🆕 Sony has announced a new Japan-exclusive PlayStation Portal
🤔 The handheld comes with extra internal storage compared to the original
🤷♀️ Sony says it’s for ‘future functionality’ although hasn’t specified exactly what just yet
💰 It’ll cost ¥39,980 (approx $250) – the same price as the existing model in Japan
Sony has announced a brand new Japan-exclusive PlayStation Portal with more internal storage for ‘future functionality’, although we don’t entirely know what it’ll be for.
As per the official PlayStation blog in Japan, the PlayStation Portal Player console will be released on December 10 only in Japan, at a price of ¥39,980 (approx $250).
The handheld acts as a companion to the PS5 Midnight Black Edition, which Sony announced last month, and is a special region-locked Japan-only version of the digital PS5. It’s also providing a month of PS Plus for the privilege with this new handheld.
Intriguingly, the blog post states that the handheld will have extra storage compared to the existing PlayStation Portal models, but doesn’t go as far as to say what it’s for:
“The new model continues to offer the same key features of the DualSense Wireless Controller, including an 8-inch, 1080p/60fps LCD display, 3D Audio, haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers,” it says (via machine translation). “Furthermore, with an eye towards future functionality, the new model includes additional internal storage. We will announce details about this feature as soon as they are finalized.”
As per VGC, dataminers have estimated the current PS Portal has 6GB of internal storage, which players don’t get access to, as the handheld only streams games rather than running them natively.
Sony hasn’t said how much storage will be added, although with the cost of the ‘standard’ PlayStation Portal being an identical ¥39,980, it’s unlikely to be a needle-moving increase.
The blog post also notes that the handheld is going to be renamed and will henceforth be known as the PlayStation Portal Player, which drops the ‘Remote’ from the original name.
Up next: Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 restock: where I’m tracking Nintendo’s console and Pro controller
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.