PlayStation Portal

Overview

The PlayStation Portal sets out to do one thing and does it well, letting you play your PS5 separately from whatever screens it's connected to, and bringing the DualSense haptics, triggers and design along for the ride. The thing is that this could and really should do more, not just hooking up not just to your PS5, but to the PS Plus cloud as well.

-- As reviewed by tsa

TechSpot Metascore

Based on 9 expert reviews

Excellent:

1
Good:

2
Average:

3
Bad:

3

9.0

User Score

Based on 1,620 reviews
as rated by users

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Last revision on July 10, 2024

Reviewers Liked

A solid PS5 Remote Play experience
Triggers with haptic feedback
Dualsense controls feel great
Big, bright and vibrant 1080p LCD screen

Reviewers Didn't Like

Can't play PS Plus cloud games
No way to stream videos
Requires a PS5
Doesn't do anything besides PS5 Remote Play
No Bluetooth support
Can't hook up external devices
No direct-to-PS5 connection mode

Competitors and Related Products

Our editors hand-pick related products using a variety of criteria: direct competitors targeting the same market segment, or devices that are similar in size, performance, or feature sets.

Expert reviews and ratings

Sony’s dedicated Remote Play handheld slaps a nice, large display into the middle of the brilliant DualSense controller. The PlayStation Portal is an excellent, well-tailored first-party option for PS5 gaming away from your main display. However, this sole purpose will represent a lack of ambition if Sony doesn’t offer cloud gaming through the Portal some day.

By TrustedReviews on March 15, 2024

The PlayStation Portal is an unnecessary PS5 accessory, but one you won’t want to be without once you buy it. With a good 8-inch 1080p screen and built-in control, it’s the best possible way to use Remote Play. Fast and precision-intensive titles are more difficult to play, but it’s perfect for when the TV is busy or you just want to stay in bed a bit longer.

By TechAdvisor on January 02, 2024

At its best, I love the PlayStation Portal. But with frequent disconnection errors and a litany of other small issues, you might want to wait for a sale before you pick it up.

By Mashable on November 16, 2023

The Portal is a tad more convenient than the Remote Play app. For example, Jaina usually has to turn on the PS5 manually to begin streaming, but the Portal will remotely activate my PS5 without turning the TV on. And the Portal has a nicer, screen than many devices you might use Remote Play on.

By Wired on November 15, 2023

Between latency issues, selective Bluetooth support, and the inability to stream content from services like Netflix, Hulu and YouTube due to DRM rules, the Portal just couldn’t deliver an enjoyable experience or one I’d feel comfortable recommending.

By Tom's Guide on November 15, 2023

By tsa on November 13, 2023

The Sony PlayStation Portal is a limited gaming handheld that's solely designed for remotely playing games from your PS5.

By PCMag on November 13, 2023

100

The PlayStation Portal excels as a Remote Play device. Offering a smooth and stable way to play your PlayStation 5 library in your hands, the design, build, features, and ergonomics shine in this handheld device. A tremendous success.

By TechRadar on November 13, 2023

The PlayStation Portal is the most surprising device I've ever come away from loving after going in loaded with skepticism. It's such a better experience than using your phone with a slap-on controller, and it works so much better than I was anticipating. I really love the freedom it gives me to play my PS5 from anywhere with decent WiFi coverage, especially when the rest of my family was using the TV to (somewhat ironically) play the Switch. Bearing in mind that it’s in no way a stand-alone device and 100% requires a PlayStation 5 to function at all, the biggest things keeping the Portal from being a truly amazing device are its current lack of a way to access WiFi that requires a web browser to log in, and its lack of Bluetooth support for audio.

By IGN on November 13, 2023

PlayStation Portal could have been a brilliant handheld for use in the home. The Wii U controller, while having its own issues, showed that lag needn’t be an issue, so Sony’s low-bar effort smarts a little. Even so, I think the Portal will have fans (given how much I’ve used it, I am one of them), but this is one of the most begrudging recommendations I’ve ever made.

By VG247 on November 21, 2023

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PlayStation Portal

Overview

Pros & Cons

Reviews

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Price: $199

TechSpot Metascore

User Score

Reviewers Liked

Reviewers Didn't Like

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Expert reviews and ratings