The PlayStation Portal, Sony’s dedicated streaming device, might be the company’s most conflicting accessory yet. Unlike the Steam Deck which can be a rather cumbersome device to hold for long periods, the Portal feels very comfortable as well as ergonomic to use. It is essentially a PS5 controller cut in half, and attached to a 7″ tablet. Though its design certainly favours function over aesthetics, it’s actually a configuration that I have grown to like. It feels nice to hold, bolstered with a premium feel and adaptive triggers that are as satisfying here as they are on a standard PS5 controller. Though the Portal is more of an extension of the PS5 rather than a fully fledged piece of hardware. Unfortunately it is also Sony’s most perfunctory venture, only outdone by the turgid Spiderman adjacent movies they persist in making. The Portal really exemplifies the burgeoning arrogance of a company that is an uncontested leader in the gaming firmament. With Xbox sales stuttering, and despite Sony’s persistence in exploiting their dominance by provoking restrictions in regards to games like their now retracted proposals for Helldiver’s 2 for PC, they are still able to further perpetuate their regression as a company that claims to be “For the players”.
The main issue with the Portal is that it is a streaming device. Because of this restraint, the Portal isn’t a handheld, but an accessory. A handheld can be played anywhere, irrespective of the quality of their internet connection. But when a device like the Portal, that’s functionality is dependent on being tethered to a router, without that connection, it’s useless. Even with mediocre connection, the Portal is still unusable. Stuttering. Lagging. Constant disconnections. And a stream that often drops into such pixelated images that you’d be forgiven for thinking that you had inadvertently strayed into some explicit content. The problem I have is that my PS5 is connected to the internet via WiFi, not the preferred method of ethernet connectivity. The issue being that due to the positioning of my landline, my router has to be placed in the kitchen. With my Playstation designated to the living room, a good 10 Ft distance away, that prevents stable WiFi let alone direct contact. As such enabling any kind of stability to my online gaming is problematic at best. And I suspect that I’m not the only one that possesses similar connectivity issues. Whether it’s similar router placement to my own or just insufficient Internet speed, you do question who is this for?
This is a £200 device that really only functions under very limited circumstances, for what is a very restricted device. If you could download games to the Portal we could be talking about a much welcomed successor to the much maligned PS Vita. Instead we have a industry leader pushing the agenda for perpetual gaming leasing. A proposed “advancement” for the industry that I am firmly against.
What do you think of the PlayStation Portal? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Cheers.