PlayStation Portal has earned a spot as one of our favorite ways to play PS5 away from the TV, though at its launch price it was a little tricky to recommend to the masses.
The PlayStation Portal currently has it discounted from £199.99 to £139.99, saving £60 or 30% off, taking the pain out of buying a device built for one purpose and nothing else.
The Sony PlayStation Portal is currently discounted, making it even better than usual
Featuring an 8-inch display and full DualSense controls, the PlayStation Portal is down to £139.99, a 30% saving on its launch price.
View the Deal
That one purpose is done very well, when Sony splits the full DualSense controller in two and puts an 8-inch LCD in the middle, so that the Portal feels like you’re holding a pad that you already know.
Every stick, trigger and button sits right where your thumbs expect it, complete with flexible triggers and haptic feedback transmitted directly from DualSense, so switching from the big screen to the portal feels completely natural.
That DualSense-inspired style carries through to the finish, with the familiar white and black color scheme and light bar giving the Portal an unmistakable PS5 identity rather than feeling like a generic third-party.
That familiarity also extends to the screen, an 8-inch panel that looks bright and clear in everyday light levels, even if the 1080p resolution and lack of HDR mean it can’t match a proper OLED television.
Get direct updates on your WhatsApp
Join Now
Audio is one of the real surprises, with the new PlayStation Link technology pairing instantly with Sony’s Pulse Explore and Pulse Elite accessories for lossless audio, although buying into that ecosystem means spending more money on the headset itself.
Battery life continues well during a long session, lasting about six to seven hours of continuous streaming from the console, although charging to support the battery is slow, receiving about a third of its capacity in half an hour.
The catch, and worth knowing before buying, is that the Portal only works when connected to your PS5 via Wi-Fi, without cloud streaming, no Bluetooth support, and only the old Wi-Fi 5 standard on board.
None of this changes what the PlayStation Portal is designed to do, and at £139.99 it’s a really easy recommendation for any PS5 owner who finds themselves fighting with someone else to get the TV down every night.
SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10148964
Sony’s portable Remote Play packs a nice, big display into the DualSense smart controller. PlayStation Portal is a great, well-designed way to play the first batch of PS5 games away from your big screen. However, this goal alone would represent a lack of ambition if Sony doesn’t offer cloud gaming through Portal one day.
-
The smart implementation of the split DualSense controller
-
Visual display, large
-
Great for Remote Play
-
Strong battery life
-
You missed the opportunity for cloud streaming
-
Slow charging
-
Only Wi-Fi 5 and no Bluetooth