The PlayStation Portal is an absolute rip off, so why I do still want it?

ruling : I was in shock when Sony revealed the price for the PlayStation Portal originally today .

Priced at £ 199.99/$199.99 , thePlayStation Portalcosts the same as aNintendo Switch Lite . That would make a lot of sense if the Portal was able-bodied to run game natively , even if it was just indie or older PS4 titles .

However , the PlayStation Portal is incapable of running any game natively . Instead , it can only stream games install on your PS5 console over a Wi - Fi connection . This means the PlayStation Portal offers the same capability of any smartphone , tablet or laptop which has the PS Remote Play app installed .

As a result , the PlayStation Portal twist has no motive for powerful specs or an elaborated cool system . So here begs the question , why is the Portal so darn expensive ?

Sony has even skimped out on high - end characteristic such as an OLED screen door , eSports - grade refresh charge per unit and living for5G. What ’s more , Bluetooth is wanting , so you ’ll need to pay a astonishing £ 129.99/$149.99 for the Pulse Elite or £ 199.99/$199.99 for the Pulse Explore to benefit from wireless audio frequency , courtesy of the new PlayStation Link proprietary wireless audio engineering .

The Portal has a barbones spec sheet that give way to justify the high price , especially when you consider theXbox Series Scan be buy for a similar price during a sale .

Sony will likely show towards theDualSensecontrollers that sandwich the Portal ’s display . By stuff in advanced engineering such as haptic feedback and adaptative triggers , those gamepads have in all probability pushed up the cost of the Portal . A DualSense controller costs $ 69/£59.99 alone after all .

That ca n’t be used as a valid excuse though . I ’d in person rather chuck the haptic technology altogether if it pushed down the price of the Portal and extended the assault and battery life . Or alternatively , I ’d rather see Sony prioritise the cellular inclusion of an OLED screen instead .

These short decisions , along with an excessively gamy price , make the PlayStation Portal an odd proposition . Since it need a Wi - Fi connection and a wireless link to your PS5 , it ’s only really viable to expend at home when the living room TV is occupied . It sure enough ca n’t be used as an on - the - go gambling handheld like the Nintendo Switch .

But despite that farseeing listing of important flaw , I ca n’t help but be tempted by the PlayStation Portal . It may be very limited in damage of functionality , but it promises to occupy a very specific need that would truly be useful .

As my PS5 is hooked up to my life room TV , it ’s not potential to play it whenever I visualize . Sometimes my fiance will want to catch up on the latest Netflix series , while other clock time I ’ll but be too lazy to get out of seam . In such situations , I ordinarily embark on playing my Nintendo Switch orSteam Deckinstead . But whenever I ’m really engrossed in a new PlayStation single , be itGod of War RagnarokorHorizon Forbidden West , I ca n’t help but bid the PS5 offer a portability modal value like the Nintendo Switch does .

The PlayStation Portal makes this possible , enable me to continue playing my favourite PS5 games , even when I do n’t have access to the living room telecasting . It also opens up the opportunity for multitasking , as I ’d be able to dally a PS5 game in handheld mode , while also view football on TV . These are n’t conjectural situations either , as this is exactly how I apply my Nintendo Switch – in fact , I use the Switch far more often in portable mode than I do in docked fashion .

judge by the boom in popularity of handheld gaming systems in recent eld – with far-famed instance such as theSwitch OLED , Steam Deck andROG Ally – I get the impression that there are many people that share my mindset . I only share a living way with one other person , so I ’m certain those survive with a big family unit would eff the option of play PS5 game on portable devices whenever the principal television is concern .

Will the PlayStation Portal be able to justify its steep terms ? guess solely by the spec , I ’d have to say no . But on the flip side , if the PlayStation Portal is able to scratch an itch that no other equipment can , then maybe it wo n’t be such a speculative purchase after all .   I ’m sure I wo n’t repent it once I start play Marvel ’s Spider - Man 2 from the comfort of my layer .