Sony has unveiled a new device that will make every PlayStation enthusiast happy — the PlayStation Portal. Launching later this year, the handheld device will stream PS5 games over Wi-Fi and features an eight-inch LCD screen running at 1080p resolution at 60fps.
The remote player looks somewhat like a tablet wedged between two halves of a DualSense controller. Suppose you are travelling, you can still play remotely via Wi-Fi without having to use your phone, tablet or computer.
“PlayStation Portal will connect remotely to your PS5 over Wi-Fi, so you’ll be able to swiftly jump from playing on your PS5 to your PlayStation Portal,” said Hideaki Nishino, senior vice-president of platform experience at Sony Interactive Entertainment. “PlayStation Portal can play supported games that are installed on your PS5 console and use the Dualsense controller.”
This is not the PSP we know though the abbreviation of PlayStation Portal is “PSP”. The original handheld game console was released in 2004 and it was a dedicated game console. This one is different. It is more like an extension of the remote play feature Sony previously rolled out, allowing you to use your smart device to play your PS4 or PS5 games on the move.
The PlayStation Portal comes with controllers on each side that look like Sony’s PS5 DualSense controllers and these support adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, so PS5 games will offer the same feel as when you use a dedicated DualSense controller. But you won’t be able to run anything locally and without Wi-Fi, it’s useless.
Another drawback is that the handheld will not work with Sony’s upcoming Cloud streaming for PS5 games. “Games that must be streamed on PS5 using a PS Plus Premium membership are not compatible,” said Sony. To run games, you will require broadband Internet Wi-Fi with at least 5Mbps for use but Sony is recommending a high-speed connection of at least 15Mbps is recommended.
The device doesn’t have Bluetooth, so it won’t be possible to connect wireless headphones. There is PlayStation Link wireless technology, which is a new proprietary standard for PlayStation devices. It can deliver low latency, lossless audio and, according to The Verge, Sony is launching a wireless headset and buds that support PlayStation Link. Price for PlayStation Portable? $199.99 but there is no information about a launch date for India.