Sony has just released a major update for its PlayStation Portal streaming device. The primary use for the Portal until now has been a remote play device to stream your own PlayStation 5 games to the Portal. With this newly added feature, you can now play PS5 titles without owning a PlayStation 5 at all. PlayStation Plus Premium tier subscribers can stream games they own from the cloud, including Astro Bot, Borderlands 4, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Grand Theft Auto V, Fortnite, Ghost of Yotei, Resident Evil 4, and more.

In addition, hundreds of compatible games from the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Classics Catalog****, including Cyberpunk 2077, God of War Ragnarök, Hogwarts Legacy, Sword of the Sea and The Last of Us Part II Remastered are also streamable directly from the cloud.

For a full list of streamable games, visit here.

Cloud Streaming unlocks new ways to play: enjoy a game side-by-side with a friend who’s using your PS5 under a separate account, or stream your favorite game while someone else watches a movie on the console. Cloud Streaming also makes it easier to enjoy PS5 games on the go – at a hotel, café, friend’s place, or anywhere else with a high-speed internet Wi-Fi connection – since you can keep playing even when your PS5 console back home is powered off or is in use by another account.

Source

 

[subcon959]

Probably should've been a feature at launch, it seems a bit late now. Unless they couple it with a price reduction to go along with the fact you have to add subscription cost.

 

[TheStonedModder]

Cool now the thing is slightly less useless

My partner has one and no matter where she is in the house or outside our network it’s an unplayable pixelated experience

This is with a hardwired connection and 1000mb up and down from Google fiber. So network shouldn’t be a bottleneck

The tech just ain’t there for this

 

[LanHikariDS]

Considering it's for the PlayStation Portal, can it really be called a 'Major Update'?

 

[Flame]

I totally forgot about this device.

What was it called again? PlayStation N-gage?

 

[KingVamp]

If they are planning to make an actual handheld, they will probably add this feature to it too.

 

[AngryCinnabon]

Sorry, still e-waste. I miss the days where Sony actually made handheld CONSOLES.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Cool now the thing is slightly less useless

My partner has one and no matter where she is in the house or outside our network it’s an unplayable pixelated experience

This is with a hardwired connection and 1000mb up and down from Google fiber. So network shouldn’t be a bottleneck

The tech just ain’t there for this

Probably the wifi to the Portal itself that's the problem then. Game streaming over the local network is not a difficult thing, I've been doing it for a long time both with Steam Link and now the Quest 3. But if you live in a congested area, wifi can't be relied on for anything.

 

[TheStonedModder]

Probably the wifi to the Portal itself that's the problem then. Game streaming over the local network is not a difficult thing, I've been doing it for a long time both with Steam Link and now the Quest 3. But if you live in a congested area, wifi can't be relied on for anything.

How would you troubleshoot that?

I am definitely not in a congested area. My closest neighbor is an acre away

Steam link functions fine. Even quest 3.

It’s ps4/5 streaming specifically I’ve noticed which is odd

 

[yusuo]

Cool now the thing is slightly less useless

My partner has one and no matter where she is in the house or outside our network it’s an unplayable pixelated experience

This is with a hardwired connection and 1000mb up and down from Google fiber. So network shouldn’t be a bottleneck

The tech just ain’t there for this

Agreed, I had one and other than playing turn based RPG there was too much lag to be a viable experience. I sold mine recently after giving up on it

 

[Kioku]

“PlayStation Portal receives minor update that only applies to a specific subscription tier.”

Got it, thanks. Still an absolute waste of space.

 

[hippy dave]

I totally forgot about this device.

What was it called again? PlayStation N-gage?

It's easy to remember because its initials are PSP, which will never be confused for any other device.

 

[Earthshine]

Cool now the thing is slightly less useless

My partner has one and no matter where she is in the house or outside our network it’s an unplayable pixelated experience

This is with a hardwired connection and 1000mb up and down from Google fiber. So network shouldn’t be a bottleneck

The tech just ain’t there for this

A lot of that has to do with settings on the PS5. She's doing it wrong.

 

[BraveDragonWolf]

My console wifi is just straight ass at holding connections...

Can't hold it for more than 45 minutes if I remember.

 

[TheStonedModder]

A lot of that has to do with settings on the PS5. She's doing it wrong.

Okay..So what settings ?

Can’t exactly learn from a “you’re doing it wrong”

 

[cearp]

What was it called again? PlayStation N-gage?

ngage had games!
(I didn't have one myself, but did install the games to a different s60 phone, worked great)

 

[x65943]

PlayStation Portal and ROG Xbox Ally X speed running worst "handheld" of the decade

 

[The Catboy]

Wow, that should have been a feature at launch

 

[Axido]

A lot of that has to do with settings on the PS5. She's doing it wrong.

"You're holding it wrong."

If it doesn't work out of the box (especially within the rather limited PlayStation ecosystem) this is not the user's fault, but horrible product design. To be struggling with something as mundane as PS5 stock settings is not what I would expect from a first-party device.

Anyway, if you know which setting in particular needs to be adjusted, would you please enlighten us?

And my two cents on the general topic:
Even after this announcement I still don't think that the PS Portal is worth more than said two cents on top of the price of a regular controller.

 

[x65943]

Wow, that should have been a feature at launch

It has been available for a year, but was technically a beta feature until today

https://blog.playstation.com/2024/1...-experience-to-evolve-with-new-system-update/