It may not be the PS VITA revival Sony fans were expecting but it has been confirmed Sony are soon to be releasing their brand-new portable remote play handheld for PlayStation 5 and it is officially launching later this year. Previously known as "Project Q" the device now has an official name.

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PlayStation Portal remote player brings the PS5 experience to the palm of your hand

Price

Let's start with the most important part - the price. The handheld is set to be $199.99 which of itself isn't a horrendous price point as far as handheld systems go, but there's a catch. The device doesn't store your PS5 games and a PlayStation 5 console is required to stream your owned games from, so whilst yes the PS Portal is $199.99, just like the PSVR2 you need to spend £400+ on a console first.

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Spec

The PS Portal boasts a generous 8" LCD screen, a full inch bigger than the Nintendo Switch OLED, to ensure you're still getting the same level of detail and immersion from your game that you would if you were playing on a monitor or your TV.

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You're not limited to having to be connected to your home Wi-Fi network to use the PS Portal, as long as you have access to broadband internet with at least 5Mbps you'll be able to play your favourite games. For a better play experience you'll need a high-speed connection of at least 15Mbps.

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Capable of up to 60fps at 1080p resolution to deliver the same smooth gameplay experience you'd expect from your console.

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Pre order for the PS Portal is live for a release date of 15th November 2023

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Design/Features

The design of the PS Portal is a simple one, take a DualSense controller, split it in half and set an 8" LCD screen in the middle and boom - PS Portal. Assuming you're able to get used to having your hands slightly further apart than with a standard controller then going from one to the other should be a seamless experience. The PS Portal still delivers the same adaptive triggers and haptic feedback you'd expect from a standard DualSense controller.

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There's no requirement for a PlayStation Plus membership in order to use the PS Portal - this however does not include if you are hoping to use the PS Portal to remotely play multiplayer games as this will require an active PS Plus membership.

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If you're using your PS Portal to stream a game then the PS5 console can still be used by someone else in your household - for example you can be playing your favourite game from anywhere whilst your loved ones use the console to watch their latest obsession on Netflix.

Community Response

The community response to the PS Portal has been ... mixed - to say the least. When rumours began circulating online about a possible handheld system coming from Sony to accompany the PS5 it was widely believed, and hoped, to be a revival of the PS VITA system, especially considering the undeniable success of the Nintendo Switch console, of which the popularity continues to rise year on year.

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It seems the biggest issues people have with the PS Portal is the fact that you need to a) have a PS5 to stream from and b) in order to use the PS Portal your PS5 needs to be on and connected to the internet. You can remotely power your PS5 on or off using the app so as long as you're connected to the app with your Sony account you won't need to leave the console on forever on the off chance you want to use your PS Portal. That being said - it's still not the ideal situation for most and is likely seen as a barrier between you and a seamless PS5 experience on the go.

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