Traditionally, consoles have always been used one way, with a screen in a static environment. But with the release of Nintendo’s Switch, the portable handheld format has blown up. The success has only been compounded by Valve’s Steam Deck and its accompanying competitors. First leaks, and then an official announcement had already confirmed that Sony also wanted a piece of the portable gaming pie, and Project Q was Sony’s answer. But now it is official: Sony’s Project Q is called the PlayStation Portal, and it isn’t exactly what we had hoped for.
The PlayStation Portal looks like a Dual Sense controller sliced in half with a screen slapped in between. That may seem like a simple explanation, but that is exactly what it boils down to. The new device will be running on Android and will only stream games directly from your PlayStation console to the handheld. Being powered by Android, the device will definitely be versatile when it comes to customization possibilities.
Since none of the actual processing and rendering will be done on the PlayStation Portal, it will likely be powered by a power-efficient smartphone chip. It will come with all the features of the Dual Sense, including the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. The screen size is far bigger than the Nintendo Switch or the Steam Deck, coming in at 8 inches diagonally. The 1080p LCD panel supports up to 60FPS and should offer a much more immersive experience than other handhelds. Even though it doesn’t have 120Hz support like the ROG Ally, it should be more than sufficient since most games only run at 30 or 60 FPS anyway.
The Perplexing Shortcomings of the PlayStation Portal
With all the positives out of the way, in an absolutely confounding decision, Sony has decided that the PlayStation Portal will not support PlayStation Plus Premium game streaming. If this isn’t a technical limitation, then Sony has made its devices’ sales prospects far more limited than if the feature was included.
The lack of cloud gaming will not simply leave some sales on the table but will limit interest to people who already own a PlayStation console, making the PlayStation Portal an even more niche product.
Finally, the PlayStation Portal will come with the same price tag as the Nintendo Switch Lite, $199.99, without having any power to play games by itself. It remains to be seen how well it sells, but its limited use definitely won’t help.
