PlayStation Portal is coming this November. PlayStation is one of the most successful video game companies out there having sold over 600 million consoles since the PS1.They produce great games, great hardware, and have been able to go toe-to-toe with Nintendo and Microsoft for years. They have lacked a bit in one of the areas that really helped make them great early on. In the mid-2000s, Sony released the PSP which allowed you to take some great PlayStation games on the go. Games like Marvel Ultimate Alliance, the Grand Theft Auto Stories spin-offs, Star Wars Battlefront 2, and many others were all on the PSP and they were fantastic. A little less than a decade later, PlayStation released the PS Vita which was enjoyed by many, but unfortunately didn’t sell as well and was hurt by a lack of major AAA support like the PSP.
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PlayStation hasn’t had a handheld since the Vita, but they are trying to dip their toe back into the water later this year. The PlayStation Portal is a new device that will allow people to play their PlayStation 5 games on a handheld device. However, it won’t be natively on the device like prior handhelds. The PlayStation Portal will instead stream the game from a nearby console, meaning it will be best used when you’re in the same household. For those that share a TV with other family members, but want to continue gaming, the PlayStation Portal will allow you to do so without interruption. PlayStation has opened up pre-orders for the device and confirmed that it will release on November 15th.
The PlayStation Portal has gotten some pushback from fans as they believe it has a lot of problems. For starters, it has been noted that you must purchase new PlayStation earbuds if you want to listen to the device with wireless head phones as it won’t support things like Airpods. PlayStation fans have also been frustrated to see that Sony has made a handheld that only works if you already own a PS5 and are in the same household as it rather than a new standalone device. Perhaps if it does well, Sony may make another handheld, but it remains to be seen.
PlayStation Portal Price
The PlayStation Portal is set to cost $199, which is a somewhat easy to swallow price point for this kind of product. However, the added cost of the earbuds if you want to listen to the device without bothering those around you is going to set you back an additional $199, making the whole package cost $200. It’s a lot to ask of players.
What Games Are on PlayStation Portal
The PlayStation Portal will play *most* games from the PS5. Obviously, you won’t be able to play PSVR2 games on the handheld and there are some exceptions with games that need to be streamed to the PS5 (such as old PlayStation games through PS Now). However, you will be able to play games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2ย when it releases.
