It took a while to get here, but the PlayStation Portal’s cloud streaming ability is a welcome addition.
Sony recently updated its PlayStation Portal to have the capability to stream games directly to the device without needing to connect to a PlayStation 5. The main catch is the user needs an active PlayStation Plus Premium subscription to access this feature.
While sticking this behind a paywall isn’t ideal, the service itself is a great option. I recently splurged the PS Plus Premium tier after a Black Friday sale and tested out the service. It is awesome.
Prior to the upgrade, the device was primarily a remote player that would mirror the PlayStation 5 screen on the device, allowing players to play in handheld rather than on the TV. This was a nice service but was admittedly niche.
As a father of three children, it was welcome to be able to play in handheld rather than on the TV when the kids wanted to watch Bluey. That said, it limited the device.
You could use it away from the home, it worked best in the same home — in my case, room — so it could properly connect to the console and Internet. You still need Internet to stream via the cloud but that opens up the possibilities.
Many have played the PS Portal away from home with varied results. While the cloud streaming is dependent on your Internet connection, it does eliminate a connection and frees up the processing.
Again, this is not a perfect transition, but it does open up what the PS Portal actually is. While still a remote player, it does give it some autonomy as a handheld console.
The biggest drawback is the need for a PS Plus Premium subscription to utilize it. The PS Portal retails at $199.99 USD, that’s on top of the price of a PS5 console that ranges from $499-$749. Furthermore, a PS Plus Premium subscription costs $159.99 per year so the bill adds up quickly.
This is not a feature that will really benefit a newcomer. Rather, it is aimed at those who already own the hardware and may be looking for more of a reason to upgrade to premium. I upgraded to premium because it was 33% off for a year. Otherwise, I wouldn’t upgrade.
That’s quite a few hoops to jump through, and likely won’t change many people’s minds on getting a PS Portal. That said, if you have the hardware, the subscription upgrade may be worth it if the situation is right.
The biggest complaint the PS Portal got was it was not an independent console. Many were looking for the next PS Portable of PS Vita. The cloud streaming isn’t that, but it does bring the Portal a step closer.
In my limited experience with the streaming, the gameplay was smooth and it was fun to dive into games in handheld. I have a big ski trip coming up and I look forward to using the Portal away from home. That was something that wasn’t necessarily an option when I first got the device a year ago.
Sony’s main issue here is the constant nickel and diming going on to get to what shouldn’t be that foreign of an idea: playing your library in handheld. With the ever creeping onset of digital gaming, Sony should’ve have made this feature or something similar available much sooner.
Still, the addition is a welcome one that will get plenty of use. If anything, it opens the niche of the console ever so slightly to get more usage for the device.
What about you? Are you happy to see the cloud streaming available for the PS Portal? Will it enhance your gameplay with the device? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: PlayStation Blog
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