TL;DR
- The Sony PlayStation Portal is a Remote Play handheld coming this year for $199.
- Portal will need a PlayStation 5 to work and will only do Remote Play sessions.
- Sony is also launching a new set of PlayStation earbuds and an advanced version of its Pulse headset.
We’ve been seeing plenty of rumors over the past few months related to a new handheld gaming device from Sony PlayStation. Although we’ve known for a while now that it is not a PSP-style standalone gaming product, we now know more about it than ever before.
The device is officially known as the Sony PlayStation Portal. As we already know, it needs to connect to a PlayStation 5 to work. It uses Remote Play to stream games from the PS5 either at home or on the go. Essentially, it’s a portable PS5, but you need to be connected to Wi-Fi for it to work (there is no SIM/eSIM available with the Portal).
Do note that this only works with PlayStation games that are actually installed on your PS5. That means there’s no ability to play games through PlayStation Plus Premium game streaming. You also can’t play PSVR2 games if those games require using the headset.
The big problem we see with the Sony PlayStation Portal is the fact that there’s nothing this device can do that an Android device connected to a DualSense controller can’t do. Sure, you’re getting more streamlined hardware, and most Android phones don’t have 8-inch 1080p/60Hz displays, but if you have an Android phone, a PS5, and a DualSense controller, you already own everything you need to replicate the Portal experience.
Regardless, if this device is something you’d like, pre-orders will start later this year (Sony did not give a more specific date than that). It will cost $199 when it does land.
Not just the Sony PlayStation Portal: New headphones, too
On top of the Portal, Sony is also launching two audio-related products for the PS5. First, we have the debut set of wireless earbuds for the PlayStation 5, known as the Pulse Explore. These are not just for the PS5, though. You can also connect them to your smartphone, computer, and tablet. They even support dual-connections through a new proprietary system called PlayStation Link. This would allow you to, for example, be playing a PS5 game using the earbuds and answer a call on your phone at the same time.
In addition to these earbuds, there’s a new upgraded version of the Pulse headset known as the Sony PlayStation Pulse Elite. They look and function much like the Pulse headset we’ve seen since the PS5 debuted, but the Elite model supports lossless audio streaming through the aforementioned Link system. There’s also a retractable boom microphone and an included stand for storing the headphones when not in use.
The Pulse Explore earbuds will be $199, and the Pulse Elite headset will be $149. Sony has not announced a pre-order date for these products, but we assume they will launch at the same time as the Sony PlayStation Portal.
