Sony recently announced the PlayStation Portal gaming device. It is basically a handheld device that allows you to play your favorite PlayStation 5 titles on the go. But the new product wasn’t well received and raised many questions.

So let’s have a look at what the PlayStation Portal is meant to be and why its existence doesn’t make much sense.

Sony PlayStation Portal: What the brand envisioned

PlayStation Portal
PS Portal

The PlayStation Portal was built to be Sony’s first dedicated Remote Play device. The idea was that you could simply carry this handheld device and play exclusive AAA titles from anywhere in the world, as long as you have a stable WiFi connection on this device as well as your PS5. But for $200, even PlayStation fans are divided over the PS Portal. To put it simply, the handheld has an 8-inch display sandwiched between a DualSense controller. Unlike the Razer Kishi and Logitech G Cloud, which support game streaming services, the PS Portal is one of a kind as it only runs with your PS5.

This makes it quite different from existing handheld consoles in the market.

How is it different from handheld gaming consoles?

Asus
ROG Ally

The Nintendo Switch, ASUS ROG Ally, and Steam Deck are perfect examples of gaming handheld consoles. These are full-fledged, standalone portable consoles that do not require another dedicated machine to run games. Thanks to beefier specs, handheld gaming consoles can run AAA titles while retaining their portable form factor.

Although portability does come at the cost of performance, this is where the PS Portal stands out since it is more of an accessory to enhance your PS5 experience because it only runs with the console’s Remote Play feature.

The choice to limit the Portal’s functionality opens up a lot of questions. In fact, given that your smartphone can be a possible alternative to this, you could argue that the Portal is flawed.

Why the PlayStation Portal doesn’t make sense?

There are many reasons why this device is receiving backlash online, but let’s focus on three specific points:

  • First of all, the functionality the PS Portal offers is already pretty accessible. If you have an Android smartphone or tablet, a Windows PC, a Mac, an iPhone, or even an iPad. You can enable Remote Play on your PS5 and get a similar experience. To make matters worse, Sony also sells the $100 PS Backbone, which ditches the screen and replaces it with your smartphone, meaning you get a collapsible controller, which is more portable than a full-size DualSense controller.
backbone one
PS BackBone
  • Secondly, many fans were confused over why the new handheld doesn’t feature support for PlayStation Plus. The online games library service is available on the PS5, so it would make sense that you could run games from the subscription on the Portal as well. Unfortunately, gamers are locked into only playing titles that are locally installed on their PlayStation 5.
PlaySation Elite
PS Elite Wireless Headphones
  • Lastly, the PlayStation Portal received significant criticism for bringing what many consider an anti-consumer design choice on the handheld. This device uses PlayStation Link, which is a proprietary wireless connection for Sony’s latest PlayStation audio accessories. In other words, the PlayStation Elite headphones and PlayStation Explore earbuds. So Sony is locking you into getting either one of these devices which cost over a hundred dollars, rather than allowing basic Bluetooth connectivity.
    Fortunately, a 3.5mm audio jack is available, so at least a wired connection is possible with regular earphones.

But is there anything that could make the Portal better value?

Sony should expand the Portal’s functionality

A simple price cut won’t raise the appeal of this handheld, as Sony already sells the DualSense Edge controller for around the same price. The handheld will still see demand from a small group of consumers, which includes gamers who don’t wish to use their smartphones for gaming. The Portal can be made more appealing by adding support for PlayStation Plus. This feature may be added later down the road. However, there’s also a chance that Sony’s upcoming Project Chronos (next-gen 4K game streaming service) will be supported after it’s announced. This can help boost demand for the product as well.

Apart from this, newer iterations of the PlayStation Portal featuring Bluetooth connectivity would help make the device more attractive to many. These two methods might have the most immediate impact, but Sony can likely make many more improvements to appeal to a broader audience that tends to prefer gaming with portability.

With the recent launch of various handheld consoles and the massive success of the Nintendo Switch, it is clear that the console market has great potential in this segment.

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