The success of the Steam Deck has led to a surge in handheld game machines, but not all are created equally. Sony's new handheld broke cover earlier this year, but now Sony has made it official. The PlayStation Portal will launch later this year for $199.99, but if you were hoping for a PSP sequel, prepare for disappointment. The Portal is a streaming-only device, and it's basically a fancy accessory for your PlayStation 5.
Even at a glance, the PlayStation Portal (previously known as Project Q) is identifiable as Sony hardware. There's a large 8-inch 1080p LCD in the middle, with DualSense-style controller wings on either side. Like Sony's excellent console gamepad, the Portal supports advanced haptics and adaptive triggers. Sony hasn't made any precise battery life claims, but it's shooting for something in the same neighborhood as the DualSense—around eight or nine hours per charge.
Sony is pitching the Portal as a way to stream the games that are already on your PS5. The handheld itself won't have the power to run games locally, so you'll need a Wi-Fi connection with at least 5 Mbps of bandwidth. Sony recommends 15 Mbps for the best experience. Even though it should logically be able to stream games from the cloud, it's not compatible with Sony's streaming service. Sony stresses this is a Remote Play handheld—you have to be on the same Wi-Fi network as your PS5.
That said, IGN tried the remote play functionality on the Portal and found it to work extremely well with no detectable lag. Streaming games from the cloud comes with at least some latency. Efficient video encoding and data routing can keep lag in check, but it's never going to be as fast as rendering and streaming over the local network. The Portal will also be able to stream media from the PS5.
Another strange aspect of the Portal is the lack of Bluetooth. Sony has instead used its proprietary PlayStation Link technology, which is limited to PlayStation accessories. It's released a new set of earbuds and headphones that support PlayStation Link with lossless audio and low latency. If you don't fancy buying expensive audio equipment for the Portal, you can just use the 3.5mm jack.
Sony has not decided on a specific launch date for the PlayStation Portal, but it will launch this year. The $200 asking price ensures this is going to be a niche accessory. For busy gamers who don't always have time to sit down in front of the TV to play, it might be a great add-on for the PS5. If you want to play on the go or access games that aren't on the PlayStation 5, it's a poor substitute for more open handhelds.
