Playstation Portal

RocketRaccoon

Weird that I didn't see a thread about this, I know there were posts in the PS5 thread but surely it deserves its own.

Will anyone be getting it? Early reviews are very promising and as someone who doesn't get as much gaming done as I would like it looks perfect. The kids can have the TV while I play on the portal.

johnny_ultimate

By most accounts it’s a pretty niche device that does the same as devices you might already have, just with a slightly slicker form factor.

I personally think a Steam Deck is a much more attractive option, as you can get remote play on that with a small amount of tinkering and you get a fully featured handheld PC in the mix that isn’t a brick when you’re away from your router. The base models of that aren’t that much more expensive than the Portal with the recent price cut (although that fancy new OLED model looks incredible). But if you really *just* want to play PS5 only games in handheld format on your couch, I guess this is a somewhat cheaper option that does exactly what it says on the tin.

Penn

I don't really have any need or desire for remote play, so I'd just get no use from this. Seems like a nice bit of kit, but would have to agree with JU that unless PS5 remote play is very important to you, there are other handheld that you'd probably get much better use out of.

RocketRaccoon

This evening was a perfect example of when I'd use it, kids wanted to watch a movie so instead of getting my plat trophy in spiderman 2 I watched the santa clause. I do have a razer kishi but just don't find it comfortable and the bigger screen will be a plus.

Grumpypants

I've it on order. Could only get it from Amazon. Didn't see Smyth's list it at all unfortunately.

Amazon order hasn't shipped and has an expected delivery of 17-18th so it might end up being Monday before I get it.

I do have loads of use cases. Got up early with the kids on Sunday and it would have been great to have had it, went to bed with the baby last night and could have used it. I did play remotely on the steam deck so got my fix.

Will report back once it lands.

McDermotX

It's very much just an accessory/companion akin to a fancy controller for the PS5 and will only see its value as that. It falls into a niche area of usage, but there are instances where someone may want the use of their console but not necessarily the primary display. Now whether that's worth 200 quid plus, is another story when there are other, albeit platform limited, options available.

The biggest selling point, and one which puts it well beyond another form of remote play is the controller. That is a huge pro in its favour. Of course the pessimist would argue a nasty bout of drift would be most problematic in such a device, but in its out and out remote functionality, there's potentially no substitute. Personally, I think the lack of WiFi 6e support as per the Quest 3 and Deck OLED is a bigger missed opportunity. Lot of congestion in the average house network nowadays, but as long as you're not expecting to be on top of twitch shooters, the ability to sit back with some single player adventure or 10mins of something here or there is appealing. Cloud gaming support would certainly give it another point or two in its favour, but whether that is a future feature remains to be seen. Excellent controller and an apparently excellent screen, while not going to grab the recent headlines like the Deck, at least sounds better than a cheap tablet fudging remote play with a limited controller.

Will have one to hand tomorrow to test out, but might not get to give it a proper go till later in the week. If anything it might re-energise the PS5 in my house, where it just gets less and less interest.

RocketRaccoon

Went to buy it in Smyths but UK only. Anyone know where to get one today?

Grumpypants

I'd say it will show up on Smyth's. If you search for it on their site the results show it, but when you click the link it doesn't bring up the page. To they either have no stock, stock coming, or it's a bug as they have it in the UK.

Grumpypants

Been reading a few reviews and the ones that like it think it works great. The ones that don't seem to land more on the "I'm not sure it's needed" side than the it's bad.

Still no sign of mine getting posted from Amazon. They are sold out everywhere so I'm hoping to see it get updated tomorrow.

McDermotX

Had a little go with it tonight.

A surprisingly solid device in the hand, it gives off a good first impression. Setup relatively straight forward - charge, power on, connect to network, download a couple updates, sign in to PSN, select PS5 to connect to, reminder of how to connect when its on and what to do from rest, and after a pairing of a few seconds you're presented with the PS5's dash.

Looked absolutely terrible on first connect, but after disconnecting and waking up the Portal from sleep and reconnecting, it looked pin sharp.

Very good screen, not OLED obviously, but very bright with good colour reproduction. Some banding, as to expected with LCD, but acceptable. Then it's just a matter of using it just like the big one. Didn't put them side by side but feels as wide in the grasp as the Steam Deck, though with the seemingly smaller thumbsticks, I didn't find it as forgiving as the Valve device with large hands. Pop some caps on them and it should be an improvement.

Speakers seem quite tinny though especially if you're used to pumping the PS5 audio through a receiver. Obviously Sony are going to try to sell you their earbuds, and there is the audio jack so it's not the end of the world. Performance is nothing too revolutionary as Remote Play has been about for a bit, though it is slickly handled and feels the part with the dedicated controller. Only tried it with Spider-man 2 but seemed a more than acceptable way to play the game. Had a quick look at Astro's and that seemed to be having issues maintaining 60fps so have to take another look to see if it was a once off.

Definitely not going to be for everyone, and I'm not even sure I'd be getting appropriate use from it, but it does appear to do what it'd intended to.

RocketRaccoon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121373633#Comment_121373633

A few people online said it was available on Smyths for a short period yesterday so it may be a while before it is available. Hopefully not a similar situation to the ps5 launch.

thunder2k

Hey lads, quick question for the ones who have already tested it.. Is it possible to connect non-ps5 Bluetooth earbuds? Can you login into a party with them and talk with your friends?

McDermotX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121373937#Comment_121373937

Didn't bother trying any. Big kicker with this is there is no Bluetooth audio support, so it's either the upcoming PS Link earbuds or Elite, or headphone jack.

nomoedoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121371827#Comment_121371827

They are on Amazon now

PlayStation Portal https://amzn.eu/d/5Zc0hqh

RocketRaccoon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121373999#Comment_121373999

Delivery between Nov 29th and Dec 5th. Ordered it just to be safe but does anyone know if it could be delivered earlier?

McDermotX

Re: Cloud gaming support

However, while cloud gaming isn’t part of the proposition right now, it doesn’t mean it won’t be added in the future. In fact, there’s nothing preventing that happening, a Sony VP has said in an interview in the company’s Japanese homeland.

Translated comments from Hideaki Nishino – the SVP of platform experience at PlayStation – suggest Sony is simply biding its time and making sure its cloud streaming infrastructure is stable enough to bring to the Portal handheld. He said the differences between Remote Play and cloud gaming, in terms of facilitating it, are negligible.

“It’s easy to check off the features,” he told AV Watch (comments translated via macOS Safari). “However, we would like to proceed while carefully considering whether this is a good idea and whether we can truly provide gameplay without any problems.”

“In terms of Portal, remote play and the cloud are only different in terms of where the server is, and there are no technical problems. We will start with Remote Play and proceed with verification. We have been taking cloud gaming very seriously ever since we acquired Gaikai.”

Nishino added that it is cautious of pushing into cloud streaming on the handheld and users having a bad experience. He believes it has to feel as natural as gaming on the console.

He added that “it is important not to feel like a cloud. If the transfer is waiting and expires, customers will never believe in cloud gaming again. I don’t want people to say, ‘I couldn’t use cloud gaming.’”

So, while the PlayStation Portal isn’t the all-singing all-dancing handheld out of the gate, there’s certainly potential for it to get much more useful over time.

Grumpypants

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121373937#Comment_121373937

No like all PlayStation devices they don't seem to bother with Bluetooth. Even the PS5 doesn't support it and the official Sony headset needs a dongle!

Grumpypants

I got my dispatched email from Amazon. It's in the airport in Manchester and has cleared customs so fingers crossed it is in Dublin with An Post tonight and they should have it to me tomorrow.

I think the IGN review was telling. He was super sceptical and didn't see the point until he took it to a coffee shop with free wifi and just connected and played perfectly.

I fully expect cloud gaming to come to it. Sony just seems very cautious. I wonder how long until it is hacked and Xbox cloud is running on it :)

Edit: in the Irish customs system now

Grumpypants

It's landed in Dublin looking good for tomorrow :)

LanceStorm

Stalking Smyths to hopefully get it through them, is there any stock trackers for this? Around PS5 launch I remember a few Twitter accounts were brilliant for following new stock drops.

RocketRaccoon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121376314#Comment_121376314

That same Irish page is still running but isn't posting much anymore.

RocketRaccoon

They seem to be popping up on amazon.de regularly today with delivery in December. Nothing on the UK Amazon since earlier this morning though.

Doctor Jimbob

Really happy with mine. Lets me play the PS5 when my wife is using the main TV and I imagine it will come in handy when visiting family as well. Quality goes to shite when the PS5 is downloading something but outside of that, I've been very impressed. Compared it with the PS5 on the TV and the delay is barely noticeable.

I can see how it's not for everyone but I'm a bit baffled by the amount of negativity towards it from some people online. Sure it has less functionality than a steam deck but if you're not going to use that other functionality then it's a great option for half the price. Obviously if you already have a steam deck it's a bit pointless though. I've tried remote play on my phone before but this is absolutely streets ahead of that. Far bigger screen and a lot more comfortable.

RocketRaccoon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121379832#Comment_121379832

If I was single without kids, I wouldn't even bother with it. But in my situation, it's the perfect device. I could of course get a steam deck but it just looks like it would be very uncomfortable to hold for long periods, it just looks like a game gear.

I know for a fact I will use this all the time both at home and in work so for the price, it's a no brainer.

Grumpypants

I'm still waiting. I am tracking the postman and he is driving all over the place instead of to my house 😭.

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121379832#Comment_121379832

The negativity stems from the fact that to the vast majority of people its very hard to see the appeal particularly compared to getting a steam deck or a switch instead. I can see why someone with little kids would get one but Sony aren't exactly selling this aspect of the device.

shawki

The only thing holding me back from it is my less than average internet.

How are people with slower internet getting on performance wise?

LambshankRedemption

Thinking about this as a gift for a friend. He is interested in the remote play experience. He has a PS5 already.

Just so I understand its capabilities properly. With his PS5 at home, and assuming he has sufficient bandwidth he can connect back into his own PS5 and play the games he has, is that correct?

Grumpypants

I think people saw a rumoured handheld and hoped they were getting a vita 2. So that was definitely a negative start for it.

I guess Sony looked at the Vita and lack of third party support and thought that at least this option doesn't have that issue, it doesn't have to compete with the switch and the deck.

It does one job and it does it well. Add cloud gaming and it's pretty much in line with what MS have rumoured to have in the works for their handheld.

RocketRaccoon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121381736#Comment_121381736

Give remote play a go on your phone or tablet and see how that goes. If it works, you'll be OK with the portal.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121381785#Comment_121381785

Very lucky guy knowing such a generous friend 😉 Wish I had friends as generous as that. Dear Santa, I’ve been very good & generous myself, but I’ve overspent a little, may I have my bank balance restored very soon from the money tree I planted a couple of years ago. 🧑‍🎄🌲🎁