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Playstation Portal reviews

Snake29

RSI Employee of the Year
People are not looking at the bigger picture. Its actually a genius device and a gateway into PlayStation's cloud gaming at only $200 so the casuals and hardcore will pick it up.

They're pushing a cloud device into the market onto their huge base and trying to put it in as many hands as possible.

They will have this cloud device introduced to their casual base before Microsoft even makes Xcloud a big thing and this device is the future of their portable so thats their answer to Nintendo, and Steams portable devices.

That's why it's called PS PORTAL. It then opens the gateway to the cloud next. Also, this whole PS Portal thing right now makes me laugh on X and forums, now that people realize that they just have a bad network at home and that having a fast connection doesn't say anything. So many factors which can give you a bad experience.
 
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HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
The only reason to waste your money on this is if you're a cuck and too cheap to buy a second television when your woman is hogging the other one.
I have plenty of TVs and still love this little device to sit outside and listen to nature and grind some MLB The Show season points

Nice try though

Swing Miss GIF by MOODMAN
 

Killjoy-NL

Member
Lol surprisingly not currently. But actually you could waste money on this if you're single too. Same thing applies, if you don't feel like buying an actual TV.
I have two tvs, one in the living room, one in the bedroom.
I live in an appartment and my living room and bedroom are basically in the same room.

I can always ask my gf to watch tv on bed while I play on our main tv, but sometimes I won't mind using Portal so we can just chill together on the couch.

Same on a lazy sunday morning, me on my Portal and her watching tv, in bed together.

More than enough uses for something like Portal.
Especially as our newborn grows older (currently 4 months old), or if my gf and her son want to watch a movie on our main tv.
 
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Giallo Corsa

Gold Member
PSA:
Set PS5 video output to 60HZ!!!

Not a bullet point in the OP.


I'm sure it's been said here already, but it's a pretty crucial bit of information for not having a laggy shitfest on/in your hands!

Reddit/Twitter/etc. is currently littered with Luddites that haven't figured this out/actually read the set up guide.
Smart shoppers will keep a close eye on Facebook marketplace and the like after Christmas due to the potential droves of dummies that don't figure this out and ditch their gifted Portals on the cheap;}

Again, we have to see the hard evidence/receipts, just 'cause people on reddit said so (God knows the amount of BS goes on in there) doesn't necessarily make it so.

The 120Hz thing is something that happens between the PS5 and the TV - let's call it a "handshake" - you give the "OK" from the PS5 to display at double the refresh rate IF the other device connected (your 4K, 120Hz VRR TV) can support it, if it does, then and only then does the TV start displaying at 120Hz (more bandwith).

When you take the TV out of the equation...nothing happens, the PS5 doesn't suddenly start outputting at double the framerate/refresh rate to something that doesn't support it (even via mirroring/casting which is what the portal basically does) at double the bandwidth since you PS5 can operate with the TV turned off.

What is happening most probably, is that people have enabled the various 120Hz game modes via in-game options with some of them running at unlocked framerates and while the various framerate fluctuations aren't as visible on the TV due to VRR, it's something that is indeed visible/palpable on the portal's screen.

For the time being, unless someone from a reputable technical channel comes forward and mentions the exact opposite, I'll have to chalk this up to Placebo.

Again, I'm one of the "lucky ones" that is using RP on his tablet (Tab S9+) with absolutely 0 problems and i do have my TV set up to display at 120Hz (LG C2), then again, my PS5 is hardwired to a non-shitty ISP provided router (TP Link archer Ax5), I've set static IPs to everything, I've given my PS5 bandwidth priority through the QoS menu from within my router , I have a pretty steady 1Gb connection and my tab's wi-fi antenna is also good.

Unfortunately streaming is what it is - there's just too many variables involved causing each user to have a completely different experience from one another.
 
meh... I can stream the ps5 from my steam deck if I really wanted to. I do it from my pc all the time, but streaming anything over wifi has its drawbacks, even fast wifi6.

Steaming is ok for a few minutes and then the stuttering happens and or resolution breaks and choppiness. I don't see how this device will be different. It was like that with remote play on vita to ps3/ps4. It was like that with steam deck. Its that way on Steam link to pc over wifi.

I recently hardwired my pc and steamlink, before on wifi streaming would have issues, being on Ethernet stopped all issues except for the load in at the start. I don't know how they can negate the stuttering / resolution syncs from packet loss on wifi. Maybe if PS5 broadcast its own wifi signal like a printer would, it could have a dedicated communications stream, there is still packet loss though which is viewable when its a constant stream of data.
 

midnightAI

Member
Steaming is ok for a few minutes and then the stuttering happens and or resolution breaks and choppiness. I don't see how this device will be different. It was like that with remote play on vita to ps3/ps4. It was like that with steam deck. Its that way on Steam link to pc over wifi.
I've been playing Spider Man 2 for 4 hours solid with no break up or degradation of picture at all, and thats across 5ghz PS5 > Router > Portal (I'll be doing wired PS5 > router tomorrow)
 

Killjoy-NL

Member
Again, we have to see the hard evidence/receipts, just 'cause people on reddit said so (God knows the amount of BS goes on in there) doesn't necessarily make it so.

The 120Hz thing is something that happens between the PS5 and the TV - let's call it a "handshake" - you give the "OK" from the PS5 to display at double the refresh rate IF the other device connected (your 4K, 120Hz VRR TV) can support it, if it does, then and only then does the TV start displaying at 120Hz (more bandwith).

When you take the TV out of the equation...nothing happens, the PS5 doesn't suddenly start outputting at double the framerate/refresh rate to something that doesn't support it (even via mirroring/casting which is what the portal basically does) at double the bandwidth since you PS5 can operate with the TV turned off.

What is happening most probably, is that people have enabled the various 120Hz game modes via in-game options with some of them running at unlocked framerates and while the various framerate fluctuations aren't as visible on the TV due to VRR, it's something that is indeed visible/palpable on the portal's screen.

For the time being, unless someone from a reputable technical channel comes forward and mentions the exact opposite, I'll have to chalk this up to Placebo.

Again, I'm one of the "lucky ones" that is using RP on his tablet (Tab S9+) with absolutely 0 problems and i do have my TV set up to display at 120Hz (LG C2), then again, my PS5 is hardwired to a non-shitty ISP provided router (TP Link archer Ax5), I've set static IPs to everything, I've given my PS5 bandwidth priority through the QoS menu from within my router , I have a pretty steady 1Gb connection and my tab's wi-fi antenna is also good.

Unfortunately streaming is what it is - there's just too many variables involved causing each user to have a completely different experience from one another.
Maybe I'm wrong, but likely the PS5 recognises the tv connected to the PS5 system and only transfers the image over wifi to Portal.
Just like HDR. I turned it off at the PS5 settings to fix colors being off on Portal.

Makes sense the same applies to 120hz.

I turned off 120hz on PS5 and it does seem to improve performance on Portal. But I also changed settings ingame for various games.

So maybe it's just my imagination.
 
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Nankatsu

Gold Member
People with portal, if your TV is off does your Portal suggests TV settings to you enabling you to tweak them in order to use the device?
 
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I have two tvs, one in the living room, one in the bedroom.
I live in an appartment and my living room and bedroom are basically in the same room.

I can always ask my gf to watch tv on bed while I play on our main tv, but sometimes I won't mind using Portal so we can just chill together on the couch.

Same on a lazy sunday morning, me on my Portal and her watching tv, in bed together.

More than enough uses for something like Portal.
Especially as our newborn grows older (currently 4 months old), or if my gf and her son want to watch a movie on our main tv.

I'll mainly use it at work. I've used remote play from work and it works great so I'll do the same with this. Also I don't know why but old games like Sea of Stars that have that old retro gaming style just feel better on hand held devices like this. I played through Ender Lilies on my steam deck even when I was at home. It just felt better to play on the deck than on my TV.
 

Markio128

Member
Just out of interest, I thought I’d try remote play using my iPad - a kind of litmus test for the portal. The last time I tried it was a good while ago, and I wasn’t too impressed if I’m being honest.

I’m not sure what’s improved, but streaming does seem a lot better now. I played Elden Ring from the beginning and completed the first main boss and a couple of minor bosses, and I only noticed a very brief period of lag when I was just wandering around.

It was perfectly playable, and has made the portal something that I will definitely pick up once they are back in stock.
 

Raonak

Banned
Has anyone actually tried remote play on phones/tablets? It works, but it's not convenient at all.

You put your phone/tablet on a side table or something while playing with a dualsense on hand, which also works, but you're squinting while looking at the screen.
Or you pay 100$ for a backbone controller, which isn't nearly as comfortable.
In both these cases you're manging multiple devices with multiple batteries.

PS Portal is the best way to remote play, because it's extremely convenient. And a lot of people will pay for that convenience.
Especially for people like me who only game on PS5.
I don't care or want a swtich or a steam deck or whatever other stuff is out there.
 

PaintTinJr

Member
Small update for my experience of lag/glitching for anyone that's interested.

For reasons of house improvements I can't drop a gigabit cable between PS5 and router at the moment, but have tested using LAN over power (50-100MBit/s) and it made things worse, compared to the 5Ghz on PS5 and portal. However, on my 5Ghz setup I enabled a second channel frequency as auto- in addition to the primary already set at channel 36 - because my router's 5Ghz can handle 4 Chains, but that initially made no difference, but I have also tried using 2.4Ghz on both devices and mix of 5Ghz on one, 2.4Ghz on the other, and surprisingly using Portal on the slower longer range, more fault tolerant 2.4Ghz with fatter channels - like the WiiU tablet operates - and having the PS5 on the 5Ghz has made a marked improvement to eliminate glitches....

It has got me thinking about setting up a VLAN on my router and putting just the PS5 and Portal in that VLAN to see if isolating them within the router - like the WiiU does with it's out of IEEE spec direct connection - will mimic the Wiiu situation so the the PS5 and portal won't even read broadcast headers from the 30 other LAN devices on the router and exclusively handle traffic for each of them, while also being isolated from each others interference by operating on different Wifi frequencies and interfaces within the router.

//edit
And on another plus note I've probably been able to fit in an extra 2-3hrs of gaming today because of the turn key nature of the Portal and the ability to not need the lounge TV to game.
 
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Sleepwalker

Member
Has anyone actually tried remote play on phones/tablets? It works, but it's not convenient at all.

You put your phone/tablet on a side table or something while playing with a dualsense on hand, which also works, but you're squinting while looking at the screen.
Or you pay 100$ for a backbone controller, which isn't nearly as comfortable.
In both these cases you're manging multiple devices with multiple batteries.

PS Portal is the best way to remote play, because it's extremely convenient. And a lot of people will pay for that convenience.
Especially for people like me who only game on PS5.
I don't care or want a swtich or a steam deck or whatever other stuff is out there.

Thats what I think everytime I see these posts, I have a tab S9 ultra, the thing is gorgeous AMOLED 120hz screen and proper dualsense support but like, im laying in bed with my wife and to remote play to it I would have to lay it in the middle of the bed then grab a dualsense and sit, or set it on the nighstand and turn my back towards my wife to play while straining my neck.

Same thing if im laying down on the couch, id have to place the tablet on my stomach then raise my arms and hold the dualsense behind my head so it doesnt obstruct my vision lol.

It works fine if youre sitting in a living room and have a table but not much more.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
That's why it's called PS PORTAL. It then opens the gateway to the cloud next. Also, this whole PS Portal thing right now makes me laugh on X and forums, not that people realize that they just have a bad network at home and that having a fast connection doesn't say anything. So many factors which can give you a bad experience.

f they wanted to open it to the cloud then it should, you know, support the cloud.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
The only reason to waste your money on this is if you're a cuck and too cheap to buy a second television when your woman is hogging the other one.
lol

I have four 55-75 inch tvs in the house. But my PS5 is connected to my oled in my man cave/office which is also connected to my PC. Now if my son wants to play playstation, he has to wait for me to finish working, or stop playing pc games. poor bastard wakes up at 7AM in the morning even on weekdays to get some gaming time in. especially recently since ive been working late and on weekends.

this solves that very niche problem. he gets to play on the playstation and i dont have to hear knocking on my door at fucking 5:30 PM every day reminding me i should be done with work.

of course, his ipad can do the same thing, but i didnt know about it until the portal came out. it works surprisingly well, but he has to pair and unpair the controller every time which is annoying. i havent decided to pick up my preorder from gamestop when it becomes available but for those who dont have ipads and a spare ps5 controller, this is a pretty cool device. the fact that it has little to no lag even if you are using it tethered to your phone is crazy.
 

Shifty1897

Member
Booted it up and immediately noticed something was wrong. Picture was fuzzy as hell. I logged into my Google Mesh Wi-Fi and noticed the PS5 was actually connected on the 2.4Ghz band. I Google it and find out you can't force only 5Ghz on Google Mesh Wi-Fi. Thankfully on the PS5 network settings you can press the start button to filter by band to list 5 Ghz networks only. I reconnect and boom, crisp ass 1080p picture, running great. Latency is there but not super noticeable. There is the occasional stutter though, once every few minutes, going to try hard wiring the PS5 to the router just to see if that clears it up completely. Either way, this thing is gonna be perfect for all the RPGs I throw at it.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Small update for my experience of lag/glitching for anyone that's interested.

For reasons of house improvements I can't drop a gigabit cable between PS5 and router at the moment, but have tested using LAN over power (50-100MBit/s) and it made things worse, compared to the 5Ghz on PS5 and portal. However, on my 5Ghz setup I enabled a second channel frequency as auto- in addition to the primary already set at channel 36 - because my router's 5Ghz can handle 4 Chains, but that initially made no difference, but I have also tried using 2.4Ghz on both devices and mix of 5Ghz on one, 2.4Ghz on the other, and surprisingly using Portal on the slower longer range, more fault tolerant 2.4Ghz with fatter channels - like the WiiU tablet operates - and having the PS5 on the 5Ghz has made a marked improvement to eliminate glitches....

It has got me thinking about setting up a VLAN on my router and putting just the PS5 and Portal in that VLAN to see if isolating them within the router - like the WiiU does with it's out of IEEE spec direct connection - will mimic the Wiiu situation so the the PS5 and portal won't even read broadcast headers from the 30 other LAN devices on the router and exclusively handle traffic for each of them, while also being isolated from each others interference by operating on different Wifi frequencies and interfaces within the router.

//edit
And on another plus note I've probably been able to fit in an extra 2-3hrs of gaming today because of the turn key nature of the Portal and the ability to not need the lounge TV to game.
My experience with 2.4G vs 5G is very much the same. 2.4g has higher range so it actually works better upstairs, but of course i get slower download speeds. 5G has faster speeds but worse coverage especially through walls. 6G cant even penetrate through some of my walls. its bizarre, my ps5 and pc cant even detect the 6Ghz connection. my laptop can but i only get one out of 3 bars and pretty much the same speeds as 5GHz.

What ive done is put all the ipads and tvs on 2.4 GHz, and keep my pc and playstation as dedicated 5Ghz devices. this way the kids can worry about slower download speeds on their ipads and switches or whatever bs signal interference occurs when you have too many devices using the same channel. my PC and PS5 dont have to worry about anything, and i get great fast downloads every time.
 

Shifty1897

Member
As a test, I just connected the PS5 to a wired connection. This is the true Portal experience. I didn't notice a single hitch or dropped frame, I'm upstairs in the living room, my PS5 is downstairs in the family room, my kid is next to me watching Go Dog Go on Netflix and I'm mopping up side quests in Valkyrie Elysium.

Life is good.
 

coffinbirth

Member
Again, we have to see the hard evidence/receipts, just 'cause people on reddit said so (God knows the amount of BS goes on in there) doesn't necessarily make it so.

The 120Hz thing is something that happens between the PS5 and the TV - let's call it a "handshake" - you give the "OK" from the PS5 to display at double the refresh rate IF the other device connected (your 4K, 120Hz VRR TV) can support it, if it does, then and only then does the TV start displaying at 120Hz (more bandwith).

When you take the TV out of the equation...nothing happens, the PS5 doesn't suddenly start outputting at double the framerate/refresh rate to something that doesn't support it (even via mirroring/casting which is what the portal basically does) at double the bandwidth since you PS5 can operate with the TV turned off.

What is happening most probably, is that people have enabled the various 120Hz game modes via in-game options with some of them running at unlocked framerates and while the various framerate fluctuations aren't as visible on the TV due to VRR, it's something that is indeed visible/palpable on the portal's screen.

For the time being, unless someone from a reputable technical channel comes forward and mentions the exact opposite, I'll have to chalk this up to Placebo.

Again, I'm one of the "lucky ones" that is using RP on his tablet (Tab S9+) with absolutely 0 problems and i do have my TV set up to display at 120Hz (LG C2), then again, my PS5 is hardwired to a non-shitty ISP provided router (TP Link archer Ax5), I've set static IPs to everything, I've given my PS5 bandwidth priority through the QoS menu from within my router , I have a pretty steady 1Gb connection and my tab's wi-fi antenna is also good.

Unfortunately streaming is what it is - there's just too many variables involved causing each user to have a completely different experience from one another.
Being laggy as hell in 120hz mode is the only evidence I need. This did not occur with my phone, it seems to be a Portal thing and/or the app detects it properly.
It's not a placebo effect, setting to 60hz instantly fixed it.

PS5, by default, is set to auto-detect...and that's what's causing most people to have lag issues currently.
It's a simple settings change, not a global conspiracy theory, lmao.

Having said that, you are correct in that it shouldn't have an effect and also in that there are many variables that could make this setting change have no effect whatsoever. I have overkill internet and hardware, so that was my personal fix, for whatever reason. I also wasn't testing with any games that were internally set to 120hz either, to clarify.
 
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Boss Man

Member
Network:
Cable 250 down/10 up
Google Mesh
PS5 hardwired

My impression so far:

Device:
It feels like playing with a PS5 controller. Screen is the perfect size. Setup was effortless. Unlike most, I actually really like the barebones operating system. The “portal” animation for connecting is cool. Biggest gripe is lack of bluetooth, but I didn’t consider that you can actually still use your PS5 headphones connected directly to the PS5 for audio.

Gameplay:
It’s remote play. There’s no quality improvement here. I certainly perceive an input delay when paying attention but in most games I only notice it occasionally while engrossed in the game. Played a session of BG3 last night and it was totally serviceable. I could play the whole game this way. Image quality was worse than I expected it to be.


I would say that you should try using remote play on a different device before purchasing. If you can tolerate remote play, the portal is a super sleek and comfortable device for it. I enjoyed hanging out in the living room and playing BG3 without using the TV. If you’ve ever played your Nintendo Switch off of the dock while at home, that’s what this is for.

I upgraded a couple of ethernet cables (modem -> router, LAN switch -> PS5) and noticed an improvement.
 
I would say that you should try using remote play on a different device before purchasing. If you can tolerate remote play, the portal is a super sleek and comfortable device for it. I enjoyed hanging out in the living room and playing BG3 without using the TV. If you’ve ever played your Nintendo Switch off of the dock while at home, that’s what this is for.

See, this is the thing. Remote play has the same level of performance, the only real difference with this device is a little convenience. It's a tough sell. "For $200 you get a controller and larger screen" just isn't a compelling offer for most people. That's outside of having the proper mindset and network setup to support the best possible experience.

Based on reports so far, it seems playing with your PS5's settings may be similar to the pain having to pair a controller with a phone or tablet.
 

demigod

Member
Has anyone actually tried remote play on phones/tablets? It works, but it's not convenient at all.

You put your phone/tablet on a side table or something while playing with a dualsense on hand, which also works, but you're squinting while looking at the screen.
Or you pay 100$ for a backbone controller, which isn't nearly as comfortable.
In both these cases you're manging multiple devices with multiple batteries.

PS Portal is the best way to remote play, because it's extremely convenient. And a lot of people will pay for that convenience.
Especially for people like me who only game on PS5.
I don't care or want a swtich or a steam deck or whatever other stuff is out there.
Tried it other day with just iphone, fucking terrible. Anyone who says to use iphone or ipad probably has never tried it before. Like you said, its not convenient.
 

TexMex

Member
Man I’ve got comparable or better network stats to a lot of what I’m seeing here and I just can’t get this thing to perform at the same experience I’m reading.

Constantly shifting resolution, audio popping, etc. Just running like junk for me. What’s weird is that the latency feels great, hardly noticeable if at all.
 

Nankatsu

Gold Member
So let me get this straight: if you want to do a mix between

a) Using the portal with the TV off or being used to watch something else
b) Gaming normally on the TV

You have to constantly switch TV & console settings back and forward?
 

midnightAI

Member
So let me get this straight: if you want to do a mix between

a) Using the portal with the TV off or being used to watch something else
b) Gaming normally on the TV

You have to constantly switch TV & console settings back and forward?
The only setting I change is HDR so no big deal (I actually need to test how much of a difference that makes really as I had HDR on originally and I dont think it made that much difference, but I havent switched between the two directly after each other to see the differences, but others say it did so I just turned it off). That 120hz setting I see no difference, but I'll do more testing over the weekend.

Any of these small issues I'm sure will easily be patched anyway.
 
Somewhat intersted in one of these for my son. Has anybody tried using it outside of the house yet? Maybe at a friends or even public wifi? It would be great to be able to take this if we go away for the weekend if my son could still connect and use it.
Asked this the other day but didn't see any responses. Anyone able to test on anything other than home network?
 

Nankatsu

Gold Member
The only setting I change is HDR so no big deal (I actually need to test how much of a difference that makes really as I had HDR on originally and I dont think it made that much difference, but I havent switched between the two directly after each other to see the differences, but others say it did so I just turned it off). That 120hz setting I see no difference, but I'll do more testing over the weekend.

Any of these small issues I'm sure will easily be patched anyway.

When you change the HDR does it only effect the Portal or the whole setup?

What I mean by this is: when you go back to play on the TV you have to setup HDR once again?
 

midnightAI

Member
When you change the HDR does it only effect the Portal or the whole setup?

What I mean by this is: when you go back to play on the TV you have to setup HDR once again?
Well it only an off/on toggle, takes a second to do, I can see a patch coming soon enough to fix these sort of things as they should be simple fixes
 
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FrankWza

Member
Played some Robocop on this, worked fine no quality loss and the game looked good. Gonna try a few more games. Its really comfortable to hold.
My copy is coming tomorrow. I even watched the movies over the last couple of days. Looking forward to playing and swapping displays.

As for the Portal...
This thing is pretty damn cool.

Feels premium, Looks premium and the screen is really nice. If it had back buttons it would really be perfect for me. Easily the best remote play option I have tried. Least amount of hassle than tab/phone+dualsense and the controller part is better than any addon-style because it's a DualSense.
 
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its very pixelated
That's a shame. How did you find the lag? Not sure my son would mind pixelated so much but the lag would get him
It depends on the connection, I tried it at my sisters and it wasnt much different to local, slightly more input latency but the picture quality was spot on
I don't suppose you've tried it out fo the house? Maybe public wifi or even tethered to a 5G phone?
 

Nankatsu

Gold Member
Well it only an off/on toggle, takes a second to do, I can see a patch coming soon enough to fix these sort of things as they should be simple fixes

Well it only an off/on toggle, takes a second to do, I can see a patch coming soon enough to fix these sort of things as they should be simple fixes
An on/off toogle on the portal?

Because mine makes me setup HDR everytime the TV is off on using a different input channel, haven't been able to see a on/off toogle on the Portal itself.

If you're talking about the console itself sure, but that makes you go to the console, turn HDR off, turn tv off, and then use the portal.

Or am I missing something here?
 
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