Sony’s PlayStation Portal gives a confusing first impression
Sony’s PlayStation Portal gives a confusing first impression
The PlayStation Portal is a perplexing single-purpose device.
$200 to play a console game on a different screen only within the same network is insane. You could spend $100 more and get a full blown handheld console. This is fucking stupid, Sony.
Yeah, it's the price that bothers me the most about this. For the same amount, you can get a whole Switch Lite.
And I'm still salty about how they treated the Vita. This is what we get as the first handheld successor to the Vita? And the Vita didn't cost much more.
Yeah Sony is smoking some good shit these days thinking people will buy this
Switch lite is a much smaller screen and also 720 instead of 1080p. So yes, you could spend the same to get a switch lite, but if you don't plan on buying Nintendo games, why on earth would you? The controller is nowhere near comparable to a ps5 controller and all other aspects of gaming around the house would also be worse.
Buying a PS5 controller is like $80, so at this point you'd be spending another $120 for the nice screen and big battery.
You could likely get it to work outside of your network using a VPN, maybe.
What are you buying for $300? Steam deck is about as cheap as you can get and that's for $360. It's also heavier, smaller screen, has a lower quality screen, and will run out of battery quicker.
So if you don't do pc gaming, why on earth would you want to spend closer to double the price?
You know why you think it's a stupid product? You either live alone or you still live with mom and dad and have a ps5 in your bedroom. This product isn't for you, and you're an idiot for thinking if it's not something little ol you would want, than no one else must have a use for it, either.
Intelligence check: Critical fail. A switch is $220 used and can be played on the couch and also on someone else's couch. Nice projection about living with mom and dad, it cracks me up when people accuse strangers on the internet of things. Proud homeowner of 6 years here, dipshit. Remember the crowd you're berating on Lemmy, we tend to skew older than those on other cesspits you likely frequent
This thing is gonna flop hard.
Portal’s not so bad if you’re happy with just your PlayStation library and simply want something for your bedside stand.
I currently use a retroid pocket 3+ for almost only that purpose, and let me tell you, an 8 inch, 1080p screen + a full dualsense in my hands at night for just $200 seems like a really nice upgrade even if it means leaving my emulators on a different device.
(Too bad for Sony I’ll personally be spending a lot more to have a Steam Deck OLED though) (teehee)
I have a Steam Deck and I don't even own a PS5, so I'm probably way outside of the market for the Portal...
But I'm really finding it hard imagine this device finding a broad audience, since even in a hypothetical best case we're talking about a subset of a subset of PS5 owners. From what I understand the new PSVR sold pretty badly despite being a pretty solid piece of VR hardware, this feels like a very niche and underwhelming piece of hardware and so I really can't imagine it performing any better.
Someone will buy a PS Portal, and hopefully they like it, but when the smoke clears I don't see it being a big hit.
The Steam Deck OLED on the other hand, I suspect will sell out fast. It seems like there is a pretty big chunk of people who were interested in the first gen Steam Deck but opted for the wait and see approach, and I can imagine a lot of those people jumping on the Steam Deck OLED now that they know the device has lasting power. Personally I probably can't justify the cost of upgrading from the LCD model right now, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to...
I dont have a TV in my bedroom, but couldn't I set up a system for the same price where I can play all my console or PC games in bed on a full 30+ inch TV if I wanted to? For the same price that is?. It might be an interesting purchase if someone else wanted to be able to use the TV, but if I was buying one for me to play games on while in bed then my partner can gtfo lol. Though I suppose some people might want a more compact solution.
I still just do not understand who this is for. It seems extremely niche. I can’t see this selling all that well.
Hi. It's me. I'm the one it's for.
I have a den where my PlayStation is hooked up to the nice TV. I don't necessarily always want to be down there to play games, for any number of reasons. Sometimes my wife wants to watch TV while I want to play a game, and this allows us to be in the same room and do that.
Remote play runs on just about anything though, you could use a phone, chromecast, computer. I bought a $15 phone mount that hooks onto my PS5 controller and it's essentially this device, but with the added benefit of using a device with more than one use.
I have an actual use case for this. It is kind of niche. I don’t personally have kids but I have friends over a lot to watch sports or BBQ or whatever. I have a PS5, a respectable desktop, and a Steam Deck. I prefer the portable option of the Steam Deck or, at worst, streaming to it. I don’t know why but that’s just what I enjoy.
As the kids have gotten older, they really want to play the PS5. But if the football game is on, they cannot have the TV. So, I was using Chiaki to let them stream from the PS5. So, all my PS5 game saves are basically fucked. The younger ones will use up any and all ammo or other in-game supplies and the older ones will make progress and I’ll just be lost next login. But the worst thing is when they exit Chiaki and play my PC version of a game. I specifically tell them not to do that but they aren’t my kids so I can’t backhand them.
So, now we have a solution. A thing like the Steam Deck that is limited to only fucking up PS5 game saves so if I really want to enjoy a game, I can get the Steam version. The kids can go hog wild on the PS5. They can get sticky shit on the PlayStation Portal — and they will if there is one ounce of sugar within 5 miles. My PC is in my office and my Steam Deck is going to be locked up. I’ll actually be able to enjoy a game again. And for only $200.
It's for people that both own a PS5 and liked the Wii U.
Nothing like basing your idea on Nintendo's worst selling console for ultimate success.
It's not for the kid who has his ps5 in his room, or the single adult who has full access all the time to sit on his living room couch eating cheerios in his underwear. It's also not for the single guy making his living by reviewing video game junk that comes out in hopes of being paid for what he writes.
It's for families where mom or dad or sibling wants the TV for other things. So you can go back to the bedroom or den or garage or wherever else that isn't blasting the 20th straight episode of my little pony and get some game time in.
It's 200 bucks. Ok. I have a game laptop and a steam deck. I never use the laptop anymore. The steam deck is too quick and easy. Streaming to cell phones gets you a smaller screen, smaller battery, and need to spend $100 on a gaming controller anyhow. You also can't start up the ps5 and move things along so quickly. Also with phones streaming like this, the gyro isn't as precise/great to use compared to a ps5 controller. I assume this screen/controller Playstation device works as well as their ps5 controller does.
So yeah. It's $200 for something that you may be able to do almost as well for free.....but it's not free. It's based on if you already own hundreds of dollars worth of other things, m9st of which wouldn't work quite as well.
Sony is just so bad at this whole portable gaming thing, aren't they?
Classic case of design by committee.
Not only does the functionality seem almost completely unnecessary except for a limited use case here and there, but this thing is truly ugly. Who designed this travesty? How would you even store this bumpy hunk of plastic?
Sony used to have some of the most elegant and clean hardware aesthetics. Their designs were genuinely beautiful, simple, and practical. They used to ooze premium luxury. Now we get a screen with a sawed off controller stuck to the sides? Disappointing.
You know what? I take it back. The PS5 is shaped like a modem from 1999, it deserves this ugly step-cousin.
But it does look like more comfortable to hold than psvita. My hands hurt if I play my vita without a grip, which essentially turns the vita into a boomerang.
I have a PS5 and I just do remote play to my Android tablet with the ps controller connected via Bluetooth and for most games it's acceptable; there is a little latency so it wouldn't be good enough for fps games however. I wouldn't buy this product but if the latency is improved I could see several of my friends getting one of these.
I refused to buy a PS5 because of how ugly it is. My friends got one, but I chose an XB1X because of how much better it goes with my house.
you chose a gaming platform because of how it looks?
we are not the same
Is this a batarang?
As an owner of 2 Vita's that didn't use this feature on PS3, PS4, zero chance I'd buy this to do it on PS5.
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This thing is terrible, who the fuck is buying shit like this? What a waste of electronic materials. They could've made a true handheld with the power of the steam deck that could run PS5 games at lower resolutions, but fuck no! Let's make some bullshit abomination of a Vita successor and give anyone who loves portable gaming the middle finger, especially since you can't use Bluetooth headphones. Fuck you Sony.
Seems like it should’ve just been a thing you can connect your phone in the middle and it gives you the controls and a battery to remote play
Isn't that what PS Remote Play is for? Well I guess you can't just switch on the fly with that.... But there's no reason it couldn't be made to 🤷🏻♂️
Or tablets. I think there are gamepads and gamepad attachments like that, but probably trash tier quality in comparison. I agree though. They could've combined that with an app based streaming service, but also allow to use it for whatever else you might play on it. Would've actually been much more interesting of a product.
I still say it should have been called the "PSPiiU".
PiiU is exactly what I said when I saw this stank ass thing 🤢
This is the best summary I could come up with:
It doesn’t do any kind of cloud streaming like Nvidia’s Geforce Now or Sony’s own PlayStation Plus Premium subscription, and it can’t run anything locally (not even YouTube or Netflix).
The Portal is purpose-built to use a singular feature Sony first debuted with the PS3 and PSP back in 2006 that’s also widely available on other devices you may already own, making me wonder: why does this exist?
Compared to a Switch with standard Joy-Con controllers, the tradeoff in weight is made up for by its large grips that are comfier to use for extended play sessions.
I’ve initially played a handful of hours with various PS5 games (Resident Evil 4, Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon, and Astro’s Playroom, to name a few) in my limited time with the PlayStation Portal so far.
At various points in the last two years, I’ve tinkered with using Remote Play to stream games from my PlayStation 5 to my PS4, my PC, various Android devices, an iPhone, an iPad Pro, and even a Steam Deck using open-source software Chiaki.
My first impression is that this device is primarily for PlayStation diehards who want a simple, dedicated tool for streaming games around their homes.
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What's the point in this thing if it's not an actual handheld console? What does it do that a playstation controller + smartphone/tablet can't do?
Yeah I didn't understand why I'd do this instead of just using my PC with a controller. Wifi streaming sucks, I'm not paying $200 for it
Way better control experience, almost 2x the screen space, separate battery, and like a 5th the cost of a flagship smartphone.
Not for everyone, but still neat. This product makes me wonder if theh have other things in the works. I wouldn't be surprised if there is something 3 years from now that releases where we say "this is like if the Portal was good".
Not drain my cell battery or get interrupted from a call or text, have a much bigger screen than a phone, save you from trying to balance a tablet around on a bed or chair or recliner.....
Those are incredibly small problems that are easily solved without having to spend $200
How my console boys feelin? Where your games at?
I suspect I'm pretty much the only market for this thing. I can play while in bed, which is where most of switch gaming currently happens. The price is probably reasonable for what it cost them, but they need to explain why anyone besides me would want one.
Ok, I'll bite. What exactly makes you the only person in the world who can play a handheld in bed?
Can I plug the new vr into it so I can get rid of the gosh-darn wire?
Doubt it. The bandwidth needed for VR is pretty high and when people do wireless PCVR setups, the rule of thumb is setting up a nearby fast WiFi 5 router just for the VR connection.