When I first unboxed the PlayStation Portal, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Part of me thought, “This is just a glorified remote play device, right?” But seven days in, I can’t stop reaching for it—even when my PS5 is just a room away.
Let me take you back to Day One.
I had just finished a long workday, and all I wanted was to unwind with some God of War Ragnarök. The living room TV was taken (again), and normally, that would’ve meant waiting—or awkward negotiations. Not this time. I grabbed the Portal, connected to Wi-Fi, and within 30 seconds, I was in Midgard, slashing through draugr without missing a frame.
What surprised me most?
The 8-inch LCD display. It’s crisp. I mean, really crisp. At 1080p/60fps, it doesn’t feel like a handheld—it feels like a PS5 in your hands. And because it uses Remote Play, it’s streaming directly from my own console. No cloud lag. No weird input delay. Just pure, seamless gaming.
But the real magic is in the DualSense integration.
I didn’t expect full adaptive triggers and haptic feedback—but it’s all there. Every arrow Aloy draws in Horizon Forbidden West, every thunderous tackle in FIFA, feels exactly like it does on the main controller. I genuinely forgot I was playing on a screen smaller than my TV.
Let’s talk comfort.
It’s lighter than it looks, perfectly balanced, and the controls are exactly like the DualSense—so there’s no learning curve. I even found myself lying in bed, Portal in hand, totally immersed, while my PS5 sat two rooms away doing the heavy lifting.
Of course, it’s not perfect.
There’s no Bluetooth, which means I had to rely on a wired headset or use Sony’s proprietary wireless gear (thankfully, my Pulse Explore earbuds handled it well). And yes, you do need a stable internet connection—but if your Wi-Fi is solid, the experience feels local.
My verdict?
The PlayStation Portal isn’t trying to be a Nintendo Switch or a Steam Deck. It’s not meant to replace your console—it extends it. And it does that beautifully. For someone like me who often shares a living space, it turns my PS5 into a personal, anywhere-anytime console.
It’s not just a remote play device—it’s my escape hatch.
And honestly? I didn’t know how badly I needed that.