Sony’s new PlayStation Portal remote play handheld launched this past week, but clearly, demand for the hardware hasn’t been met just yet. Despite being a much more niche accessory for the PlayStation 5, the PS Portal has now sold out at essentially all retailers, including Sony’s own PlayStation Direct service. And while restocks are being planned for early December, the current price for the Portal at resale has started to skyrocket.
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Typically, the PlayStation Portal comes in at a retail price of $199.99, which is already quite a lot for a remote play device. In the wake of the Portal selling out, though, this value has jumped by roughly another 50%. When looking at resale platforms like StockX, the PlayStation Portal has been selling consistently at a rate of $300 or more. In some ways, this isn’t too shocking given that PlayStation accessories are always high sought after, but this price is well over half the cost of an actual PS5, which is pretty surprising.
One reason why there could be so much demand for PlayStation Portal is simply because the holiday rush is beginning. For those that already own a PS5, it’s likely that the Portal is a device appearing on many wish lists for 2023. This combined with the fact that Sony likely didn’t manufacture a vast number of units out of the gate has led to the Portal flying off of digital shelves. It remains to be seen how long this scarcity for the Portal lasts, but for now, the only way you can look to get your hands on one is to pay a very steep premium.
“It’s hard to broadly recommend the PlayStation Portal to those who might own a PS5 as it really is a device that is for a hyper-specific audience. If you’re like me, though, and have been looking for a way to play PlayStation games while watching sports on TV or simply reclining in the comforts of your own bed, then I absolutely think you should consider snatching up the Portal,” reads our own review of the platform. “This is an accessory that I have loved using over the past week and see myself putting to use a whole lot more in the future. Even with a couple of caveats, the PlayStation Portal still shows that Sony is very much capable of creating some of the best handheld hardware around and leaves me ever-hopeful that a dedicated platform will re-emerge in the future. “
