310°

PlayStation Portal solves a problem that doesn't exist

GF365: "Instead of being a portable PlayStation, Portal is a Remote Play device. In short, PlayStation Portal solves a problem that doesn't exist."

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gamefreaks365.com
philm87977d ago

Doesn't really explain what this problem that doesn't exist is. Does it mean that there are already plenty of options for remote play? I get a pretty much flawless performance using my phone and Razer Kishi. It would be nice having a separate device for it with a bigger screen, but not £200 nice without Bluetooth.

DogJosha977d ago

So is it just the PC version that doesn't work well? It can lag like crazy while being 2 feet away because it forces it to go through the internet rather than a local connection.

philm87977d ago

Never used the PC version. I use an unofficial app on my phone because the official one doesn't work with a Razer Kishi. Took a bit of messing around with settings to get it working properly over WiFi, but lovely now it does. Main thing for me was making sure my phone was connecting to the 5ghz WiFi signal, and all the other devices connect to the 2.4ghz signal.

CrimsonWing69977d ago

I will say this. I’ve done Remote Play for the jump rope script for FF9 and if your console isn’t hard wired via Ethernet the service drops almost immediately for me. And this is in the same room the router is in…

Wired I have no issues. There is a slight lag and I know this because I see actions on the TV and display at the same time, but it’s only jarring if you look at 2 screens… you get sort of used to it just playing on the PC. I also have my controller connected via USB, so there might be a difference if wireless.

I mean, hey, it works decent for what it is, but in no way is it a way I’d want to play if I have the option to just play on console. Like I said, I only did this for a damn trophy and once I got it, I jumped off immediately.

DogJosha977d ago

@Crimson
I actually tried it wired in on a network that was high speed/ low latency and it still worked like crap and I wasn't able to get the trophy for jump rope. Gotta be near a Sony server I guess.

philm87976d ago

@DogJosha Sony server location won't make a difference for remote play. There's so many different issues going on with different connections, how well the router handles traffic etc. Unless you know what the issue is it's a case of trying loads of things to get it to work right.
I'm sure I'll get a few more downvotes for saying this, but it is possible to get a great experience with very low latency. Standard router tech will improve down the line and handle all this stuff automatically hopefully. I know people who use a backbone and have had a great experience without having to mess around with any settings.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 976d ago
jznrpg977d ago (Edited 977d ago )

For the price it’s just an inexpensive option for handheld play. I’m getting it for sure as my wife makes me come to bed with her when she goes to sleep but I can play in bed. Also when my wife and kids are using my TVs I can still play if I want. It’s not going to take over TV play but it will be nice to have. I don’t want to use my phone or any other device.

I’d prefer it to be a dedicated device with remote play option like the Vita but that would add 200$ to it at least.

victorMaje977d ago

Agreed, I think that’s exactly the market for it.
In any home where the TV is already being used by someone, you’ll now have the option to still play your PS5 games.

Only concern will be the battery & strength of the wifi, & I’m not really fond of not being able to connect your own bluetooth devices (i.e. wireless earphones).

All in all I think it’s smart, catering to growing gaming households.

philm87977d ago

I can't see the battery being too much of a problem because the power consumption shouldn't be too high as it's just streaming rather than processing (plus haptics).

Nurket977d ago

4 kids/no lifers/butthurt ppl dont understand what you are saying, hence the dislikes. But yeah, this is gonna sell alot, alot more than VR. Its us, the grown ups, that got the money for it. Makes no sense that Sony would try to sell a 4-600 dollar handheld with all the options people cry after…So many no factors.. it would damage their ps5 sales fx.

Grilla976d ago

Another psp is never going to happen. It’s the same reason why Nintendo went to one platform. Splitting game development to two platforms isn’t feasible anymore.

Angyobangyo976d ago

You sure sound like an adult by the way you write. You're kidding yourself if you think this thing is going to sell a lot. It is a half baked device. Sony couldn't even bother to add Bluetooth connectivity to the device because they want to sell you their proprietary earphones/headphones. I don't blame them, ponies are suckers. The fact that it has to stream from a ps5 and not include cloud streaming is a laughable.

BlackOni977d ago

Can't you just remote play to your phone and use a controller with it?

NotoriousWhiz977d ago

Good luck reading anything on a tiny phone screen if you're playing a game with text.

Guitardr85977d ago

@NotoriousWhiz...

My Fold 4 and attached GameSir controller say hi lol.

977d ago
Outside_ofthe_Box977d ago

I like how you two above mentioned $2000 phones lol

At that price it better be able to say hi 😂

Guitardr85975d ago (Edited 975d ago )

@outsidetnebox

...ORRRRRRR you could be a savy consumer and take my phone's MSRP of $1900...subtract the $1000 trade in I received because I paid attention to the deals...subtract another $400 because of customer loyalty perks...and then subtract another $200 from accumated cellar provider credits.

Suddenly that $1900 phone isn't so much different from the Playststion portal AND it has a much.l bigger screen AND its Android so I can also (allegedly!!!!) use it as.a portable SNES, Genesis, PSX, PS2, N64, 3DS, Wii, GameCube, etc)...

Now I wait for the down votes because what I did makes sense and had some forethought to it haha....

Still haven't figured out how to get my phone to say hi... 😞

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 975d ago
darthv72977d ago (Edited 977d ago )

I'll pick one up too. Im finding it harder and harder to get up the enthusiasm to go into my game room and sit and play. Im more used to kicking back on the couch with my steam deck or switch. Having this to play some PS games seems right up my alley. I still like to pick up the PSP and PS Vita and DS/3DS as well so this will make enjoying more modern games in a casual manner that much better.

Plus i have my game room on its own private network so I wont have to use my main wifi. I wish it supported wifi direct like psp and vita did for PS3/4. Maybe it does... just have to wait and see.

neutralgamer1992977d ago

There is a market for it. May not be for everyone but there will be a good size market for it

BlackOni976d ago

Sure there's a market for it, there's a market for nearly anything. My point is mostly, that we all have a phone and/or computer (hopefully a computer as well) and I've run remote play on a laptop and it's worked surprisingly well. I've even live streamed to platforms while remote playing, which was bandwidth intensive, but manageable.

We have ways of doing this now. There will still be things that are hard to read even on a screen as comfy as this one, unless you're specifically on a LARGE screen (switch for example has the problem of small text, but that's unavoidable unless you're dealing with a huge screen.)

I'm happy that people are excited about gaming in general, I just dunno if this is the product to be hype for. If this could output to another screen, or stream steam games or run xcloud as well, it would make for a much more compelling product, even if it couldn't run games natively from it.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 975d ago
randomvoice977d ago (Edited 977d ago )

Written by someone who doesn't have kids or a big family. I'm gonna get this just because wife likes to watch TV but have me sit around. I can play this on the side. I know I can do it on a phone or a tablet but there are so many things to setup, connect a controller, ensure your phone battery doesn't drain out etc. which makes me want a dedicated device.

200$ isn't that big a deal in my opinion

Stanjara977d ago

Is that called quality time with your family?

anast977d ago

We got ourselves the next Dr. Phil. Nice job...

DivineHand125977d ago

I fear if I get something like this it will just sit and gather dust. On paper it might sound like it is good for niche scenarios like if the tv is occupied I can still game but in reality, would I want to game on an inferior screen. I am also concerned about the distance I would be able to go from the console because the wifi in the house sucks.

talocaca977d ago

Such a lame article.
I live in Tokyo. The weather is disgustingly hot lately. I've mostly been playing Switch because I can play it in bed (where the Air-conditioner is stronger).
This would make it much easier to play games like FF16 🤷‍♂️

Lionsguard977d ago

And you think there are millions of people out there with this problem and think it's worth spending money to fix?

Old McGroin977d ago

@Lionsguard

And you think his specific problem is the only reason people might be interested in this? You actually think there needs to be a problem to begin with for somebody to be interested in this?

raWfodog977d ago

Why are you thinking that Sony is marketing this product as something that every PS5 owner will buy? They simply see a need that SOME gamers will want it for. Just like with the DualSense Edge which also costs $200. Do you think millions of people out there with the problem of not having a customizable, specialized DS controller? These products cost Sony very little to manufacture and they make profit off of every one sold.

Angyobangyo976d ago

If you live in Tokyo, your aircon is hitting all four corners of your 1LDK.

Show all comments (63)
60°

(For Southeast Asia) New Price Changes for PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player

For Southeast Asia, new price changes.

Prices effective starting May 1st, 2026.

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blog.playstation.com
21h agoReplies(1)
BeHunted10h ago

Looks like PlayStation took a hit with Marathon and is now quietly adjusting prices worldwide to recover the losses

andy855h ago

Lets be honest raising prices doesn't do that when no one's buying it. I imagine the profit it greater selling 10 times more at a lower price

Athlon1019h ago(Edited 9h ago)

The price increases are due to the RAM demand associated with AI and the US-Iran war. You can look to any business news website and local news to see that. Heck, even the 2026 Asus Zenbook Duo I've been eyeing has faced delays and has had a price increase of $400; that laptop has two specs. Asus is doing a staggered release with per-orders for the lower spec now and shipping in May and pre-orders for the higher spec that I'm eyeing starting in June. Basically, all computer manufactures are affected. It'll most likely start affecting smart phones too if it hasn't already. I can't remember the last time any major console maker (Nintendo, Sony, Sega, etc) increased the price of their console mid cycle outside of Microsoft just to make more profit.

250°

New Price Changes for PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player

Prices effective starting April 2, 2026.

• U.S.

PS5 – $649.99
PS5 Digital Edition – $599.99
PS5 Pro – $899.99

• U.K.

PS5 – £569.99
PS5 Digital Edition – £519.99
PS5 Pro – £789.99

• Europe

PS5 – €649.99
PS5 Digital Edition – €599.99
PS5 Pro – €899.99

• Japan

PS5 – ¥97,980
PS5 Digital Edition – ¥89,980
PS5 Pro – ¥137,980

Read Full Story >>
blog.playstation.com
Neonridr31d ago

PS5 Pro will be like $1250 in Canada now (factoring exchange).. that's $300 more than it was. Yikes

That doesn't even include a disc drive either, so slap another $100 on top of that.

I feel sorry for anyone who hasn't upgraded, but this won't help adoption rates.

darthv7231d ago

Im glad I got my 5 and Portal when I did. I been adamant about not wanting a Pro, and now this solidified that.

Neonridr31d ago

to be honest I never would have gotten the Pro as I was happy with my OG PS5. But I lucked out in being able to purchase the 30th Anniversary Pro from Best Buy up here in Canada.. so my mind was already made up at that point, lol.

darthv7231d ago

^^I'm not going to lie... i have been looking at the 2nd hand market just to see what 5 Pros are going for. On average about $500. When i got my PS4 Pro, I got it for $100. And that was from a guy who just wanted to get rid of it because his roommate moved out and left his stuff. He gave him time to come get it... but never did. So his loss was my gain.

If I were to come across a deal like that again for a 5 Pro... yeah I'd jump on it.

Michiel198931d ago

@darth yeah that one was definitely stolen. If it's too good to be true, it probably is

1nsomniac31d ago

Yea same boat here. I never thought the PS5Pro was worth it to begin with so I never picked it up. Absolutely not picking one up now.

Haven’t touched my ps5 for months now so invested that same amount into a new 4k OLED monitor for my pc. Which has been a game changer. So I’m happy with that.

fr0sty30d ago

Trump's tariffs, plus the memory shortage, it was bound to happen eventually. Expect this to be the new normal... They won't back down on prices from here.

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medman31d ago (Edited 31d ago )

I bought the pro for 699 in 2024....these tech prices are going through the roof....it's insane. I was planning on getting a dolby vision 2 capable oled in 2027, but it will probably cost $527,668.35 by then. F outta here with this b.s. It might be tolerable if there were banger after banger of Sony first party titles to play, but there is literally nothing from so many of their first parties that has been produced this far into this generation. We don't even know what many of them are currently working on, but the studio closures and layoffs keep coming. No thank you...this may be my last generation of console gaming....the execs at Sony and Microsoft are mismanaging the gaming businesses, prices going up, less games being released, every week more layoffs and closures, subscription prices continue to rise through it all though....F OFF!!!!!!

Neonridr31d ago

I was lucky enough to get a 30th Anniversary Pro bundle up here in Canada, which would only end up being a couple hundred dollars more than what the new price of the regular Pro will be. Crazy.

jznrpg31d ago

TVs are fairly inexpensive still. You can get LG OLED 65” for 1500sih. In 27’ who knows

Neonridr31d ago

just saw the Canadian prices for the Pro ($1099). So it wasn't as bad as I feared, but still....

darthv7231d ago

...on the flip side, Series X/S look more appealing now as a result.

The_Hooligan31d ago

This is freaking INSANE!! I wonder how much the PS6 will be 😕 I'm glad I got the Pro and the portal when it first launched. I don't think I would have purchased a Pro at $900.

TriniOutsider31d ago

EB games has it listed for 959. I'm glad I got mine when I did.

Knightofelemia31d ago (Edited 31d ago )

Did you factor in the $99 disc drive to the price of the pro as well? As it stands the Pro with the disc drive is pushing like $1090 in Alberta before taxes.

Neonridr31d ago

That was just the console. So yeah it's $1099 + $99.99 for the Physical Pro experience. $1356 here in Ontario after taxes.

RIP

TriniOutsider31d ago

Why would I? It's an attachment, you're trying to make it sound even more expensive.

darthv7231d ago

...not just the Pro, that disc drive add-on applies to the base model as well if people want the full disc based experience.

darthv7231d ago (Edited 31d ago )

Sony basically matched the prices of the Series X, except for the Pro.
Digital X and 5 are the same at $599.
Disc X and 5 are the same at $649.
2tb X (w/drive) is $799 and 2tb Pro (w/o drive) is $899.

What do people think will be the pricing for the XB Helix and PS6?

medman30d ago

The Helix will launch at a very reasonable 2.2 million dollars US. The PS6 will retail for slightly less than that.

Kratos_Kart200731d ago

Yup...I'm in Ontario...I'm glad I have one...The used market will pop...LOL

darthv7231d ago

The price to performance ladder will soon look like this:
512gb Series S $400
1tb Series S $450
827gb PS5 (digital) $600
1tb Series X (digital) $600
1tb PS5 (disc) $650
1tb Series X (disc) $650
2tb Series X (disc) $800
2tb PS5 Pro (digital) $900

PRIMORDUS31d ago

Lucky for me I torrent about 95% of PC games, with the 1 or 2 max I buy all year lol. To be fair I have a Switch 2 but I have yet to buy any Switch 2 games, I have a small collection of used Switch 1 games. I will never buy new anymore.

fr0sty30d ago

all this so we could train dlss5 models to make our games look like shit...

derek30d ago

It's actually priced at $1100 for some reason instead of the actual currency exchange rate.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 28d ago
CrashMania31d ago

This is dreadful, but I felt it was inevitable with AI slop sucking up so many components, trumps stupid tariffs and his more recent nonsense in the middle east impacting energy prices heavily.

Companies just aren't willing to subsidise hardware anywhere near as much this gen, and it's sad for the health of the industry overall, it's my main hobby and it's always sad to see this happen, I want to see the industry thriving, not get stifled by stupid politics and AI slop production.

S2Killinit31d ago ShowReplies(3)
Levii_9231d ago

I don’t know about tariffs but do you really think that war in Iran and destroying terrorists is the reason why Ps5 prices went up? Come on man..

Moegooner31d ago

Do a Google search and save yourself the embarrassment.

Redemption-6431d ago

Why do you think the The Strait of Hormuz is so important? Care to guess? Over 20% of global oil consumption passing through it. A significant amount of crude oil for China crude goes through the strait. It might not be the main factor, but when you add in the tariffs and AI issues, then you have a problem

SimulationDaily31d ago (Edited 31d ago )

People blame Hermen Hulst, or Phil Spencer, or whatever middleman for the woes of Sony and Xbox.
The truth is that the true corporate harpies behind this kind of shit (and the layoffs, and the studio closures) are the Chief Financial Officers. Lin Tao is relatively new, and she has only dealt damage to PlayStation in the attempt to suck every possible drop of profit from the cash cow, like Amy Hood has done before her on the other side

S2Killinit30d ago (Edited 30d ago )

To all the people who commented so passionately about the Iran war without knowing anything about what the Iranian people are going through with that regime, I will say this:
We’ve tried everything to change this regime. We’ve tried tolerating them to see if they will turn more moderate over time, we’ve tried asking for reforms, we’ve bought up lies and tolerated insults, we’ve tried peaceful resistance, we’ve tried protesting, and we were answered with live bullets. They massacred approximately 32,000 protesters in 2 days. This last protest, they used patushka machine guns mounted on trucks against unarmed civilians. Each bullet casing is the size of your hand. If the world does not intervene in Iran militarily, you are condemning 90,000,000 Iranians to a life of servitude to a government that has no mercy for its own people. Eventually the world will pay a much higher price for their indifference to the Iranian people’s plight when the regime acquires even more advanced missiles and a atomic bomb. You will have a North Korea 2.0 with an islamic ideology. We are already seeing the signs that the regime intends to isolate Iranians further by creating a “national internet”. Please stop spreading miss information. The people of Iran are 100% in support of the war. You are liberating us. If there has ever been a just war, this is it.

derek30d ago (Edited 30d ago )

@S2Killinit No no no. There are a million things wrong with the world and it's leaders. There are injustices/atrocities taking place around the globe and it will always be that way. The lie some have bought into is the belief that change can and will be imposed from the outside it will not especially not from the two evil mad genocidal/ leaders primarily behind this war. Dont delude yourself, nothing good will come from this just more death and destruction.

S2Killinit30d ago (Edited 30d ago )

I dont see your argument, just your opinion

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 30d ago
gold_drake31d ago

ive never been so thankful for having the pro

but damn, look at those prices.

gaming definitely is a luxury nowadays, and has been for quite a while now.

but i wonder if they couldnt have just take the loss? but then again, they're probably betting on gta6 to drive sales to ridiculous heights.

ridiculous

SimulationDaily31d ago (Edited 31d ago )

Totally could have. Profits have only been going up. Lin Tao has been milking the cash cow dry as much as she possibly can.

Cuzizkool31d ago

Someone check on Tripster. 🤣 But seriously, this is not good for the industry.

Neonridr31d ago

Tripster, Jaydub, Nikola and all those PlayStation shills will ignore the news or somehow spin it into a positive and say it's good for the industry.

Christopher31d ago

I think I'm happy to not know who any of these individuals are. Means new age of "shills" have come and I just am not paying attention. More people should do that.

ocelot0731d ago (Edited 31d ago )

Some are already down playing some are equally as disgusted.

Some of the old Xbox guard like septic sauce is already jokingly (but it's possible) that like always once Playstation releases bad new Xbox normally comes along a few days later with even worse news and sorts of bring Sony out the spotlight.

@Christopher

Head over to X and search them lol. Some Sony shills some Xbox shills the worst of the worst is Colteastwood just have a 15 minute read about some of the rubbish that guy has come out with over the last 5 years. He has had to delete two tweets this week. One for claiming someone was fired from Xbox the individual replied stating she simply found a new job. Second one was last night after the Xbox direct. Stating stranger than heaven was a Xbox exclusive. How did he come to this conclusion? Ps5 logo was not shown during the trailer during Xbox partner show.

derek30d ago

@Neonridr Spin, shills? Lol. You believe Sony just raised prices this dramatically for the heck of it? None of this needs to be defended, the world is facing some incredible economic head winds right now console prices like everything else are not immune. None of this matters, these are luxury items there are bigger things for people to concern themselves with like paying for the necessities of life.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 30d ago
MayorPauline31d ago

I still remember Sony going after that actors advertising firm for promoting the Wii. So yeah I remember him. 😆

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70°

New PlayStation Portal software update adds 1080p High Quality mode and UX refinements

The update will begin rolling out globally from March 18.

Read Full Story >>
blog.playstation.com
Nyxus41d ago

They added a Quality Mode.

"Players can now select a 1080p High Quality mode during Remote Play and Cloud Streaming. This new mode enables players to enjoy games at a higher bitrate compared to the default 1080p Standard mode, providing a smooth and high-fidelity experience."

GamingSinceForever41d ago

I love this device. It’s one of those things you don’t think you need before getting one.

darthv7241d ago

...and yet there are still those who scoff at the idea of streaming games. If they really gave this a try, it might convert even more to the dark side.

badz14941d ago

it actually really depends on the infrastructure, and what Sony has now with the Portal is pretty amazing. it's something you really have to experience yourself to believe. Playing my PS5 games almost anywhere at this quality and with almost unnoticeable input lag is the stuff of magic. If you're unimpressed, remember that the Portal allows this level of performance streaming from your own PS5 console AT HOME, relying on YOUR OWN, HOME NETWORK, not some massive infrastructure like the Xbox Cloud Gaming.

I'm not subscribed to PS+ Premium, so I don't know how Cloud Streaming is like on the Portal, but I heard that it's running great. The Portal is one of the best purchases you can make as a gamer always on the move.

darthv7240d ago

@badz... if you like portal, you should try a gcloud. It too is a great little streamer for XB and Nvidia shield stuff. There have been some great improvements to infrastructure over these short few years of cloud gaming. And yeah, PS+ premium is great. Id say even better than remote play... for the games that are available.

badz14940d ago

@darthv72

yeah but I have to pay for another subs? I don't think I want to add another subs right now that I might or might not have time to fully utilize due to work.

41d ago
Abnor_Mal41d ago

Just used mine the other night, since I couldn’t sleep I jumped into a game of The Division2 remote play. Loved this device since day one.

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