PlayStation Portal sales soar as cloud gaming update injects new life into Sony’s handheld
PlayStation Portal may be worth picking up this Black Friday
🤬 The PlayStation Portal initially faced criticism for its limited Remote Play functionality
🎮 A new update enables cloud streaming, allowing users to play owned games and over 2,000 PlayStation Plus Game Catalog titles
📈 This update has significantly boosted sales, particularly in Japan, with many retailers selling out
🥇 Sony data shows Portal users are highly engaged, with the device becoming the primary method for PS5 Remote Play and a high adoption rate for cloud streaming among Premium subscribers
The PlayStation Portal rightly received criticism when it launched. Aimed solely at those who wanted to stream their games via Remote Play, the PlayStation handheld was extremely limited and the very definition of a niche product.
However, Sony has transformed the Portal’s fortunes with a new update that enables cloud streaming. You can finally play the games you own over the cloud, as well as over 2,000 titles included in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog.
Clearly, the move has resonated with consumers, as I’ve seen countless people picking up the PlayStation Portal in the last few days. From what I can tell, Japanese gamers in particular have purchased the PlayStation Portal in droves, causing the handheld to be sold out at some retailers.
I’ve tested PlayStation Cloud Streaming in the past, and I must say it was largely an excellent experience. It was leagues ahead of Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming, which has always suffered from subpar image quality and performance.
Having a device with an 8-inch screen that retains all the DualSense features like haptic feedback and also features 3D audio is appealing, then, and giving PlayStation Portal owners thousands of games to play is the icing on the cake.
It doesn’t mean the PlayStation Portal is an easy recommendation. Nor is it a replacement for a genuine handheld like the rumored PSP 2. A PlayStation Plus Premium subscription isn’t cheap at $160 a year, and the lack of Bluetooth support for wireless headphones continues to baffle. However, cloud streaming is the shot in the arm the PS Portal desperately needed.
Takuro Fushimi, senior manager, product management at Sony Interactive Entertainment PlayStation has shared just how successful the Portal has been, even before the cloud streaming update arrived.
“Before we launched the Portal, some questioned whether there would be demand for it, as it is such a unique product being a dedicated Remote Play device to start off with. However, we’ve seen the community’s response has been overwhelming.
“Our data shows that PlayStation portal users are more engaged than non-users. PlayStation portal has now become the most widely used device for PlayStation 5 Remote Play, surpassing mobile PC, PS5, and PS4.
“PS Portal continues to be a complementary device to the console and not a standalone yet. The average gameplay session on PlayStation Portal is around two hours.”
Fushimi also told TechRadar Gaming that “one in five PS portal owners have already tried cloud game streaming, the beta version already for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers, especially, [the] adoption rate is a much higher. Seven out of 10 Premium Portal owners are already streaming as we speak now.”
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.