The PlayStation 5 and its successor, the PS5 Slim, are thankfully a lot easier to buy than they once were — but are you constantly fighting over the TV in your living room when you just want to kick back and play some Final Fantasy VII Rebirth or Helldivers 2? Sony has a solution via its PlayStation Portal remote player, which launched in November 2023.
The Portal is a handheld device, but not a portable console in its own right like the PSP or much-missed PlayStation Vita of old. What you're getting here is an 8-inch LCD tablet sandwiched between both halves of a DualSense PS5 controller. You can play any game installed on your PS5 on this display by streaming it over your home Wi-Fi, but you can't download games to run them natively on the device. Performance tops out at 1080p at 60fps, depending on the strength of your connection.
Now, tech enthusiasts will know that remote play is nothing new. Chances are the phone you have in your pocket right now can install the PS Remote Play app and perform the same function as Sony's new £200 accessory.
What Sony is betting on, though, is that the convenience of having a dedicated device with a larger display, as well as all the tech buried in the DualSense, like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, makes it worth splashing out on.
We've been using the Portal regularly since launch, and provided your Wi-Fi network is fast enough (Sony recommends a minimum speed of 15Mbps for good quality streaming, but we'd say you ideally need an even faster connection than that), it's a fun way of playing your PS5 in any room in the house, while freeing up the TV so someone else can watch Britain's Got Talent while you game.
The PlayStation Portal can be purchased directly from Sony and other retailers, and it looks like it's finally starting to see a stock resurgence, with a number of stores like Amazon, Argos, Currys and EE currently having the handheld in stock.
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We've rounded up all the best standalone prices and bundles below.
Where to buy PlayStation Portal - July 2024
The PS Portal usually costs £199.99 with some retailers selling it for £199, but is currently on sale at retailers like Amazon for £179.
The PS Portal is currently in stock at Amazon, PlayStation Direct, Argos, John Lewis, EE, Currys, GAME and Very.
Argos, John Lewis and Currys are the best options for in store for pickup if you wanted one today, so it might be worth checking your postcode on the site.
To help you cast a wider net, here are all the retailers with product listings for the PlayStation Portal at the moment:
- Amazon: PlayStation Portal - was £199, now £179
- PlayStation: PlayStation Portal - £199.99
- Argos: PlayStation Portal - £199.99
- EE: PlayStation Portal - £199.99
- Currys: PlayStation Portal - £199
- Very: PlayStation Portal - was £199, now £179
- GAME: PlayStation Portal - £199.99
- John Lewis: PlayStation Portal - £199.99
If you want even more from your PS5 console, why not check out the best PS5 deals and the best PlayStation VR 2 bundles currently available? And if you already have a PS5, take a look at the latest PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium games.
What games can I play on PlayStation Portal?
The PlayStation Portal doesn't play games using its own dedicated processor. Instead, it streams games from your PS5 over Wi-Fi. If a game is installed on your PS5 (and inserted in the disc drive if it's a physical copy), you can play it on your PlayStation Portal.
That said, there are some exceptions to this. The PS Portal doesn't support cloud streaming (all streaming is from the console over a Wi-Fi network), which confusingly means it can't stream games that are only available to play via cloud streaming — namely, any PS3 game you access through a PlayStation Plus Premium membership.
You're also unable to play PSVR2 titles on PS Portal, and it's not compatible with the PlayStation 4.
Do I need a TV to play games on PlayStation Portal?
One of the main benefits of PS Portal is that it allows you to continue playing PS5 games while someone else watches TV. As both the PS5 interface and all your games are streamed from your PS5 console to your Portal's display over Wi-Fi, you don't need to look at the TV at all. You can also leave it turned off if you'd prefer.
You don't even need to be in the same room as the TV that's connected to your PS5 as long as your device can still connect to your router. Bear in mind that the further away you move from your PS5, the more likely you are to experience latency (the time between your button inputs being registered in a game), which can be a problem in fast-paced games where you need to react quickly.
You're most likely to experience a smoother gameplay experience if you stay close to your Wi-Fi router when using the Portal.
Does the PlayStation Portal have Bluetooth?
The PS Portal doesn't support Bluetooth, so you can't pair your wireless headphones, such as AirPods, while you game. You can use wired headphones, and the Portal is the first device to have PlayStation's new wireless audio standard, PlayStation Link, built in.
Promising low latency, high-quality lossless audio, and the ability to quickly switch between devices, this new tech debuts in the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds, which launched on December 6, and the Pulse Elite headset, which was released on February 21, 2024.
Sony Pulse Elite wireless headset for PS5
For PS5 use, you'll need to plug in a USB dongle to connect to these new headsets, but PS Portal has PlayStation Link built in, so it should pair with them just like your iPhone does with your AirPods.
Do I need a PS Plus membership to use the PS Portal?
£100 PlayStation Network Top Up Card
You don't need to be a PS Plus member to use the PS Portal with your PS5, but without one, you won't be able to play online multiplayer games or download free monthly games to stream to your Portal from the console.
If you want to become a PS Plus member, you can currently save on a new membership by taking advantage of a gift card trick.
