I have to admit, I only learned about PlayStation Portal recently, despite it having been released in November 2023. And at that, I stumbled on it quite by accident – while just browsing the internet. With no prior knowledge or immediate plans to purchase, I then began my research.

As I learned more about it, I decided to try it out myself.

Table of contents:

• So, what is that?
• Mini-review
• Photos

So, what is that?

Simply put, PlayStation Portal is a “wireless screen and a controller for your PlayStation 5”. This is of course a big simplification, especially in light of updates and changes Sony continues to make for this platform, but at a high-level it can help provide the correct framing and point to differences between other portable devices, like Nintendo Switch, or Valve’s SteamDeck (or many other similar portable consoles, available currently as well as years prior – Nintendo 3DS, Sony PSP, PS Vita, or – and here’s a fun memory from the past – GameBoy! 😉).

The main difference comes down to: PlayStation Portal doesn’t run the games locally, but rather – streams them from your PlayStation 5.

This of course has its pros and cons, and if you’re curious on what my impressions were with this platform, let’s take a closer look.

Mini-review

As I was learning about PS Portal myself, I did the usual pass on YT videos that I always do when curious about a new gadget/device/item/hobby/etc. 😉 Those are great at getting an overview in a visual way, and oftentimes quite entertaining. I’ll keep my impressions brief and concise, hoping they can be complimentary to the information you may have already seen in other sources (or serve as a quick summary!).

Pros

• very convenient way to continue playing your PlayStation 5 games on the go! You’re really playing the same game – your saves and progress, everything is stored on PS5. No need to worry about uploading/downloading the saves across devices, or things getting out of sync (since none of that is stored on PS Portal itself),
• now it also support streaming from the cloud (and no longer just from your own PS5),
• high quality of the hardware – controls are same as on DualSense (although the joysticks as a bit smaller compared to DualSense),
• great ergonomy, it feels good in hands, doesn’t lead to quick fatigue,
• clear high-resolution display (1920×1080, supporting 60fps),
• decent, although not amazing, battery life,
• fairly reasonable cost, compared e.g. to Backbone (which doesn’t have screen and requires the use of your phone), or Switch (which is a fully-fledged mobile console, thus carrying larger price tag), or SteamDeck (also more expensive, although again – more powerful wrt. feature set, but not able to run games at the visual fidelity matching PlayStation 5),

Cons

• internet access is required – the device doesn’t do anything without internet. And to add to that – it currently doesn’t support captive WiFi authentication (think: public WiFi that requires you to type in your email address, or hotel room number, before connecting), which can limit your options (and e.g. require to use a hotspot that you create with your phone),
• no local apps, no browser – it really needs to be connected to PS5 to do anything,
• cloud streaming (think: streaming from cloud service instead of your own PS5) requires a PlayStation Plus Premium Membership,
• additional latency becomes noticable in highly competitive online games (e.g. shooters), and as such I find it best for single-player, where I can enjoy the story and adventures in the comfort of any place in and outside my home,
• considering the size, weight and the lower hardware requirements for streaming games vs running them locally, I’d expect longer battery life…
• no support for regular Bluetooth headsets (and only supporting Sony’s proprietary PULSE headphones, at least for now…),
• if there’s a power outage at your home while you’re away, and the PS5 gets turned off, you will not be able to connect to it with PS Portal until someone turns PS5 back on manually after the power returns,

Would I recommend this device?

Yes, if you already have PlayStation 5, and are interested in playing games from different locations – from your bed, another room, other floor in your house, or outside the house (as long as you can get good internet connection speeds).

With the recently released support for also cloud streaming, that removes the requirement of having PS5, thus making it an appealing experience for a larger audience (and considering price-point, this could be a great entry point for those who didn’t have a chance to dive deep into the wide world of PlayStation before!). I didn’t have a chance to extensively try out those use cases (I’ve been streaming from my own PS5 only), thus I can’t vouch with full confidence in quality of those scenarios, but I’m sure Sony is striving to deliver on that front – I’d recommend checking few review specifically focusing on that angle, before you make your decision.

In any case, I certainly don’t feel “buyer’s remorse” and been enjoying this little gadget over past few weeks 😉 It’s not better or worse than Switch, SteamDeck, or any other devices – I simply reach for the one best at the job I have in mind, but it has certainly fullfilled the expectations I had from it.

Tips

Couple helpful things that can make your experience with PS Portal even better:

• I highly recommend hard-wiring your PlayStation 5 to network (as opposed to connecting to WiFi) to improve the general gaming experience. Minimizing latency on 1 side of the experience can be noticeable (and of course PS Portal will be connected to WiFi, thus leaving opportunity to use cable connected in the stationary PS5).
• Be sure to pay attention to the messages shown during initial setup of PS Portal, indicating recommended settings on your PlayStation 5, namely things like allowing remote play, and ability to wake up over internet.

 

 

Additional resources

• PS Portal review by Linus Tech Tips: https://youtu.be/FMIorIhDzDs
• Cloud game streaming on PS Portal: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/subscriptions/psportal-cloud-game-streaming/ 
• Article on Engadget about cloud streaming on PS Portal: https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sonys-cloud-streaming-makes-the-playstation-portal-far-more-useful-171038751.html
• System version update history (changelog): https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/psportal/system-software-info/

Photos

Unboxing

The box is very standard for everything we know and like from Sony – follows the same look and feel of PlayStation 5, PSVR2, and various accessories supporting those platforms:

Sony is always great about the quality and attention to details – and seeing a tab with the button icons was a nice surprise:

The screen is protected with a film containing instruction on how to power the device on:

Device photos

And here are some photos showing various details:

Carry case

It’s intended as a portable device, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that there are many cases available, to keep it safe while in transit, and after quick review of options available on Amazon, I went with the one made by “orzly”, which you can find on Amazon here (as of the time I’m writing this, it was $34.99):

The first time setup is very simple and goes by quickly (with the longest part being the system update):

I didn’t want to be tethered to a cable at the time of setting it up, so as you can see I ran it from a power bank, so that I have more charge by the time it’s ready to fire up some games 😉

Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison with DualSense controller:

 

I’ve been enjoying playing from the bed (with PS5 being in living room), and the PS Portal has served me well in the past few weeks 🙂 Please share in comments if you have any questions, or how have you been liking it if you got one.