PlayStation Portal release date, price, features, specs, and everything we know

The PlayStation Portal brings your PS5 into your hands - almost literally

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The PlayStation Portal is out now. The game-streaming portable handheld gaming device fromSonywill put the power and capability of yourPS5into your very hands, and we’re incredibly excited about it.

Heading off the most common element to clarify at the top here, unlike theNintendo Switchor theSteam Deck, the PlayStation Portal doesn’t run games natively - instead, it is a streaming-only device, mirroring your main console onto its smaller screen. It offers a portal into your PS5, if you will, and its sole purpose is to translate some of thebest PS5 gamesfrom the big screen to its smaller one,fitting into people’s lifestyles accordingly within that framework.

It also differs from other handhelds from a design and build perspective; where others are built around a system and screen, the Portal is built around aDualSensecontroller. This makes it brilliant from a comfort andaccessibility perspective.

We’ve gathered all the key information about the device in one place so you can quickly get eh lowdown.

PlayStation portal: cut to the chase

PlayStation Portal release date

The PlayStation Portal came out on November 15, 2023, almost exactly three years to the day of the release of the PS5 itself.

PlayStation Portal price

The PlayStation Portal will cost you $199.99 / £199.99 and is out in the wild now - however, the popularity of the device has seen pre-order stock and launch stock be very hard to come by. We recommend checking in with our dedicatedPlayStation Portal stockpage to try and secure your unit.

For some reference, the PlayStation Portal’s price point is comparable to a budget gaming tablet. In the handheld market, theLogitechG Cloud, the closest item comparably in terms of form factor and functionality, retails at $349.99 / £329.99, so Sony’s latest offering significantly undercuts it so could be priced very attractively giving the alternatives and service it provides.

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PlayStation Portal design and features

ThePlayStation Blog postannouncing the Portal confirmed several statements made by Jim Ryan in an earlierpress release published by Business Wire. Chief among them is the fact that the PlayStation Portal features an 8-inch LCD screen rocking a 1080p resolution at 60fps. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack to connect to one of thebest wired gaming headsets, but the post also confirms that you’ll be able to use PlayStation Link (Sony’s new proprietary wireless technology launching at the same time) with the likes of the upcomingPlayStation Pulse Elite headsetandPlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds.

There will be no support for Bluetooth with this device, meaning relying on the PlayStation Link technology alone for wireless audio solutions. As well as the above headset and audio duo that will launch the Link tech, a USB dongle will be coming out too. Until then, your best bet might be something wired, and, in reality, that means that thelack of Bluetooth might not be that much of a hurdle, particularly for anyone used to the PS5 not having the connection.

A major advantage of relying on streaming instead of native rendering for gameplay experiences is added battery life and the Portal’s clocks in around 6+ hours from what we found in our testing.

Perhaps the best overall feature of the Portal, however, is the design and form factor. Building the handheld around the excellent DualSense controller means that it retains the form and design thatmany folks will find incredible from an accessibility point of view.

PlayStation Portal - FAQs

Will I be able to stream PS Plus games on the PlayStation Portal?

At launch, the answer to this is no. Sony has confirmed that you will not be able to stream titles from the PS Plus Premium Game Catalog on the PlayStation Portal as the device is solely intended to stream directly from your PS5 console. This means it acts as more of a second screen with DualSense functionality enabled than a PlayStation-themed gaming tablet.

Will I be able to use the PlayStation Portal with cellular data?

Sony has stated that the PlayStation Portal is a strictly Wi-Fi-enabled gaming handheld for use within the local range of the PS5 console and does not feature any 4G / 5G cellular connectivity itself - however, you can tether the handheld to your phone’s internet connection.

We’re all about new and exciting gaming hardware here and you can get the lowdown with thebest gaming consolesand thebest handheld games consolesavailable now.

Rob is the Managing Editor of TechRadar Gaming, a video games journalist, critic, editor, and writer, and has years of experience gained from multiple publications. Prior to being TechRadar Gaming’s Managing Editor, he was TRG’s Deputy Editor, and a longstanding member of GamesRadar+, being the Commissioning Editor for Hardware there for years, while also squeezing in a short stint as Gaming Editor at WePC just before joining TechRadar Gaming. He is also a writer on tech, gaming hardware, and video games but also gardens and landscapes, combining the two areas in an upcomingbook on video game landscapesthat you can back and pre-order now.

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