Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here today to announce that my previous article about a leak involving Sony’s upcoming handheld device was not in fact a complete waste of time. In fact, it turns out the information in that article based on the leaks was entirely accurate. Unfortunately I’m actually a bit disappointed to find out it’s true because that means Sony officially decided to release their new remote play device: the PlayStation Portal… for $200.
Sony hasn’t been a viable competitor in the handheld market since the PS Vita, and when the leaks originally came out that they had something in the works, fans were excited at the prospect of a step back into the market. I mean if they were going to do it, now would be a good time before the Switch 2 debuts. However, the leaks noted that signs were pointing to an entirely remote play device. In other words you just use your PS5 to stream gameplay to it over your Wi-Fi, or if you can find some connection strong enough outside of the home… and that’s it. The device wouldn’t be capable of playing games on its own. Fans and I too hoped that was perhaps a miscommunication but now we have the official information that it’s what the purpose of the device is. For $200? I have to say I’m not impressed. Proponents of the device are pointing out that it’s going to have some nice quality of life features like turning on your PS5 and the haptics of the standard PS5 controller. That shit is nice, but you can use some far cheaper options already to use remote play which is the main appeal. And like, what advantage does remote play offer on a standard home’s Wi-Fi? Hell yeah now I can play God of War in the kitchen instead of the living room baby! Or I can even take Call of Duty to the bathroom when my ass feels the call of duty! The only market I see for this device is for upper-middle class families who have multiple kids, few TVs, and too much disposable income. Otherwise I’m left wondering who this is priced for.
At least the main console is good so far.
Perhaps I’m simply ignorant to some key benefits this device will offer, but to my eyes it’s a missed opportunity for Sony to try and re-enter the handheld market. Obviously we know now that was never in their plans, so fuck my business proposals I suppose. Did you see the announcement of the PlayStation Portal? Do you think it’s a useful device or a niche product? Is the price fair or too high? Grab your Portal, turn on your PS5, and play games right from the dusty basement in the comments below… as long as your Wi-Fi stays on and you’re in reach of the signal that is.
