Casting off its shackles, Sony’s PlayStation Portal no longer requires a PS5 to play games.
A new update has turned the gaming gadget into a proper handheld by bestowing it with the power to stream games from the PlayStation Plus catalogue. For the unfamiliar, that’s Sony’s all-you-can-play gaming service that is frequently topped up with new titles.
With a decent enough internet connection, you’ll be able to play more than 120 games with a PS Plus Premium subscription (starting from £13.49 per month).
The initial line-up of games includes a blockbuster PS5 exclusives like Ghost of Tsushima, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, along with indie gem Dave the Diver and open-world RPG Monster Hunter: Rise.
Sony says you’ll be able to stream compatible games in Full HD at a slick 60fps with a 13Mbps internet connection (7Mbps for 720p). Considering the average UK broadband speed is around 64Mbps, your gaming sessions should be fine – and, if you have full-fibre, you’ll be flying.
How to set up PS Portal cloud streaming
The new feature is launching in beta as part of an update that also includes some audio adjustments. It’s currently missing a few pieces, such as Game Trials, streaming games purchased from the PS Store, and Party Voice chat, among other minor settings – but nothing that will get in the way of a gaming binge.
To start streaming games, you will have to switch the new perk on by following these steps:
Is the PS Portal worth it?
Seeing as the PS Portal can’t play physical games, it’s still not in the same league as a Nintendo Switch, but it was never intended to be anyway.
At launch, the PS Portal was merely a conduit for the PS5’s oft-overlooked Remote Play feature. As long as you owned a PS5 console, you could essentially beam your installed games to the device, allowing you to play in different rooms or anywhere with decent WiFi.
Although Remote Play users had been doing just that for years on their phones and laptops, the PS Portal came with a few extras to entice the PlayStation massive.
The DualSense-style controllers attached to its eight-inch LCD touchscreen featured the same adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. And, crucially, the streaming experience was much smoother compared to other devices.
PS Portal alternatives
However, the lack of support for PS Plus’s cloud-gaming perk was viewed as a major drawback. After all, you could already stream Xbox games on a variety of handhelds (from the Steam Deck to the Logitech G Cloud) via Game Pass.
Fixing that flaw in time for Christmas, even if it is still in beta mode, should make it a more attractive present. Priced at £199.99, It’s easy to see the PS Portal being an ideal gift for younger gamers or those who aren’t quite ready to splash out on a PS5 (which costs almost twice as much).
Still, it’s facing stiff competition from the Switch, which also comes in a cheaper handheld-only version (the Switch Lite) for £199.99. Or, you could ditch console gaming altogether and opt for the new Meta Quest 3S VR headset (£275).
