PlayStation Portal could be expanded to include features in the future.
PlayStation Portal will only appeal to some of you and the reason is pretty obvious: the streaming handheld simply can’t do more than play remotely. You can currently only access your PS5’s image output and control the console remotely with Portal.
But it doesn’t have to stay that way forever. According to Sony Interactive Vice President Hideaki Nishino, it would be technically feasible to unlock the cloud games included in PlayStation Plus Premium for PlayStation Portal. However, one thing must be assured.
This is how Sony explains the limited functionality of PlayStation Portal
PlayStation Portal fares quite well in tests in terms of workmanship and screen quality, including ours:
One question worried us (and, as you can see from the comments, you too): When do I really need the remote player?
In an interview with Japanese technology portal AV Watch, Sony’s Hideaki Nishino explains that the portable streaming device offers a gaming experience as close to television as possible, without having to sit in front of the TV at home.
For him, the decisive factors for a perfect PlayStation experience are a large screen, seamless and latency-free integration of controls and high display quality.
PlayStation Portal in the video:
0:34
PlayStation Portal – Sony presents the handheld in the trailer
The intention is laudable, but it cannot hide the fact that these demands are also largely met by alternatives in the form of tablets or laptop PCs. For the most part, it’s just missing the DualSense’s own features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, at least unless you simply connect a DualSense controller via Bluetooth.
PlayStation Portal cannot boast an elementary and unique selling point that is not available on any other platform. But Nishino also mentions this.
Sony is “evaluating” cloud gaming on PlayStation Portal
If Sony’s VP has his way, PlayStation Portal is something of a learning product for the tech giant:
“Conceptually, PlayStation Portal is a product that we share with you. [den Fans] I want to think. “We want to get feedback from our customers and learn from them.”
And the comments may have been clear long before publication. Many of you (like us) want cloud gaming in the form of PlayStation Plus Premium on your handheld with streaming. It would then be possible to play a large selection of PS3, PS4 and PS5 games on the handheld without having to turn on the console or install it beforehand.
Currently, cloud gaming simply crashes with an error message during remote play, even when using PlayStation Portal.
According to Nishino, there are no technical obstacles to cloud gaming on PlayStation Portal:
“The only difference between Remote Play and the cloud is where the server is located. And there are no technical problems with Portal in that sense. We want to start with Remote Play and then move on to check out other options.”
It is not surprising that cloud gaming can be implemented in practice, since Sony only uses an adapted version of Remote Play for the streaming service on consoles.
The most obvious thing about PS3 gaming is that game streaming more or less takes over remote play, just to a limited extent. You cannot control the entire console.
However, Sony wants to ensure that PlayStation players don’t get the impression that streaming games are inferior to “real” games. It is suggested that this is why the feature is missing and that it could still be worked on.
Does this protect cloud gaming on PlayStation Portal?
In no way do we consider the statements of the Sony vice president as an official confirmation of a cloud gaming service on PlayStation Portal; After all, customer feedback is nothing new and, above all, it is not unexpected.
However, we would welcome this step, even if cloud gaming has not yet been perfected. After all, it would provide significant added value and Portal could therefore be recommended to many more players.
At the moment, however, the restrictions are too severe for an accessory that costs 220 euros.
Is cloud gaming also at the top of your list or would PlayStation Portal not be attractive enough even then?