Sony is most effective whenever it’s most bizarre such as making Donut-shaped headphones that feel comfortable or the lamp and speaker combo which looks a lot like a bong, for no apparent reason. But when it comes down to Sony’s PlayStation Portal, the weirdness isn’t only in the design but also at the base that is “Why does this thing exist?”
PlayStation Remote Play is far from being a brand new feature, but it’s a feature that can be used with multi-purpose devices such as a smartphone tablet, laptop, or even a phone for free. Why would you spend $200 on an item of equipment for just this feature? After spending more time on this feature on the PlayStation Portal since my first hands-on I believe I’ve figured out that this is an air-fryer.
You may be asking “Wait, how is a gaming handheld a home cooking appliance?” It’s simple, similar to an air fryer and a microwave, it is similar to an air fryer. Portal is a gadget that is priced at a reasonable amount of money can do only one thing, and has one method of doing it (it streams games from your PS5 through Wi-Fi) in contrast to other multi-use devices can perform the same feat (PS5 Remote Play is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, iPadOS, and even the PS4).
Like Air fryers, you probably already own a device that performs the same function similar to the Portal (many kitchen appliances provide convection heating, similar to how the air fryer prepares). However, I’ll be damned if you can cook some delicious chicken nuggets within 10 minutes or play a fast game-at-home type of convenience.
The PlayStation Portal indeed is all about conveniences, such as playing your games off your console and transferring the games around your home or out to the outside world. But, if you rely on the performance of Wi-Fi your world of ease is shattered when you have to contend with low connectivity or some of Portal’s oddities come to the forefront.
When I’ve played using the Portal I’ve had mostly an “it just works” experience in particular after an update to the software post-launch which seemed to bring about tiny performance improvements. I connect the Portal directly to the PlayStation 5 and within a few seconds, I’m able to take my games to all areas of my house and play them flawlessly on the Portal’s clear and vivid eight-inch display -and with the nifty DualSense haptics.
It sounds like a foolproof solution when I put it that way, but opening the Portal and establishing a connection (the one thing the Portal does after you switch on) is an extremely “your mileage may vary” moment. It could work perfectly. It might not function in any way. It might require some tweaking in your home network’s settings. I’ve been looking around in the r/PlayStationPortal subreddit to gain an understanding of the general mood of the community and in the threads of assistance for troubleshooting and the people who post their W’s on how good their Portal can be even on the road, you can sometimes see the occasional rage.
To test my home network I use my PS5 is connected via Ethernet and I’m connected to gigabit internet via a mesh Wi-Fi network using three Google Nest Wifi Pro routers. With all this, there are indeed places in my home where connectivity can become slightly shaky. Sometimes, for something that seems unfathomable at the time an online game can stop playing and then skip minutes of play.
I don’t know for sure what causes it if it’s because another device connected to my network suddenly is taking up bandwidth, or there’s more congestion coming from my ISP nearby, or if it’s an unusual anomaly. There’s no way to know the cause however, you must accept that time you’ll get your swings from Spider-Man 2. or axe throws during God of War Ragnarok interrupted. It can be a challenge occasionally however it’s a cost of having Wi-Fi available to avoid taking away the TV in the family room or moving your game to an entirely different space.
This is the point where one of the Portal’s biggest errors can’t help but cause you to wonder if it could be improved. The Portal does not support the Wi-Fi standard 5 (802.11ac) which was introduced in 2014. It provides plenty of bandwidth to meet Sony’s stated minimum requirement of 5Mbps upload and download speeds, and is even higher than the recommended speed of 15Mbps but why is a brand new device coming out in the year 2023 (one that is based on Wi-Fi) not include the Wi-Fi 6 or 6E radio?
Although not all homes are equipped with Wi-Fi 6E routers, the ones that do are equipped to stream their Portals using the less crowded 6Ghz band. This is among the Portal’s numerous blunders in particular considering that Wi-Fi-7 devices are just around the turn. Free Games: A Web Platform to Play the Games You Love.
The Portal’s oddities aren’t limited to Wi-Fi specifications. The device has an Airplane Mode. Why? It’s a paperweight that doesn’t have Wi-Fi. It can’t play games or media on the local memory — and it won’t even inform you how much internal storage has. Additionally, it does not stream content that’s not redirected to it by your PS5. It doesn’t have an auto-brightness setting doesn’t come with a protection case (the only choices available are provided by third-party vendors) and can only support one login per user at each time.
All of these flaws and flaws make the Portal appear to be a half-measure or a skeleton of a larger project which saw its funding cut at the beginning of the development. Perhaps nothing is like the lack of Bluetooth audio. The Portal is thankfully equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack, however for those who want wireless, the only choice is Sony’s brand new, proprietary PlayStation Link audio devices -which are priced at a premium but lack features that are premium, such as the active noise canceling. The two headsets that have been announced just those priced at $199.99 Pulse Explore earbuds have been released (and aren’t easy to locate in stock). Its $149.99 Pulse Elite headset isn’t expected until February.
Sony’s Pulse Explore earbuds are great on the Portal and, indeed their exclusive PlayStation Link connection yields noticeably less latency than when using the same earbuds with Bluetooth mode on a device that supports Remote Play. But, in no way does this justify the removal of Bluetooth completely out of the Portal. Bluetooth isn’t the fastest and most inefficient, but it works adequately and is an extremely useful option that ought to be available on a device that’s about simplicity and ease of use.
The idea of asking customers to shell out another $150 to $200 for wireless audio with your $200 remote device is poor, especially considering that you can’t even get the higher-priced (and noise-canceling) Sony InZone H9 wireless headset that some PS5 avid users may have isn’t compatible with its USB dongle. The main benefit of the Portal for audio is the built-in speakers, which do not sound tinny, and also the possibility to switch to wired audio (which will eliminate any latency).
Despite the numerous glitches, the Portal provides a fantastic multi-tasking experience. You can enjoy a superior standard Remote Play experience with your iPad or laptop that has bigger screens. You could enjoy a more portable experience using a collapsible phone controller such as that of the BackBone One however, each of these options is more complicated. It’s not as simple as grabbing the Portal and activating it.
Numerous Steam Deck and ROG Ally from Asus owners have discovered ways to utilize Remote Play with free software such as Chiaki however, you’ll need to do a small amount of effort and tweaking to set it up. I’ve tested it on my first Deck, and it’s pretty well-built, imitating all of the DualSense Touchpad as well as the share button with the help of the community-created button layouts that are available for download but you’re never going to be able to enjoy all those DualSense haptics (if you’re interested).
It’s the PlayStation Portal. PlayStation Portal shortcuts the initial installation process and the confusion of Remote Play to give you an easy, simple solution. It’s an excellent addition to your PS5 if you’re a parent, or a busy person trying to squeeze in a few games despite having someone else watching television or to add some relaxation to gaming, allowing you to lay back in bed and play. But all the pitfalls and issues with Remote Play are still here.
My top recommendation to those who are considering a Portal would be first to join their PS5 via Ethernet (seriously wi-fi on both sides of the equation will not be a great time) then test PS Remote Play. You can test the PlayStation Remote Play application via your Wi-Fi at home using your tablet, laptop, or smartphone. If it works well enough for you, especially in the type of games that you prefer to play the most, then it’s possible that a Portal could be a good idea.
Sony’s first foray into a handheld device since its PlayStation Vita may be a bizarre device that serves one purpose, but it is a great device provided that your Wi-Fi network isn’t stricken by gnomes. Perhaps, Sony is experimenting with its waters for what’s going to be more than releasing a half-baked product. There’s a need (at most for now) for Portals since they are often ordered. I’m all for the nerdy niches and devices that are only used if they’re decent I’ve enjoyed the Portal despite its many shortcomings. However, it inspires me to return to the true portable PlayStation handheld device, something I’m sure Sony is looking into for the future.