PlayStation Portal - Does it Work Away from Home? 

A Vita cost $50 more brand new, had its own library of games, played PSP and PS1 games natively, and could stream both the PS4 and PS3. The Portal by comparison is horrid value compared to what Sony gave us before.

I think people need to be humbled and realize they don’t always have the best network

As this point, PlayStation need to make another PSP

They should have added a cellular 5G chip inside the Portal itself.... eliminating the need for your phone. Sony could do collabs with wireless carriers and offer a special tier of cellular data part of Playstation +

hi theo! been watching you from long ago. i really get amused by your humor and gameplay and just enjoy it. youre my fav streamer and the only one that i watch. thanks for everything and please show us more videos of the teardown game❤

Cool points for the styling of the device. I like the way it lights up on the sides.

Been asking this question for the past 3 days! Great Content Brother!

I got one on day 1 also and I love it. For me, playing (Playstation or Xbox) on a cell phone with a Backbone is not comparable. This stand alone Sony Playstation Portal in my experience is well worth the $199 and I'm enjoying it very much.

You can reduce latency by prioritizing remote play UDP port 8572 in your home router. Additionally, 5G is known to have high upload latency regardless of the telco provider you are using.

I finally bought a PS5 and it's coming in around 1-2 weeks, and everytime I watch PS5 content it makes me even more excited for it. Thank you Theo 👍

I liked this when you shouted out the return laws, like a true brit

At bare bare bare minium it needs to have web browser capabilities. Usually when you use public wifi they have you connect to it via web browser. Hopefully they can implement one with a software update

Thank you for this practical and honest review. It won’t suit me and I appreciate this being clarified.

If your Portal isn't connecting by mobile hotspot, then there is something on your phone preventing the connection. Either a VPN being on or some other setting.

If they just made an actual portable device that could natively run ps4 games AND remote play ps5 for 400/500 dollars then I can see it being better. But this device just feels so much like a niche to an issue that didn't exist

It doesn't need to be on the same network. It can take some time if you're on 5G and away from the PS5's network. It won't happen immediately, but it does work and others have proven this.

Hi Theo, just wanted you to know how much you’ve helped me a lot. For some reason you really remind me of my older brother, he works as a lorry driver driving up and down every single day, my name is Fox, just so you remember, love your vids maybe at some point you could have have the fans could play tag in gta online. I also been on the news twice :)

Personally I don't get people who just say "use your phone", I'm sorry but the last thing I want to burn the battery on is my phone. Not only do I want my phone to last the whole day but the more charge cycles I do on it the lower the lifetime of that battery becomes. The phone in my estimation is a terrible device to use for gaming, I need it to keep in touch with my family and my work, it's not for gaming.

Airplane mode is actually really important. I got on a flight and didn’t turn it off. I ended up pairing with the airplane mid flight and luckily was able to make a safe landing due to my experience on Ace.😊

Very cool video black panthaa

Charge half the price, considering you're getting a decent screen and the haptics of the PS5s controller but considering the limitations think of it more of a hands on switch with better handles/joysticks. It needs to be docked/connected to your PS5 to play, make it make sense. At least until the price comes down just a tad or it goes on sale and you're able to do more on it I think I'll pass as of right now. Will be enjoyable to just have my headset connected to it though, have my PS5 on TV off and still just have a blast being immersed in the haptics. Oh the imagination of what it could be.

As a ps vita owner, who owns over 150 physical games for it I think the portal makes the vita look like a legacy nintendo product, sure it had lots of apps and games back then but the screen is 480 p and even if its oled it looks worse than anything released today. I love the portal Im getting one.

Thanks for the information have a great day theo

Man it’s been a while since I’ve seen one of your videos. Used to watch your NFS videos years back, n now you got a Porsche. Happy for your come up bro

in the era of powerful handheld gaming devices like the Steam Deck, GPD Win or even the others like the Switch / high-end phones + emulators, i really dont understand why Sony decided to neuter this handheld by making it essentially a streaming device. Sony please make another PSP!!

HUGE ADVICE! Currently the Portal isn't even able to downscale the resolution from your PS5. So if you left it at 4K/120Hz, then you're Portal will struggle. Any phone, tablet or PC would adjust it and so it saves the need to stream 4K to a screen that doesn't even support 4K. Make sure your PS5 is forced to 1080p, 60Hz.

Great review man!

Nice demo 👍 I Just got my PS5 couple weeks ago.

Don’t forget that when you’re asking for the vita again, make sure that they make it work with an SD card or have enough on board memory!

The potential is there. I’d ask for remote play no matter what network as long as both are connected to the internet I don’t see the problem, also a better screen, OLEDs are the way to go, HDR, & I’d sacrifice graphics for the 120hz frame rate if I had to. Still my favorite YTer pushing 10yrs or so now! You helped me discover the creativity & passion I have for creating and editing videos, you also helped me find the courage to upload and share those videos with the world. A picture’s worth a thousand words, all of these videos are priceless. You’re a wonderful person. I hope you never stop wondering, it keeps you with something to discover. That’s something my mother taught me. Initiative & ambition. & to always stay positive and share that positivity with the world. I speak for the racing game community when I say thank you for your dedication, your support of us, and your continued enthusiasm for what you do.

Thank you for giving us an hinest review. Ill be subscribing thanks

Bought my portal not too long ago, and as a security guard, this is a life saver. I work on a one man site in an office building, and the internet is really good . Living 30 mins away, im not too far either. 12-hour shifts are at ease now, lol.

Android has the ability to do more dumb things thats why i love it

Actually, as a parsec user, I can't access my gaming PC on data, although I can with some cafe WiFi. The only way to use data is with a VPN to your home. WiFi (or fibre internet) works flawlessly from anywhere for some technical reasons to do with IP, ISP and stuff.

I'm sorry to see you bought that

thank you for this video..i think i will waite as well🙂👍

It’s not even PlayStations fault remote play and cloud gaming just isn’t a reliable way to play games more times than not you’re going to struggle with connection the world isn’t ready yet

So just for a comparison, I use my iPad, with a DualShock/dualsense controller paired running off my iPhones hotspot whenever I’m out of the house and I had no issues when I was on a roadtrip across the country, which is why this thing seems so pointless to me.

I’ve tried remote play on the phone/iPad before through my iPhone’s hotspot and at hotel Wi-Fi and it’s never been good. Like you though, I’ve been successful at work using the Wi-Fi there. Also, I’ve purchased an Ethernet to usb-c adapter for my iPad and made the remote play basically flawless. Good enough to play some serious games of Apex Legends. Wi-Fi has always been iffy for remote play in general, so I’m not surprised, but I have found that the portal seems to be generally better than simply using Wi-Fi on a phone with remote play. Also, this is a controller that costs the same as an Edge controller, it’s just another form factor. It’s a controller that you may decide is worth buying for you particular situation. For me, it’s great playing something like Elden Ring on the couch while my 4 year old kid is playing Tears of the Kingdom on the big tv. So far, I’m loving it, but for sure it’s not for everyone. I hope they make it better somehow though.

THE WAY HE JUST KEPT DROPPING IT ON THE TABLE

The fact that I went to another city about an hour away and was able to play is a win for me.

I actually was frustrated that ps hasn’t had a handheld in a long while.. I’m super glad it’s not a handheld that can only play games made for it.. the idea is awesome as personally playing new games on my tv gives me a huge headache. It’s so bad that I haven’t enjoyed ps5 games at all but I enjoy switch oled games a lot. I don’t know what it is really.. is it better games on one platform.. not sure. Yes you can play steam games off your iPad with a controller but I play on my laptop with not the best video card. So, I’m excited that my ps5 at least provides the ability to play these games but thought a handheld would be a great idea. However, the fact that you have to have your ps5 running in order to play? As well as a super fast connection wherever you are is a bit lackluster. No airplane mode play for airplanes.. that the magic they are missing. These are just my opinions

Yea from what I understand the portal will connect to your ps5 as long as they're on the same NAT type. For instance if you mobile Hotspot your portal and have a separate mobile Hotspot for your ps5, it will connect. However it won't work well, definitely better to be wifi on wifi

Can't wait for it to be available in uk again. Gonna get a portable mifi box for for when im traveling with it

Interesting there's Airplane mode for a streaming device... Could there be true standalone Portal alongside PS5 Pro's launch?

With the mobile connection, it can depend on your service provider. Their 'out of the' box set up just doesn't allow streaming from console NAT types. EE needed some custom network settings to get running remote play. This worked fine over 4G for me and also over 5G. That's both using my phone as a hotspot for Vita and Tablet, as well as directly on the phone using PSPlay.

7:08 That's what I do! Although it doesn't really work on Gran Turismo 6 (Yes I have outdated tech, I have a PS3 as my only Playstation, Xbox One S instad of Series, and a mistreated Nintendo Switch).

Can you please test if 2 player local co-op can work while the PlayStation portal is at another place like a friends house? Diablo 4 or other couch co-op games

Cool but u gotta have a ps5 in order to use it. Basically remote play on mobile

The latency for me is a dealbreaker. Sorry Theo but that's just me. That and also the fact that you can't sign in to Public Wi-Fi networks that require you to accept their ToS which for me COMPLETELY defeats the purpose of taking the Portal anywhere.

I just wanna be able to use the portal like a dedicated wii u controller for the ps5 to boost immersion in every game. Can ya imagine the stuff developers could add to their games that take full advantage of that screen and controller?

Nice fro Man, I luv it

Once you can cloud stream everyone will be blown away its the most comfortable and best screen size on a handheld currently on market

This device is made for mainly the people with children and those who don't have the time or space at home to play peacefully but still want to game..... it's a niche device (for a growing niche market) and as we all get older and have kids and start dealing with real life may not have the time we'd like to game. This gives you the opportunity to play in your downtime while the kids are sleep......while you're shitting, etc. My boys all have young kids and have been using remote play on BackBone devices when we run on 2k on nights they can play after getting the kids to sleep and I'm up. What they do to combat lag issues is to turn of the 120hz and turn down the resolution of the PS5 to get a better visual and less lag on their cell phones which they use. Yes it's a niche market but Sony has realized that we all get older and have kids........I can attest to having my nephew over often who is of a young gamers age 8-14. I can't sit and play my game in peace because all you'll hear is "Can I play???" then allowing the kid to play you'll for most intents and purposes not get your game back to play it or get stuck playing shit the the kid wants to play.

It's nice to hear Theo not screaming

The only things that are different with the PlayStation Portal compared to a Steam Deck or something like a Backbone is that it has adaptive triggers and vibration when streaming your PS5 games on remote play, so it’s still worth it I think.

Thats litteraly playstation app with controller

My only issue is the latency. The UK is behind on the Internet speeds I'm sure, cause I'm on reddit and gamers across the pond are having a blast. I can only play 3rd person games on mine. I've tried GT7 and it's OK, but I'm not sure if it's my network (I've heard I should invest in a router and not use the one that my isp ships) but right now I'm getting frame rate drops to what seems like 15-20fps when playing online so I avoid it.

Has it got to do with the Band that your phone is kicking out for mobile hotspot??? You can change it in the settings as certain devices don't connect to the 5GHz but they do on the 2.4GHz setting.

You can change the settings to higher quality and connection quality to run a lot smoother

I think Steam Deck might even be cheaper than you mentioned because you can get a Referb one for way cheaper. Where the 512GB version is same price or cheaper than the old 64GB version.

yes yes you are mental at times

Yeah ive found with the 4G it doesnt work as well but when i have 5G i can get it to work fairly well sometimes!

I dont know how all these youtube guys are getting such good video quality on this . I have really good internet at home 1GBps and the ps portal lags alot a lot and is super glitchy even when i am at home.

Yes, i play mine an 1h30 away from home and it's working A1

I love the facts that you need to have a ps5 to use this 😂😂😂 sony be like give me moneyyyyy , also i think about all the parents who's gonna buy this for the kids without knowing its not a console but just a streaming device

Holy snaps! The psp portal is huge!

The not having a browser is not a problem! I recently stayed in a hotel and my ps5 walked me through the process step by step worked right away, the just of it you connect your phone/laptop to the ps5 wifi signal and then pick the hotel wifi it will take you to sign in page and then when you sign in the ps5 is hooked up aswell. So I assume the portal would have same option since there is no browser.

is not worth the price tbh

Most useless device

I'm trying to do conversations like yours and enjoying of talking ❤

I haven't had any problems with mine. I use hotspot at work and play Jedi survivor with zero issues. I absolutely love this thing. The reason I got the portal because my man cave is about 200 feet from the house and since I have small kids who like to see me so i cant do any hardcore gaming until there bed time but now I just sit on the couch and play while they watch cartoons. Also I have my play station wired into my router I don't know if it make a difference but i haven't had any problems.

Worst device of the century

Yes it works very well took it to my sisters house 30 miles away felt very close to a switch didnt even realize I was online . As long as you have a decent wifi connection your good to go.

Set your ps5 output to the same native res on the tomy toy and you will get a much smoother experience.

Many people don't realize that If a person in your house is watching a 4k online movie will affect your connection, in some cases will make this device lagging. So if you buy this device cause you cannot use your tv... ...use another one! or use a monitor or a portable monitor. Or maybe just watch a movie with your family!

I mainly got one because I don’t always have access to a tv and after using it for two days I have been using it to play games yes it’s not perfect but everyone has their own opinion

3:51 Imagine the new PS5 controllers looked like this.

I got that for my 2023 christmas :)

I’m going to get that for my birthday next year

Thanks for the review and helping me make the choice of whether to buy or not. I think stick with my Backbone for now.

At first I thought it was fake but then I looked it up and said holy s**t

I never bought mine to be layer away from home. It’s the to play when the wife wants to watch her tv when she asks but everyone in say cool and go to switch the machine on she says just put your OS5 on and she watched me. At some point I will use it but I do love it.

Tips: 1. Change your information on your ps5 if you getting this Device so u don’t get confused if u own two systems 2. Best quality playing offline not good 👍🏽 for online used at times

9:46 you can't ignore this stutters when you actually playing, it's something that breaks the experience.

Bro your hair and beard are on point 🔥🔥💯

Cool Room

I just got ps portal I'm excited to use it

bro really unplugged his ps5 and brought it outside to take this thumbnail love the effort man! 😂

Airplane mode is because you can use this anywhere with an internet connection. The ps5 just needs to be in rest mode and it’ll connect.

Why didnt they make it like the WII U ? Stream directly from the console to controller without need for internet.

Stumbled across your channel you gained a new follow not sure if you own a Xbox but if you do what console do you like better

If you have mesh wifi it sometimes connects to a router in a different room change it to automatic closest connection

If this portable is another vita .. I grab it ! It looks good but need a ps5 and remote play with wifi . If this could be brought out and overseas , I’m sold

I've been playing god of war for 2 hrs or so and I've lost connection twice but it takes a sec to reconnect and am back to gaming

Beautiful Porsche!!!

I get it but my son uses his phone and the BackBone controller without issues. I know its a smaller screen but he doesnt have to worry about trying to connect the devices to his phone.

Also make sure youu have a 5hz network the ps5 auto connects to the 2.4 i did that and i had zero issues streaming

interesting i have a ps5 and use an edge controller I agree a future version may be interesting....... I still play my PSVita sometimes if i'm traveling lol.

Cellular Wi-Fi hotspots work different than regular wifi