A year after launching its handheld gaming gadget, PlayStation is updating its PS Portal. This announcement came straight from their blog on Wednesday—PlayStation is rolling out a new system software update for its remote player, which hit the market back in November 2023.
The update, now accessible to all users, introduces a beta version of cloud streaming support for the Portal. Essentially, if you’re subscribed to PlayStation Plus Premium, you can dive into PS5 games from their library on your Portal device, without needing to own a PS5 or lug your console around. It’s worth noting, though, that PS4 and PS3 games haven’t made the cut for this feature.
In terms of gaming quality, PS Portal streams games at up to 1080p and 60 frames per second, enhancing your experience with haptic feedback through the DualSense wireless controllers flanking the LCD screen. Furthermore, the cloud beta lets you save games using PlayStation Plus Cloud storage capabilities, up to 100GB. If you have a PS5, it’ll sync beautifully.
When Mashable first took the PS Portal for a spin last year, their reporter Alex Perry had some thoughts. “One intrinsic hurdle with streaming game devices is latency. There’s just this tiny, almost invisible lag between pressing a button and witnessing the action on-screen,” Perry explained. The upside here? For many games, you hardly notice this at all.
Perry also mentioned that, “While latency isn’t a major issue on Portal, visual slips are indeed more common. Sure, if a game runs at 60 fps on a PS5, it should do so on the Portal too—but not consistently. I’ve spotted several minor drops, often linked more to my WiFi connection than any game specifics. For many games, this doesn’t pose a significant challenge, but for shooters and racing games, it’s a different story.”
The blog also featured insights from Hiromi Wakai, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s VP of product management. Wakai highlighted that the company is “just at the initial stage of publicly testing cloud streaming on PS Portal.” Some features are yet to roll out, like Game Trials, streaming purchased games from the PS Store, certain system features like Party voice chat and game invites for select titles, along with the Create button, 3D audio, and in-game commerce.
Also packed into this PS Portal update are various audio enhancements. Users can now tweak the speaker audio output to set it lower than the standard minimum volume. Plus, adjustments are now manageable via Portal settings for PlayStation Link USB devices.
Whether you’re deeply embedded in the gaming world or exploring the fringes, this update promises to enhance the PS Portal experience in fresh and exciting ways. Keep an eye on your devices and dive into the new features as they unfold.
