Finally, Sony is making a new handheld gaming gadget. It’s called the PlayStation Portal, and it was shown at the PlayStation Showcase in May. This device can show games from the PS5 on its screen, but it’s not a regular gaming console. It’s more like a device that streams games from the big PS5 console to a smaller screen.
Sony is now trying to do something similar to what Microsoft has been doing with cloud gaming for a while. But Sony has a big challenge ahead of them. They need to convince people that their new gadget is better than just playing games on a tablet or smartphone with a controller connected through Bluetooth. So, they have some work to do in promoting this new device.
Sony PlayStation Portable Release Date and Price
According to PlayStation Blog, Sony will release the PlayStation Portal on November 15, and it costs $199. You can order it now from PlayStation Direct. Just so you know, a Nintendo Switch OLED model is $350, a Steam Deck starts at $500, and Logitech’s G Cloud gaming handheld console is usually $350.
Sony PlayStation Portal Specs
When you play games on PlayStation Portal from a PS5 using remote play, it doesn’t need to have really powerful stuff inside as the Asus ROG Ally does. What we do know is that it has an 8-inch screen that shows games in good quality, and it’s bigger than the one on the Steam Deck by one inch.
The screen is 1080p and refreshes 60 times per second, which should make the games look clear on that size of screen. When it comes to the battery, there are rumors that you can play with it for about three to four hours before it needs recharging, which is pretty much what we expected. Now, let’s talk about the controller.
It looks like they took a regular DualSense controller and split it in half, attaching each half to the sides of the screen. The only thing we’re not sure about is how they’ll make up for the missing touchpad from the DualSense controller in Project Q’s design.
This interface looks different from the Steam Deck, Switch, and ROG Alloy. It’s designed like the DualSense controller and has lights running up and down each side. Plus, it has all the buttons and features of a DualSense wireless controller.
A new video that got out shows that the PlayStation Portal might use Android, which is a common system for phones. The video shows basic menus and those square codes you can scan.
How to Use the PlayStation Portal?
If you want to use a PlayStation Portal, you must have a PS5. Also, the games you want to play on it must be on your PS5. After you have those things, you can play games from your PS5 on the handheld console using Wi-Fi. But, you can’t play virtual reality games this way, so if you have a PlayStation VR 2, you can’t use it for this.
Will the PlayStation Portal Be a Vita 2?
No, the Sony PlayStation Portal will be a handheld device that uses the cloud instead of being a special handheld like the Vita.