2023-12-06 18:00:10
Announced a few months ago, PlayStation Portal is not just any new generation PSP. It’s not even a portable console, it’s a ” remote playback device“, which works in conjunction with a PS5 and a solid Wi-Fi connection. The basic premise is simple: allow players to continue playing their PS5 games (from their PS5) without monopolizing the living room TV. Obviously, for a certain segment of players, this is of no interest, but for others, notably parents and/or those who cannot monopolize the TV in the living room for one reason or another, it is the opportunity to find a certain degree of flexibility in the practice of gaming.
The PlayStation Portal, for parents (and others) who want to play in bed!
For many (young) parents who are passionate about video games, having a child generally disrupts their video game practice. In the first months, no big change, but quickly, you have to build new gaming habits. So, in the evening, as soon as the house is asleep, we rush to the living room sofa, turn on the Smart TV and play. plays, often with headphones on, so as not to wake anyone (and you can now deactivate the PS5’s BEEP to be even more discreet).
With PlayStation Portal, the problem is somewhat different, since if you can start your game on the Smart TV in the living room, you can also continue it straight away… in bed (or elsewhere).
© Sony Interactive Entertainment
For our part, evening fatigue quickly makes itself felt, it is complicated to last more than an hour in front of the TV without risking sudden sleep. Also, for certain games (we’ll come back to this below), the PlayStation Portal is an excellent alternative, and as long as you connect a headset (wired or the new PlayStation Link headsets), you benefit from excellent immersion as a bonus. .
PlayStation Portal, (almost) also perfect for playing everywhere
Sony’s communication was not very clear regarding this PlayStation Portal. If we understood that the device was intended to read, remotely, the games installed on the associated PS5, many thought that the latter must be located near the console. Actually no.
© THM Magazine
Indeed, if remote play is possible within the home in which the PlayStation 5 is located (still happy), nothing prevents remote play, obviously provided that the PlayStation Portal is connected to a worthy Wi-Fi source of this name. Therefore, as long as you have left the PS5 on standby (or on) at home, you can connect to it miles away, and continue your game.
In fact, it works quite well, provided of course that you benefit from solid high-speed Wi-Fi (or a 5G mobile connection) on both sides. In this way, you can, for example, enjoy your PS5 on the weekend at the in-laws, on vacation or even at the office. Nice !
PlayStation Portal: so as not to expose the youngest to violent content (and bypass the living room TV)
It was yesterday, you were playing the NES, the Mega Drive and the Game Boy/Game Gear in the car, but today you are a parent. Also, as a responsible parent, but nevertheless a gamer, you like to indulge in your video game passion, without exposing your toddler’s eyes to the violence of a God of War, a Resident Evil, a Dead Space , from a The Last of Us…
© Sony Interactive Entertainment
However, when the child is at home, even if you have an hour (or two) to kill with the possibility of playing a little, it is impossible to play on the TV in the living room. This is where PlayStation Portal comes into play.
Indeed, with the Sony peripheral, it is possible to isolate yourself in a room in the house, to peacefully enjoy your game. For example, for our part, if the child was able to quietly watch his favorite cartoon at television, we were able to continue our game, installed a few meters nearby, on the kitchen table. It doesn’t seem like anything like it, but it’s really very practical (and it saves you from watching the cartoon in question too!).
As long as you are close to the box (or another Wi-Fi signal), you will benefit from an optimal experience. Useful to advance your game a little, before resuming it on the Smart TV as soon as the child returns to nursery/school. Of course, it goes without saying that PlayStation Portal is compatible with all PS5s, whether you have the large model from November 2020, or the very recent PS5 Slim.
PlayStation Portal: the ideal companion to finish your video game “backlog”
During our experience, if the PlayStation Portal allowed us to launch games such as Gran Turismo 7, WRC or even The Last of Us Part 1, the experience was certainly pleasant, but in our eyes, the ” loss » quality compared to the 4K OLED Smart TV in the living room is too important. It is a shame, in our opinion, not to take full advantage of the visual qualities of certain big games, through the PlayStation Portal.
© Sony Interactive Entertainment
Same on the gameplay side, with more compact analog sticks here, very pleasant for certain games certainly, but whose stroke is far too short to benefit from a minimum of precision in a racing game. Forget multiplayer games too, PlayStation Portal is not made for that (even if it is obviously compatible).
BUT ! Where the PlayStation Portal is an absolute success is for “small” games, those which do not require crazy precision and/or a leading 4K HDR display. This is the case for example of the very good Star Ocean The Second Story R, very enjoyable on PlayStation Portal, but also of the recent Metal Gear Solid Master Collection compilation.
In this way, all these “ little games » that we have accumulated in our backlog over the months can be played peacefully on the Sony device, whether we are in bed, in the toilet, on the kitchen table or even outside. In fact, in the case of certain games (like Star Ocean or Octopath Traveler 2 to name a few), the gaming experience is even more pleasant on the PlayStation Portal than on the big 55″ TV in the living room, with this feeling of playing on a new generation portable console. And that’s great!
Defects yes, but a pleasant experience nonetheless (provided you are the “target” of the product)
To conclude, as a parent, the PlayStation Portal experience is very pleasant, provided of course that you put up with certain weaknesses. Indeed, regardless of the Wi-Fi network, the experience always suffers at some point from a small technical hiccup due to a wireless network that is never 100% stable and reliable. Added to this are some technical limitations, such as the inability to launch a multimedia application, play in cloud gaming or even connect a Bluetooth headset. On the other hand, the autonomy is excellent, as is the handling, with a very (very) pleasant complete DualSense experience. For its part, the screen (LCD) is very successful, and the weight of the whole is perfectly balanced.
© Sony Interactive Entertainment
In short, PlayStation Portal outperforms any other form of remote play on PS5. It’s up to you to see now if you think it’s worth investing €220, knowing that you will actually be able to do ” the same thing » with a smartphone, a tablet or even a computer and a compatible controller… but less well.
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