Portal aside, This is such a good review!! It’s very clear and describes almost every question I had about it. Well done to the writing and editing here!!
You're doing RU-vid comments wrong. I'm pretty sure you should either complain about the reviewer, laugh at how terrible the product is, praise the company that makes the product and everything they do. I don't know how to deal with this positivity
This just makes me want a new dedicated PlayStation handheld even more now. I still have my Vita and absolutely love it. It was ahead of its time in my opinion. I wonder if Sony is thinking about entering the handheld market again seeing all the success Valve, Ayaneo, and others are currently having with the handheld market?
@@glados4765 God I hated those sd cards. I’m glad these other handhelds learned from Sony’s mistakes. I was ok with the exclusives since PlayStation in general always had my fave exclusives.
You can bet they have prototypes because there is alot of money to be made in this space. It might just take way longer than we want until it reaches market.
^^ This. I'm completely fine with the tethered nature of the device, fits my use case perfectly. But for something that's supposed to be used at home, the fact that it's no better (performance wise) than other remote play options currently available is really disappointing.
I didn't understand why the Vita didn't do this with PS4 but for them to release a dedicated overpriced remote play only device and not connect directly to the console is bizarre. This will end up in bargain bins.
This was made with me in mind. I am disabled and my TV is in the living room. Sometimes getting out of bed is very difficult, other times the pain is so high that I have to lay down for long periods of time. Also I am a smoker and enjoy spending time outside, so this would allow me to continue playing my game while outside.
Fantastic review!!!! I pre-ordered it because I use remote play a good bit with my MacBook and a paired dualsense. We travel some in the winter with my kid's sports, so I was looking for something that I could set up quickly to get a game in at the hotel/OR just play a bit at the in-laws'. It is slightly awkward/clunky to set up the Mac and controller on the road, so this looks like a much more convenient option. Fingers crossed it works better than my current ''road setup!"
If you don't mind- post an update on how is it. I really wonder about its capabilities outside the home like in a public space and how it runs on such wifi.
Lol, How do you have time to game as a parent?? I'm a bachelor in my mid-30s, and I'm lucky if I get 2 hours every 2 weeks 😮😮 between work, taking care of my 2 dogs, working out, GF, social gatherings, etc. Not to mention, half the time after I eat dinner now, I feel like I've been injected with a tranquilizer 😂 I remember when I got the psvr2 day 1 being super excited. It ended up just sitting in the box unopened just like the ps5 did when it dropped for months! 😢 God, I'm getting old. Or my priorities are changing. Throw in the fact that I'm contemplating taking the next big step with a proposal and a kid of our own in the next yr or 2. I say again. How do you get to game that much??? Either you're a wizard, or you're lacking or neglecting other duties as a father or significant other.. 🤣 Regardless, good for you 👍 I'm envious
@@adamkondracki3201that’s what I’m saying I have a 18month and 2 month old and barely anytime to play between work and then taking care/spending time with the babies 😂 the only time is after they go to bed and that’s if I have the energy 😂
@@Jnotmoneythat’s when I get to play, after the kids fall asleep, but same I often fall asleep with my controller locked in my hand my body knows not to drop it lol I don’t get to game much at all, but I still enjoy those sweet 30 minutes every few days 🤣
Depends on your network though. I’ve seen other reviews where this did not work. Would be interested to see if it behaves any different from Remote Play.
@@MrOuija-rr8kq Obviously it’s dependent on your network. But my phone plan has really high speed hot spot data and my home network is also pretty solid, so it’s really encouraging to see him take it somewhere like a local park and see it perform well. I don’t think it’s any different than any other Remote Play experience other than the haptics though
@@Jimmymatthewb you can test it yourself. Connect your ps5 and your smartphone to the same router then disconnect the router from the internet and see if the remote play app works. I can already tell you that it works perfectly.
The Vita never had the correct hardware to connect locally as was still laggy unlike the Wii U. I'm baffled Sony hasn't fixed this with a dedicated remote play device.
I used remote play with an iPad and dualsense through internet and it was pretty respectable. The haptic triggers and rumble worked. Suprisingly not jittery or pixelated. Multiplayer shooters are not satisfactory though. I image fighters would have too much lag for some.
I hate using my phone for remote play. I'm always worried that I'll get a call, text, or notification while playing. This solves that issue with a dedicated device. Now, i can play at work or in bed with ease.
Did you guys chose clips with a bit of lag to show us? Or is it pretty normal to have some sort of issues pretty often? Because i can see little frame rate dips and video encoding issues pretty much the entire time you're using the device in this review. It's so silly that they didn't work out a way to get a direct connection to the console. The wii U back in the day was pretty much perfect the way it connected to the console.
Yeah I noticed it too. He says it runs really great and at the same time there is lag or stutter happening. I honestly just think some people are able to ignore or not notice it as bad as others.
Your going to get latency and lag constantly as bizarrely it doesn't connect directly to the console it connects to your WiFi first. Not sure what Sony was thinking.
@eeedawg1019 I saw a few reviews with stutter and lags visible, but no one mentioned it. I don't understand why they'd show us, but not say anything. Sony paid not to say anything but it's so crap that reviewers are doing this to let us know? The only explanation I see.
@@ArturKwaszyn I'm actually thinking the same thing. This review pretty much says there's very little if any lags or stutters while showing quite a bit of lag or stutter. It actually looks pretty iffy in my opinion from the footage in this video.
Yep, I've never had a stable remote play session. I've tried with PS5 wired to the router, computer wired, WiFi 6E, WiFi 6, 5G on iPhone 15 Pro, Samsung Fold 3... you name it. Never had a truly stable connection. Wii U was basically flawless
@@angli786 since it is running a version of android, maybe plugging a USB to ethernet dongle might work out of the box without Sony needing to do anything 🤷🏾♂️
I was really hoping that somehow a bespoke system would have a better playing experience when compared to using Remote Play on other devices. To find out its almost identical is a little underwhelming
A lot of people fail to comprehend that it's not so much about your internet speed. It's about your Wi-Fi router. Most people use the garbage locked-down Wi-Fi router provided by their ISP. The best performance locally will come from your own router which you'll have full control over the channels, etc. Abroad when traveling is a different story. For that, you can buy a compact travel router to bring with you so you can connect the router to the hotel's Wi-Fi network if you're staying at a hotel.
I have mine pre ordered and can’t wait to use it and going to be great for me because I have kids that use the tv and when my fiancé wanted to watch her shows I can still get some gaming in.
Logitech G Cloud should be considered for anyone interested in this. You can remote play your PlayStation, Xbox, PC or use a service like GeForce Now. Since it’s Android based you have way more options available to you. Recent firmware updates have added things like dead zone adjustments and TV out through usb c. If your only interested in PS5 remote than obviously this is better buy. Just wanted to share an alternative option.
Will it work if I don’t have ps5 but my brother does but we live in different countries will it work if i buy it and play it in different country and connect it to my brothers ps5
I’ve got a few questions regarding the Portal. 1. How well does it play when you’re playing your PlayStation 5 via the Portal from another country? 2. Can you use the Portal to turn on the console without it being in Rest Mode the same way a Duelsense can turn on the PlayStation 5? 3. I noticed the settings had an Airplane Mode option. What does that entail?
1. Im not sure about how good the quality will be if u play it very far specially if your on other countries but they said that u only need 15mbps for better portal gaming experience which is kinda skeptical if your outside somewhere but i hope its true . (i didnt saw a review that they use it to go somewhere and play it) 2. i read alot of reviews that u cannot use portal to wake up your ps5, u really need to turn it on and put it to rest mode before u can connect. and later on u can put it back to rest mode or turn the ps5 off but the problem u cannot portal next time bcause u cannot wake it up if u turn off the ps5. 3.Airplane mode so that u can block or turn off the signal from your portal to your playstation temporarily for safety. cause i think if u dont use your portal while its on , the signal still connected (portal standby and ps5 still on restmode).
I got it! What they need to add is being able to use the portal in controller mode with no remote play or second screen making it just a dedicated controller.
Would be good to know what the reviewers “great” internet speeds are. I have 35-55mbps at home But I’m far from convinced I’ll get a good experience at home, considering using remote play on my iPad has been very laggy.
You don't need super fast internet. But I would recommend having a WIRED connection to the console rather than WIFI. That'll make the world of difference.
It's more than just pure speed. Consistency is so important, and tons of things can influence this. I occasionally use my steam deck for in-house remote play and things like someone using the microwave can have an inpact
Many people even with gigabit Ethernet can’t run remote play well. It’s just a bad service over all and seems the device does nothing extra to improve latency.
haha only if sony is as stupid as you, but they dont. Portal is literally sold out everywhere which mean sony hit their own expected target. Unlike the stupid hater we have here
@@Jimmymatthewb Not it isn't sold out everywhere. Sony did a limited run-in order to try have pre-orders sell out (to build a fake demand narrative). But Japan is the only place it really sold out. The reason Sony hasn't announced actual numbers like they normally do is because the pre-order round was low volume build. We all know Sony loves to announce numbers when they can and goes silent quickly ie like VR2 numbers when those numbers fall off a cliff) It took several weeks for most stores to get rid of what small allotments of Portals they had for pre-ordering. Some still have them (first place I checked BestBuy is still selling pre-order Portals). There will be plenty of these devices around to be bought when stocks of second shipments reach the store and plenty around to fill discount bins for next year as well.
I am so excited to finally be able to play PS5 at my partner's place and around the house. I know you could do the same with a phone, but for me it was small (iPhone 14 Pro) and awkward. I also was able to find some cases and screen protectors on Amazon.
I am somewhat curious about this. Lisa a use case for me but I have a SD and a switch so I don’t need it. Just would be nice. However my internet speed is 15mps so I am in no rush. Gonna wait a few weeks and see some real world reviews. I find it odd that they made this with the back bone was released what a few months ago? This would have been 10/10 if: 1 they let you have games on the system. 2. Could use BT head phones 3. Had a carry case. I know this is not meant to be a portable device but an ad in to your ps5… But one could dream eh?
I mean the screen is kinda trashy just LCD, but this could be an interesting device when discounted and once they hack it so you can stream anything to it. At say $150 and jailbroken it would be a good competitor to a backbone or so, since it has the screen.
I have preordered it to use when my wife is watching tv, in another room and when something else is on tv like the news or a game. Thanks to your review I'm now sure it will meet my needs. Thanks!
Just simply buy a 2nd TV or a monitor and set that up in another room. Then just connect your PS5 to that, whenever you wife is hogging up your main TV. You can pick up a new cheap 40' 4K TV or a fairly decent 27-32' 1440p 144hz monitor for around the same price or less as a PS Portal. It would be infinitely better for gaming, plus it can also be used for other things. Not only would you have a much larger screen and in a higher resolution, but you'd still have full functionality over your PS5, can still use your dual-sense controller and have none of the issues that come with remote play over local WiFi (high latency, disconnections ect.) That's the main problem that many people have with the PS Portal. There are several other far better or much cheaper solutions that are already available for any rare or niche circumstances, where you might require something just like it. To me and many others, it's just another unnecessary accessory. It's trying to solve a niche problem, that has already been solved by other means (and often better and/or cheaper).
This is Sony. Their goal is to sell consoles. Doing what you are proposing (streaming from a PS Premium sub to the Portal) could lead to people not buying a PS5 console and just getting PS+ Premium sub and then remotely playing to this device from a PS+ Premium service. A subscription like PS+ Premium is meant to support those with PS already. That is how Sony thinks. For Sony it is all about adding additional value to the PS5 console not giving consumer playable options to other endpoints that don't depend on owning a PS5. If Sony wasn't trying to lock you to PS5, then Sony would also allow you to stream PS5 games to PS4 from PS+ Premium (Sony charges the same subscription price but PS4 owners get less). Comparatively, Game Pass allows Series X only games to stream to previous gen, the Xbox One but Sony doesn't allow a similar possibility (PS5 to PS4) with their service. It is all about selling PS5s.
Also idk why people keep seeing not having Bluetooth support as a minus. Bluetooth would have latency issues, you’d have a delay in sound such as when you throw a punch in a fighting game and you hear the punch a couple milliseconds later
Bluetooth 5.3 is already out, and with the right codecs, that latency can be quite manageable. Not to mention phones and other portable consoles like the steamdeck, use it just fine. So its a matter of UPSELLING (like Apple). The issue isnt that there isnt bluetooth. The issue is not giving the OPTION. Let people decide to use it or no on their own, person to person, or game to game. Options ALWAYS = better.
You're the sucker Apple and Sony love to sell to. Throw out your current Bluetooth wireless devices all to spend another $99 to $200 on the only two devices (which just happens to be made by Sony) that support this tech and devices that will have little to no support beyond this device. And still see no real difference. How is that $160 USB C cable Apple sells working out for you?
Out of curiosity, can I play games on the Portal while my parents are watching Netflix on the PS5 at the same time? Or do both the TV and Portal's screens always mirror everything happening on the PS5? I know that games and apps are separated and can swap between them at any time, but it would be cool if they could both be active at the same time via the Portal and TV's 2 separate screens (assuming they can't?)
Devices on an airplane are asked to be put in Airplane Mode but still get access to the airplane’s WiFi internet service. It works exactly the same on my iPhone when I fly.
For me phones are not an option as they are too small. This seems like a great option for me so I can sit next to my wife while she watches tv while I game. There are times when I will will want the full large display option but if I feel I have been neglecting her this will be a way where we can still be together. I would have spent an extra $100 for full functionality but this will do the trick. Good review!
Very good comment, everyone is always just saying you can use a backbone accessory, but as you say some of us don't want to do that or CANT do that , people need to be more open to ideas
Well said! I agree 100%. Sony knows this too. And while I wish they would do a full portable again like the PSP or Vita, I truly feel Sony will never touch that market again because of Money. With Nintendo and mobile it's probably not profitable enough for them to attempt again. Idk tho
I fully agree. I would not like to use this feature on my phone. The Playstation portable screen is much bigger not to mention the fact one of the biggest selling points is the fact that the PlayStation Portable has all the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers that your phones do not. I have no issue with the whole Bluetooth thing. I plan on getting the pulse earbuds especially if I can experience this whole 3D audio thing which I certainly can't do with my Bluetooth wireless earbuds. Zero latency using Remote Play is a plus for me
another option is an ipad mini, and you'll get much more usability out of that. although a bit more expensive. it won't become useless if your connection isn't good enough.
I pre ordered mine in sept . Any day now itll be shipping . My main use is going to be ffxiv online while out n about i found a nice carry bag for it that also has a spot for your phone and has an external usb plug in and holds a battery bank inside. Works perfect for a chill day out n about playing pokemon go and playing my favorite mmo on a bench in a park or on my lunch at work. I also have littles and a wife so it will be niffty to use at night , during the day while the kiddos/wife have the tv and I can join them on the couch while lounging about on games not so latency dependant . All in all this product is not for everyone but it is def for me 🎉
$200. $100 for the controller and $100 for the screen. Not bad. However it would be cool to have a SIM card slot but I can’t imagine streaming PS5 games not being a massive data problem. This device is neat, but definitely for the rich in mind.
I mean if you own a ps5, you probably have some degree of disposable income... 200 buck device is hardly into "rich" territory. We are not talking about a tesla or a ferrari here lol
You are missing a big point. Which is that it cannot connect to a lot of public wifi's due to those requiring you to accept their terms on a browser page, this is because it has no browser. Many will think "who cares, as if I'm going to be playing on my device at a restaurant", but this is almost always the case in hotels as well, meaning if you are either on vacation or travel a lot for work, it's absolutely useless. I get some of the choices to keep the price down, but this is a choice I cannot understand.
Wow 🤩. I’m sad because mine won’t arrive until Thursday. So glad I saw the potential of the Portal early on and not give in to the unnecessary online hate it’s getting.
@@CromulentCorpse you guys are so salty. The product isn’t for you. According to this review and others, it’s a solid product. As I said “UNNECESSARY ONLINE HATE”.
This is the first review I've seen with the portal being used with a mobile hotspot. But also, what are his home network speeds because he showed a bit of lag in his Spidey clips...
Looks ok .. but seems very stripped down considering it’s £200 .. no Bluetooth is a sin , and lcd screen , nowadays is odd . Good starting point , but £150 would be a more accurate pricing point ..
@@thecunninlynguist No you can use any network. even from your phone. Just it would be good if you can use wifi's that require a log in to save using your phone.
Thank you for the review. The first few sentences told me personally it’s not worth it, that being “it needs to be connected to a ps5 at all time.” They did not know how before its time the PSP was. They need to bring that concept back, as a standalone console, but make it better. I’m so sad the psp days are over. I still have the psp I had since I was in 2nd grade!
maybe you could swap out the display for a 8 inch oled touch screen display my brother put an oled display with an adapter on a samsung galaxy tab from ali express with some adapter and saudering. it drains the battery rather quick
I think the larger screen and the more comfortable controllers makes a huge difference over using a Backbone on a phone. The biggest issue is Sony's remote play implementation being fairly disappointing and falling far short of its potential. Chiaki demonstrates how much more can be done with remote play on the PS5, yet Sony is sort of pulling a Nintendo in that they're choosing accessibility, convenience, user friendliness over performance/etc.. I want to buy one simply because I'm going to be a father soon and won't have time to sit in front of my PS5. However, I'm really praying they update the remote play functionality and/or someone cracks the device so we can install Chiaki or similar.
Wait a second - airplane mode toggle? For device that purely relies on WiFi connectivity? Am I missing something? It might be I am. So please tell me what this device can do and be used for in airplane mode?
Can the portal be used as a regular controller outside of remote play? Say I have one dualsense, but want to do some couch co-op with a buddy, could I use the portal as a controller?
I was playing the Division 1, casting my Xbox one to a laptop with my headset in and did just fine ( Your PS5 is doing the exact same thing but to a hand held for £200) - Your PS5 has the tech to deliver but Sony have locked it down so you can pay more, the hand held is nothing compared to a gaming laptop. @@jadekarpicke6266
Seems a bit of a waste to buy this device if it's only a controller with a screen like the wii u and not an actual portable device like a steam deck or Nintendo switch. Being tethered to your phone outside is weird because it relies on the network signal strength and finding wifi with good internet speed outside is even worse. $200 isn't worth a ps remote device. Get a backbone ps edition and use your phone for ps remote. Same thing just much cheaper.
This doesn't make sense since your reason for not using it is that it would rely on your phones signal but you then say just use your phone. Your phones screen is too small. I have the backbone and a Pixel 6 Pro.
@YTDopeFPS It makes sense when you are spending $200 for a glorified ps remote device when you can spend $100 for a backbone ps edition and play more than just ps games on your phone. Screen size, and all the dualsense features do not mean much when your wifi connection is spotty or when you are in bad network coverage. If you have bad network connection. when playing on your phone you can close it and do other things; unlike the portal. It just becomes a paperweight without any connectivity.
I’m on the fence. I would love to game while laying down, but I didn’t know I can pour it on a tablet or phone, which would give me the same experience
I just thought of asking this since I was just wondering, but can you also sign into your PlayStation Network account manually on the PlayStation Portal using just an e-mail address and password for PSN like you can on the PS5? I was just wondering though since I actually don't really scan QR codes myself being that I'm just not into that sort of thing. Even though this is 2023, almost going into 2024 now, I'm kind of an old-fashioned person and all since I still do certain things like it's 2003 almost or something.
Would this be a waste for a college student wanting to take this to college to play games between classes? College is about 15 miles away from where the console is at. Would the Remote stay connected.
This is a luxury, but I’m excited for mine - not only for myself but also easy to use for my kids if they ever want to play ps5 while somone else is using the TV - without the added friction of remote play on an ipad - having to pair the controller, etc.
So no noticeable input lag then? I've used remote play on PS4 and PS5 via an Android tablet and it works well but I wouldn't use it for games where a quick response is needed. Sounds like the Portal fixes that, when in ideal conditions.
So it sucks, if you have a power outage and you’re out of town won’t work? If you don’t have access to internet where you’re at it won’t work, if you have Bluetooth earbuds it won’t work because you have to buy their $200 gaming earpiece
A gamer dad's dream, especially when there's no setup. Not ideal to plug controller into my MacBook air outdated drivers prevent me to be wireless. So instead of getting a new expensive laptop I pre-ordered this device, no setup...built in screen ....just turn it on a play while the kids take over the big TV in the livingroom.....can't wait
I got gifted one this Christmas and i like it cause im playing while at work lmao but i dont like how there isnt a pad button like the PS5 controller i cant call time outs in madden or change skins on spiderman
So one could buy a Portal and set it up with say a cousin in another area, get them to leave their ps5 on rest (shouldn't be a big deal) and you can play their games if you both have a good wifi signal. I hear you can play at the same time as long as you are logged into two separate accounts. People are saying it's worth the price for many people.
Thanks for great review! Did you test if headset connected to PS5 (like pulse 3D) can be used while using PS Portal? Will it receive the sound or is it blocked during remote play? It could be sort of workaround for not buying another pair of headset... Especially when using PS Portal in the close range of PS5.
As someone who remote plays on phone, I will say I am able to have my headset on directly to PS5 while playing on phone. Just got to change the audio from TV to headset in the menu as when you remote play it goes to "TV" audio.
