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MagyarPlayStation Portal: Sony Remote Play-only handheld now official for US$199.99
Earlier this year, Sony teased what looked like a new handheld, which eventually turned out to be a glorified Remote Play machine. Codenamed Project Q, it was slated to launch later in 2023, and now, that day is finally upon us. It is officially called the PlayStation Portal. No pre-order date has been specified, but the console will cost an equivalent of US$199.
Earlier reports leaked most PlayStation Portal specs, so there isn't much left to the imagination. It packs an 8-inch LCD screen that can stream games at 1080p 60 FPS. Unfortunately, that's all Sony is willing to reveal about the PlayStation Portal's hardware or even its battery capacity, which is rumoured to be overshadowed by the Nintendo Switch. There is no word about what SoC it uses, but it is undoubtedly Arm-based, given it was spotted running Android earlier. It wouldn't be outlandish to assume it runs one of Qualcomm's newly unveiled Snapdragon G series chips.
The PlayStation Portal lacks Bluetooth functionality entirely but comes with a set of built-in speakers and a 3.5 mm audio jack. Its attached DualSense controller supports all the features of its console version. An initial teardown video of the console confirmed user repairs would be cumbersome. The lack of Bluetooth connectivity also eliminates the possibility of connecting an external controller wirelessly, effectively forcing non-tech-savvy gamers to send the console back to Sony when the thumbsticks eventually drift.
However, Project Portal has one saving grace. Because it is a Remote Play machine only, one can access it from anywhere, as long as there is a stable internet connection on the PlayStation 5 and handheld. For some reason, streaming games off PlayStation Now is not an option, which is a crying shame and defeats the purpose of a portable console entirely. Whether or not Project Portal will support cloud gaming at a later point remains to be seen. And no, PS VR titles or anything that requires an external device aren't supported.
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