Over the past few months, the gaming world has been abuzz with news that a new handheld PlayStation console is in development. The good news is that the console has been given an official name by Sony, namely PlayStation Portal, which they call a 'remote player' because of its dependence on the PS5 itself. In this article, we'll take a deep dive into all the information we know about PlayStation Portal, from its release date to its technical specifications.

Release Date and Price

PlayStation Portal has been set for a release date of November 15, 2023. Another piece of good news is the price of PlayStation Portal, which turns out to be more affordable than many of us expected, namely $200/£200 (around IDR 3 million). With this competitive price, Sony is trying to make PlayStation Portal accessible to many people.

You can now pre-order PlayStation Portal. However, keep in mind that only a few countries have made pre-orders available, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Japan, Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Unfortunately, it is not yet known what the official price of PlayStation Portal is for Indonesia, although a number of e-commerce stores have opened pre-orders for this product. Based on the author's observations, a number of e-commerce stores set a price of IDR 3.7 million for the pre-order period.

Sony, PS5, and Future Plans

Sony, as the company behind PlayStation, is known to be preparing for several of their newest product launches. Apart from the release of the PlayStation Portal, it is known that they will also release a slim version which is slimmer than the PS5, as well as several new audio devices for the PlayStation which we will discuss further at the end of this article. However, it looks like we'll have to wait until late 2024 or early 2025 to see a possible PS5 Pro.

What is PlayStation Portal?

PlayStation Portal was originally codenamed Project Q, which was announced by Sony between May and August, before finally being officially announced. However, this code name may have existed for a long time before that. News regarding the development of this new PlayStation console has been circulating for a long time, and was finally officially announced on May 24 2023 at the PlayStation Showcase event. The official name PlayStation Portal itself was only announced at the end of August 2023.

Previously, the project was known as 'Q-Lite', and news of its existence began to leak thanks to a report from Insider Gaming. On April 5, the publication started getting information about a new PlayStation handheld device being developed by Sony.

What Can PlayStation Portal Do?

What makes PlayStation Portal so interesting? This question may arise in your mind. PlayStation Portal was designed primarily to take advantage of PlayStation's Remote Play feature. This means no cloud streaming here. And similar to PS VR2, you need a PS5 to use it. So, you will be able to play PlayStation games that have been downloaded to your console, and this requires a fast Wi-Fi connection. Some games that have been confirmed to be compatible with PlayStation Portal include Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, and Alan Wake 2.

PlayStation Portal Specifications and Operating System

PlayStation Portal has an 8-inch LCD touchscreen that provides sharp visuals and smooth gameplay, with the visuals broadcast via PS5 when you step away from the TV. According to Sony, this offers a portable gaming experience with high-quality visuals anywhere.

In comparison, the PlayStation Portal has larger screen specifications compared to the Nintendo Switch screen which only measures 6.2 inches, even outperforming the Switch OLED and Steam Deck screens which measure 7 inches. PlayStation Portal is also capable of running games at up to 1080p resolution and 60fps via a Wi-Fi connection.

PlayStation Portal will run a custom operating system and interface made by Sony. It's not yet clear whether you'll be able to download other streaming services via other platforms or whether this will be limited to PlayStation content exclusively. Fans of modification and experimentation may also be interested to see if the device can be used for emulation, and the possibility of seeing it running Xbox Cloud Streaming in the future cannot be ruled out.

This device also has a similar appearance to the DualSense controller, only it is cut into two parts with a large screen in the middle. Sony also announced that "it includes key features of the DualSense wireless controller, including adaptive triggers and haptic feedback." However, of course this will depend on the compatibility of the game itself with these features.

Does Portal Always Require a Wi-Fi Connection to Stream Games?

Unlike Steam Deck or ROG Ally, PlayStation Portal is not a standalone device. Instead, this device is a companion to your PS5. However, it's worth noting that PlayStation Portal requires a stable and continuous internet connection, with Sony recommending a minimum speed of 15Mbps. Remote Play can be used outside your home, so you should be able to use a 5G connection if available. We will carry out further tests when we review this device.

Currently, PlayStation Portal will only be able to play games that have been downloaded on your PS5. Sony explained this in their blog post in August 2023: "games streamed via the PlayStation Plus Premium cloud streaming service are not supported."

They also added, "PlayStation Portal is the perfect device for gamers in households where they may need to share a TV in the living room or simply want to play PS5 games in another room in the house. PlayStation Portal will connect remotely to your PS5 via Wi -Fi, so you can quickly switch from playing on your PS5 to your PlayStation Portal.

Since October 11, we've known that Sony would add cloud gaming services to the PlayStation Plus Premium layer, but as explained above, it will be available only for PS5 at first. However, Sony has made clear its intention to continue improving its services when it comes to cloud streaming, so we expect this situation to change as time goes on.

Verdict

PlayStation Portal is a major step in the evolution of portable gaming. With its affordable price, large screen, and compatibility with PS5 games, this device offers an engaging gaming experience for players everywhere. Even though it depends on a fast and stable internet connection, PlayStation Portal has great potential to become the device that PlayStation fans are looking for. If you are a PlayStation fan, PlayStation Portal is something you should have.

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