The PlayStation Portal Remote Player isn't a true handheld console, just a small screen connected to your PS5. And if the usefulness confuses us, we will certainly like the quality, provided we have a good WiFi network.
Posted at 1:13 p.m
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If you're expecting PlayStation Portal to be a portable console like a Nintendo Switch or ROG Ally, you'll be disappointed: this device recently launched by Sony is more of a “remote player.” It's useless without Wi-Fi and the PS5 it connects to, has no game storage capacity, and only plays what the larger console displays on its small 8-inch screen.
Which doesn't mean it doesn't have any charm. The small machine, weighing 503 grams, looks like a PS5 controller with a screen built into it. This may not be an OLED but an LCD, it has good resolution and can play up to 60 FPS in 1080p. We're actually surprised by the graphical quality of the games on this screen. We see that it corresponds to the image that a 48-inch television would give us from two or three meters away if we held it about 30 cm from our eyes.
Once the PS5 is configured to be remotely controlled with a PSN account but without a subscription requirement, PlayStation Portal will recognize your PS5 and display its home screen in under a minute. For players who have used PS Remote Play before, the experience will be familiar. However, here we have a little something extra, as we have both the controller and the integrated screen in our hands.
When it comes to quality, it all really depends on your WiFi network. Sony recommends that PlayStation Portal and PS5 be on the same WiFi network. In our case, despite having an excellent router at home, the first experience was rather unpleasant, with a choppy picture.
Everything changed when we connected the PS5 directly to the router via Ethernet. The quality has become completely satisfactory, with hardly any increase in latency, which made us less agile in NHL 24, for example. In less loaded RPGs like Mirage or Cyberpunk 2077, we could hardly notice the difference.
Despite Sony's recommendations, we tried the PlayStation Portal outside the home and had mostly satisfactory results overall. However, the quality occasionally deteriorated when the second WiFi network showed signs of weakness.
The PlayStation Portal has a good battery life of almost 8 hours and its reasonable weight allows you to hold it for a long time without tiring your arms.
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There is a 3.5mm jack on the back of the PlayStation Portal that you can connect headphones to. Only one model is accepted for wireless connectivity, the Sony Pulse Explore, which is sold separately for $269.99. This is not Bluetooth, but an in-house technology called “PlayStation Link”.
Here's a quick detour to introduce these headphones that we also tested. Their main qualities are the reproduction of sound details and the ability to deliver immersive sound. The bass is present without being very impressive, and the latency lag is presented as extremely low, which isn't particularly useful for the PlayStation Portal. Pulse Explores can also connect to two devices simultaneously, including those that use classic Bluetooth.
However, they don't have active ambient noise cancellation and their design is strange, with a wing that reaches into the ear and hard-to-reach controls. Are they that expensive? No, in our opinion, and we prefer a good wired headset. Unfortunately, these are the only compatible wireless earbuds.
An important control is also missing: the touchpad in the middle of the PlayStation controllers. It has been replaced with a rectangular room that appears on the screen and is much less practical.
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Since we have a room and a TV for our PS5, we are clearly not the target audience for PlayStation Portal. The experience on this small 8-inch screen, no matter how sophisticated, will never beat the complete setup. But it's a perfectly viable solution for the gamer who doesn't want to monopolize family television, for the parent of small children who want to play discreetly in their bedroom, as a reader recently explained to us. After all, the price is reasonable.
However, you need to ensure one point: the reliability of your WiFi network for remote control of the PS5, which can be validated using the PS Remote Play application.
However, this recommendation is of little importance given one unavoidable fact: PlayStation Portal has simply been nowhere to be found since December 20th. A large number of players were obviously attracted to the concept.
In a previous version, we didn't mention that PlayStation Portal uses PlayStation Link technology instead of Bluetooth.
PlayStation Portal
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Price: $269.99
Rating: 8 out of 10