a massive missed opportunity

Sony is dressing up the PlayStation Portal in a nostalgic 30th anniversary design, but it still feels like a major missed opportunity.

[OtterX]

This wasn't supposed to be a redesign, it's just a new commemorative color.

A redesign will come with time. The rumors are already out there.

[RaidenBlack]

Redesign or handheld, coz that'd be a different product?

[darthv72]

If they had added native android game support like the g cloud... that would have been sweet.

It's amazing how many gamers have never heard of that but then it was something aimed at XB players and promoted by MS but capable of much more.

[StoneTitan]

Probably because it makes no sense whatsoever for Playstation to do that :D

[gold_drake]

yeh the streaming only aint it, but its good for at home play

[badz149]

Not just at home. I have a very good Wifi6 connection at my office, and although the Portal is only Wifi5, the connection is buttery smooth. Not enough for a competitive online play due to the slight input lag, but totally awesome for SP games.

[Cacabunga]

i streamed from several thousands of kilometers without issue. as long as you have a good internet it works fine!
I leave PS5 wired.

[Vits]

The Portal is a very specific solution for a very specific audience - those who have no idea what PS Play is. So I wouldn’t expect Sony to completely reposition it.

That said, they could have used the 30th anniversary to release a "PSP Mini." You really don’t need that powerful hardware to emulate the system these days. If Chinese companies with a fraction of Sony's resources can produce and sell these devices with profit for less than $100, Sony could definitely do it as well.

On that note, for those looking for something like that, Anbernic has a device called the RG505. While it’s not the best bang for your buck at around $120, it features the exact same screen as the PS Vita 1000 and you can buy custom PlayStation buttons. This makes it extremely nice for playing PSP games at double the original resolution and if you dig a bit deeper, you can even enable the second stick in some titles.

[Einhander1972]

PlayStation Portal Remote Player
#26 in Video Games

Xbox Series X 1TB SSD
#42 in Video Games

[meganick]

Is there a point to this comparison?

[Einhander1972]

Yes, that PlayStation Portal has been extremely successful and wasn't a missed opportunity at all.

Not having to buy a new library of games is great for the consumer, and doesn't put any burden on the developers.

And if a person has a properly configured network playing on the Portal is basically indistinguishable from playing on the console. And even playing remotely over the internet offers a similar experience to streaming services.

It's been a great add on.

[meganick]

You sound like a bot. I don’t see the point of comparing a 200 dollar portable streaming device to a 500 dollar gaming console, especially considering this article isn’t Xbox related.
Also, the so-called success of the Portal is greatly exaggerated. From the numbers I’ve seen, the Portal has only sold around a million units worldwide, if even that. That’s not a great number. That means around 59 million PS5 owners worldwide said no thanks to this borderline useless device.
If Sony releases a successor to the Vita, and it sold the same as the Portal, it would be seen as a dismal failure. I only mention that because of the recent rumor that Sony may re-enter the handheld market based on Portal’s “success.”

[Einhander1972]

Ok I'll compare it to a $179 controller. (on sale for $141)

PlayStation Portal Remote Player
#24 in Video Games

Xbox Elite Series 2 Core Wireless Gaming Controller
#50 in Video Games

[niiopi]

I love my portal.

[Nacho_Z]

It's not like they haven't tried, they had a couple of cracks at it and it didn't work for them. It's a massive financial commitment creating games for a one off device, especially considering they already do it for PSVR.

No doubt there's room for improvement in future Portals but it's a solid product that sold great, and obviously being able to tap into cutting edge console tech on a handheld is a big selling point.

[DivineHand125]

I'm just disappointed that Sony is so afraid of cannibalizing the sales of the PS5 consoles, they don't add game streaming from PSN to the handheld.

[90sGamingWasBetter]

More needless negativity.

[badboyz09]

It feels like a test run after the Vita was a flop.

[mudakoshaka]

The thing is, playing PS5 games on a handheld is really something! A dedicated gaming device as the old PSP won't give you current-gen graphics. I got the G Cloud and the PSPortal. I keep favouring the portal.

[therealmacoy]

The portal needed to be 1:1 like the Wii U gamepad. That would have made it a must buy.

[buffig]

Use mine every single day and love it