Sony
In November , Ireviewed the PlayStation Portal . I was motley on Sony ’s streaming handheld at the time , frustrated with a corner - cutting execution of a in effect approximation . It seemed like a poor value compared to simply slap a cheaper Backbone restrainer on a phone . As is often the case with technical school review , though , I only had a short window to test it out where I was more focussed on the more documentary side of what the Portal does and does n’t do . Would my feel commute when I was using it of course ?
I ’ve gotten the answer to that doubt over the past few months . While I barely touch on my Portal after review it in 2023 , it ’s quickly become a go - to machine in my home as of January . I ’m now separate it out at least once a hebdomad , finding some practical use case for it . Though my overall assessment of it has n’t changed , I have a more tangible intellect of where it can be a utilitarian — if superfluous — PS5 comrade . It ’s a needless luxury , but one that I ’m discover that I ’m happy to indulge in .
Sony
Second screen
The PlayStation Portal ’s launching just so find to come right before a major life change that would tilt my position . After living alone for three years , my girlfriend moved into my apartment last December . It ’s been a natural change that ’s work great so far . That shift does come with some lifestyle change , though . We ’re both crammed into a one - bedroom flat , which means we ’re sharing a pissed space . We remotely do our job feet asunder in the same room , and most evenings are spent lounging on the couch .
That means that we also apportion one TV . ab initio , I was self - witting about how that would process out . The nature of my job means that I ’m constantly play something for workplace . I knew I could n’t monopolise the one screen in our home , though adding a 2nd one was n’t an selection . That ’s when I remember the PlayStation Portal collecting dust on my bookshelf .
lead off withTekken 8 ’s dismission , I moved some of my PS5 gaming clip over to my Portal . I would n’t be able-bodied to use it to survey full game ( lowered resolution and reaction time issues would get in the way of the work ) , but I could use it to see up with game that I wanted to ride out up to escort on or when I continued playing a game past its review period . I ’d utilise it a few hour a week to clean up side - quests inFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth , search the world ofDragon ’s Dogma 2 , or even sneak in aHelldivers 2mission .
It would quickly become a welcome option in my weekly gambling bit — one that would highlight some of the Portal ’s good features . Its 8 - inch concealment is large enough that I have n’t had to squint while playing game with smaller UI elements . That ’s a coarse problem I strike when using a phone to do the same business . In the same nervure , it ’s ready to hand to use a DualSense still to control everything , keeping my experience logical when I tack from PS5 to Portal on the fly sheet . It still feels like I ’m operating within the same ecosystem , which is the solicitation of the Portal in the first place .
While I ’ve let means more use out of the handheld than I expected , other issues I criticized in my initial review still bug me . The latency that comes with swarm streaming has become more noticeable the longer I play . Games that demand debauched timing , likeTekken 8 , are hard to toy too seriously . Titles likeFinal Fantasy VII Rebirthfeel notably more sluggish due to brusk delays between push presses and on - screen actions . It makes me appreciate how finely tuned and precise modern game tend to be .
My specific amusement center setup also presents a challenge . I have all of my consoles hook up to an HDMI replacement . When I move to my Portal , my lady friend unremarkably utilise the Xbox Series X to access streaming apps . But since the Portal access my PS5 throughRemote act as , turning the Portal on automatically switches my TV over to the PS5 . That ’s more a trouble with how I have everything set up in a one TV household , but it does make the cyclosis option feel a little hacked together .
My view of thePlayStation Portalhasn’t changed overall through all of this . It ’s a luxuriousness equipment that cuts out too many extras and feature in gild to achieve a low price . It ’s a middle - of - the - road cyclosis corner with limited appeal over something like theRazer Edge(which can access PS5 Remote Play ) . What ’s unlike now , though , is that I good understand who to recommend it to . For households fighting over one screen , it ’s a handy answer that does n’t sense like a major compromise . I ’m always happy to forfeit the TV and skip over to my Portal .
That ’s the mystery to a happy home .
