Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “PlayStation Portal Gaming Handheld: Hands-On”.
Announced just a few months ago, PlayStation’s project Q now titled the PlayStation portal. Remote player is coming out later this year and we just got our hands on it. Playstation is making its return to the handheld gaming space with the PlayStation portal yup. You heard that right. The acronym for Sony’s next gaming handheld will once again be the PSP. We were given an early, not final. Look at the portal, but PlayStation also had three other updates to share with us, including their upcoming earbuds, now called the pulse Explorer an updated headset called Pulse Elite and a new wireless connectivity feature that all three of these devices will utilize called PlayStation link the PlayStation Portal is Sony’s attempt at putting most of a PS5 in your hands when you’re, not on the couch.
It has an 8-inch LCD display that runs at 60. Hertz PlayStation says this: is the sweet spot for long gaming sessions, keeps text legible and won’t leave the player feeling like they’re, downgrading the visuals look, sharp and crisp, and overall I was quite happy with the display. One thing I would have liked is an OLED panel. Instead of LCD, especially after being spoiled and using the Nintendo switch OLED for the last year, the portal is light to the touch and, for my brief time, and not actually weighing it, I’d put it somewhere between a Nintendo switch and a steam deck, no definitive battery Life was given, but they’re targeting something similar to The Dual sense controllers, which is typically around seven to nine hours.
Speaking of dual sense, the controls on either side of the handheld replicate the PS5 controller completely. This means the haptics triggers microphone, Etc. That you’re used to on your PS5 are all present here. Even the touchpad, which is no longer visible, is now used through the touch screen. Players can move their thumb over to access it from either side with either hand. The headphone, jack and USBC charging port are also located on the back of the device playing games like Astros, playroom and returnal felt exactly the same as I remembered.
The one noticeable difference is that the analog stick pads are a little smaller than on the Dual sense. The rep told me they’re: actually, the same sticks found on the psvr2’s controllers. Its remote player title is what puts this device in a different category compared to the Nintendo switch or valve steam deck? The portal has no internal memory and no functionality when it isn’t connected to a Playstation 5.. In other words, there is no offline play.
It is purely a streaming handheld, similar to using remote play a function that the PS5 already has on your phone tablet or computer. What PlayStation is announcing to give it a leg up is PlayStation link. This is a new wireless connectivity function that is utilized by all three of the devices shown to me. It was described as remote play turned up to 11 and, while you can already pair a dual sense to a PC or your phone and play your PS5 that way link allows PlayStation to optimize the connection since they control the hardware on both ends. It isn’t a separate user experience requiring you to use an app and waiting for the connection. The portal turns on and is immediately connected and ready to go. I noticed no lag whatsoever when playing returnal a game requiring faster inputs and reflexes. Along with other titles. I demoed such as Astros, playroom and God of War. Ragnarok take this with a grain of salt.
However, since I was in a very manicure demo room and sitting only a few feet away from the PS5, the rep did mention. The portal can connect to Wi-Fi so playing in a different room. Further away from your PS5 is definitely an option, in fact, just like remote play now you can connect your PS5 to the portal and stream games from networks outside your home, but your Wi-Fi and connection strength will become a limiting factor, stay tuned for our full review.
When we put the portal to the test and see how well it can really stream the PlayStation portal, remote player will be priced at 199 and pre-orders are set to start soon with a launch date somewhere later in 2023. Launching alongside the portal is the New Pulse Explorer earbuds launching shortly after is the Pulse Elite headset. Both these devices will feature planner magnetic drivers. This allows for a high level of audio Fidelity with a very wide, accurate and fast frequency response. Both the explore and Elite felt good. The earbuds were light and comfortable and come with a case to charge and store them.
The headsets can connect to the portal used using PlayStation, link or Bluetooth. In addition to the headsets, your purchase will also get you a USB dongle that plugs into the PS5. This lets the console connect to multiple headsets or even your PC, if the dongle is plugged in PlayStation, will also be selling the dongle separately.
So players can move from their PS5 to a PC with just the push of a button. Both audio devices also support multiple inputs. At the same time, the example given was, if you’re playing a game and want to be in a Discord, chat as well. You’Ll be able to hear and talk to both at once using the built-in microphones, the pulse Elites. Microphone is hidden and can be extended out from the left hand, side. In addition, both microphones are using AI enhanced noise reduction.
The pulse Explorer earbuds are also launching later this year, alongside the portal for the same 199 price point, while the Pulse Elite will come shortly after for 149.. As someone who routinely uses remote play to play my PS5 in bed, I came out of this demo feeling pretty good with how the portal looked felt and ran. I was pleasantly surprised at the price point, but it remains to be seen if this experience is 200. Better than the options I already have, how do you feel this device would fit into your gaming setup? Let us know, and thanks for watching .