Sony Goes Full Liquidation Mode on PlayStation Portal, Remote PS5 Gaming Suddenly Got Cheaper

Handheld gaming devices have become very popular but most of them require you to buy games separately or manage cloud subscriptions with libraries that aren’t always full. With Sony’s PlayStation Portal, you can stream your entire game collection that is already on your PS5 console: This means you can play the exact games you own without having to buy them again.

This handheld doesn’t go on sale very often, so Amazon’s current drop from $199 to $179 is the first real price cut since Black Friday. It’s a great last-minute Christmas gift for anyone who has a PS5 sitting around in the living room but you need to order quickly because Amazon only guarantees delivery before Christmas while supplies last.

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Play on The Go

The Portal connects to your PS5 console over your home Wi-Fi network and streams games directly to the beautiful 8-inch LCD screen on the handheld. The PS5 does all the hard work, and the Portal is like a remote display with built-in controls that’s why you see the same pictures as on your TV. With this setup, you can start a game on your couch and then switch to the Portal without losing your place and you can play in bed, the kitchen, or even outside in the backyard. Your PS5 needs to stay on or in Rest Mode with a stable broadband connection, but once you’ve set it up, the pairing process happens automatically every time you turn on the Portal.

For smooth gameplay, Sony says your home network should have at least 15 Mbps upload speed, but the device can work with as little as 5 Mbps. The Portal streams at 1080p resolution and can hit 60 frames per second in games that support it which means that fast-paced shooters and racing games stay responsive without the stuttering or input lag that many other streaming services have. That full HD screen makes things clearer and sharper, so you can see text and UI elements better during intense gaming sessions.

PlayStation Plus Premium members can stream games straight from Sony’s cloud servers without having to use a PS5 console: This gives them access to more features. You can instantly access hundreds of games from the Game Catalog and Classics Catalog. New games are added every month to keep the library fresh. You can also stream some digital PS5 games from your PlayStation Store library to the Portal without having to download anything which saves space on your hard drive and lets you start playing huge games right away.

With Tempest 3D AudioTech, you can get spatial audio that surrounds you when you use headphones that work with it, either through a PlayStation Link wireless connection or a regular 3.5mm wired jack. Supported games layer sound directionally so you can hear enemy footsteps behind you or rain falling from certain angles which makes the experience more immersive than flat stereo audio. The Portal’s built-in speakers are fine for casual use, but when you plug in good headphones, you can hear how much sound detail you’ve been missing.

The controller layout is the same as the DualSense design you already know with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers that push back when you do things like draw a bowstring or hit the brakes. Your muscle memory transfers right away because Sony basically cut a DualSense controller in half and attached each half to the screen, keeping the same button placement and grip feel. The adaptive triggers change resistance depending on what you do in the game. For example, pulling the trigger on a pistol feels different than pulling the trigger on a shotgun.

This is the lowest price the Portal has ever been, and for PS5 owners, it solves the age-old problem of fighting over who gets to use the TV: You can keep playing while someone else watches sports or streams movies.

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