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[ByWatterson]

So, the Portal, the total sales of which and it's mandatory requirement of a home PS5 to even function, would be capped within ~120-150 million total LTD PS5's sold (and I'm being generous to the PS5 even touching PS2 numbers) by this generation's end and the $200 Portal itself ($400 mandatory PS5 + $200 Portal), is going to be a bigger threat to the Xbox Cloud game streaming services, which is playing and aiming for success in a market of a potential 6.5 billion (B I L L I O N) smartphone customers on this planet, who don't need any additional hardware than their phones?

Mobile network subscriptions worldwide 2028 | Statista

How many smartphone mobile network subscriptions are active worldwide? The number of smartphone mobile network subscriptions worldwide reached almost seven billion in 2023, and is forecast to exceed 7.7 billion by 2028.

www.statista.com

This is also assuming the Portal has a 100% attach rate with the total PS5 units sold.

Make this lunacy make sense.

Because:

1. Playstation is actually, you know, popular; and
2. They're likely to update it to allow actual cloud streaming.

In short, people like dedicated handhelds, Sony has a device already penetrating, and a brand that can actually do it.

No one actually wants Gamepass to play on a phone.

 

[rodrigolfp]

My Steam Deck and phone too, by your logic. I can also stream from Xbox Series with them. And GFN. And my Desktop. And PSNow. And XCloud.

 

[JohnnyPhats]

Yeah sure, it's gonna change the world...
...

In my 47 years on this planet, I have witnessed and been a part of all generations of gaming.

The Portal however, has made me question what I feel is possible in this life. I feel truly blessed to live in the time of the Portal. Truly a revolution I never dreamed possible.

 

[Mobilemofo]

I blame companies for going full retard with their metrics. It makes every dumb thing become a discussion.

Stupid levers pulled will be the next thing people brag about.

We all know, by now, that you never, EVER go full retard.NEVER.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

You can literally play Xbox Gamepass PC on GeForce Now on your phone. There's already a contender. And all you need is a Backbone. Why are people acting like the Portal is the next big thing since sliced bread. Its not.

Nobody's acting like it's the next big thing.

It's just some people that are adament that it isn't.

 

[Elbereth]

Anecdotal, but here it is:

This morning, I was looking to see if I could grab a Playstation from the Black Friday sale at Target. ($349.00) for my little one. As I was on the site, I searched for the Playstation Portal just for kicks... Apparently there was limited stock in the location a few miles for me.

I thought to myself, eh, why not. It's at least worth a shot. So I jumped out of bed and got to the Target. Sure enough, the was a single Playstation Portal behind the locked case. I found a store employee to retrieve it for purchase. As he was getting it out, we both looked to our right to see a scooter flying down the same aisle. A middle-aged lady was saying that she came all the way from Oklahoma to snag it.

Initially, I felt bad because I only wanted the Portal after the subsequent hype and demand after release (Thanks Gaf...lol) However, I stuck to my guns and just threw my hands up. I then completed the purchase and the Target employee was like, "That's how it goes man, lol". He wasn't wrong...

When I was on my way home, I thought about if for a moment... I knew that if I traveled out of state to purchase a product and I experienced the same, I would have extended an offer. Not that I was interested in selling, but mostly everything has a price . In any case, I don't know if she was being honest or not (scalper probably), but just wanted to illustrate that the PP (heh) is definitely a hot commodity.

 

[CrimsonSquall]

Whats your point? You can literally use a controller with a Bluetooth as well. That includes the Dual Sense. What more excuses?

@MasterCornholio explain please.

8inch screen, haptics and best form factor cmon now

 

[onQ123]

Anecdotal, but here it is:

This morning, I was looking to see if I could grab a Playstation from the Black Friday sale at Target. ($349.00) for my little one. As I was on the site, I searched for the Playstation Portal just for kicks... Apparently there was limited stock in the location a few miles for me.

I thought to myself, eh, why not. It's at least worth a shot. So I jumped out of bed and got to the Target. Sure enough, the was a single Playstation Portal behind the locked case. I found a store employee to retrieve it for purchase. As he was getting it out, we both looked to our right to see a scooter flying down the same aisle. A middle-aged lady was saying that she came all the way from Oklahoma to snag it.

Initially, I felt bad because I only wanted the Portal after the subsequent hype and demand after release (Thanks Gaf...lol) However, I stuck to my guns and just threw my hands up. I then completed the purchase and the Target employee was like, "That's how it goes man, lol". He wasn't wrong...

When I was on my way home, I thought about if for a moment... I knew that if I traveled out of state to purchase a product and I experienced the same, I would have extended an offer. Not that I was interested in selling, but mostly everything has a price . In any case, I don't know if she was being honest or not (scalper probably), but just wanted to illustrate that the PP (heh) is definitely a hot commodity.

I told my grandma to use a better story this is the 3rd Portal she let slip away this week

 

[touchfuzzy]

 

[simpatico]

I was told that Xbox Series X shipments was low because most of them was being used for the blade Servers though lol

So you think the fact that the PS5 is in your home vs the Xbox Series X being in a data center changes everything? Lol

Xbox sales are down because Microsoft Games is functionally retarded.

 

[Elbereth]

I told my grandma to use a better story this is the 3rd Portal she let slip away this week

I didn’t even want to look in her eyes, as I may have folded lol

 

[StereoVsn]

Xbox biggest advantage is Azure when it comes to the future of "Off-Console Gaming" but with Portal in the mix there is a reminder that there is close to 50 million PlayStation servers in people's homes around the world & growing.

… you do realize that Azure is the infrastructure backend while Portal is an endpoint device? Did you also know they Sony steaming backend runs on top of Azure?

Like WTF is this even talking about? If we are talking about streaming until Portal has PA+ steaming this conversation is pointless.

Existing PS5 owners are buying Portal. In general people are not going to buy a PS5 vs Xbox because of that. They are going to buy a PS5 because that’s a better fit for them from games to friends MP to advertising.

 

[clintar]

On-the-go wireless tech needs to be more ubiquitous and consistent for that future.

 

[Codes 208]

Lol ok

Attachment rates are never 100% to hardware and for every portal you NEED playstation 5

Also the biggest threat to xbox IS xbox

 

[onQ123]

… you do realize that Azure is the infrastructure backend while Portal is an endpoint device? Did you also know they Sony steaming backend runs on top of Azure?

Like WTF is this even talking about? If we are talking about streaming until Portal has PA+ steaming this conversation is pointless.

Existing PS5 owners are buying Portal. In general people are not going to buy a PS5 vs Xbox because of that. They are going to buy a PS5 because that’s a better fit for them from games to friends MP to advertising.

Read the thread

 

[clintar]

Oh, I get it. Once this will stream from the cloud, people don't really need to have a PS5. I wish Sony would set up an infrastructure where we could allow our PS5 to host streaming for other users when we aren't using it. Maybe earn Playstation Plus subscription points for hosting. One problem is interrupting some streamer because you want to play your PS5 suddenly. Also, if Portal had HDMI out, that would be nice.

 

[PaintTinJr]

You don't have to build a crazy server farm to make it work. The customer is literally buying the server from you.

I just never thought of it that way but your right. Every PS5 is a cloud streaming device and Portal is just an extremely good tool to use it.

And I would say it is paradoxically pro-physical ownership in an expected own nothing cloud world, because with portal you currently buy everything and own everything, and don't pay for that service.

The only downside is that owning games physically means you either need to double dip digitally or accept your server is limited to one game choice when LAN or WAN roaming with portal

 

[onQ123]

Oh, I get it. Once this will stream from the cloud, people don't really need to have a PS5. I wish Sony would set up an infrastructure where we could allow our PS5 to host streaming for other users when we aren't using it. Maybe earn Playstation Plus subscription points for hosting. One problem is interrupting some streamer because you want to play your PS5 suddenly. Also, if Portal had HDMI out, that would be nice.

Just imagine if the Bitcoin bubble didn't pop you could earn Bitcoin by renting out your console & games

 

[StereoVsn]

Read the thread

And? I find both the proposition and the arguments preposterous, at least in current iteration.

Portal 2 with Bluetooth, WiFi 6e/7 and either better touchscreen or proper touchpad, coupled with proper Streaming support will be a much more interesting device if Sony decides to keep supporting.

And even there, the overall shape is very incongruous and not very well designed for travel. For home, that’s a different story but again, vast majority of people will already have a PS5.

Also, what in the world did Azure have to do with the whole thing?

 

[onQ123]

And? I find both the proposition and the arguments preposterous, at least in current iteration.

Portal 2 with Bluetooth, WiFi 6e/7 and either better touchscreen or proper touchpad, coupled with proper Streaming support will be a much more interesting device if Sony decides to keep supporting.

And even there, the overall shape is very incongruous and not very well designed for travel. For home, that’s a different story but again, vast majority of people will already have a PS5.

Also, what in the world did Azure have to do with the whole thing?

Nah you need to read

 

[Mortisfacio]

I don't personally know a single person interested in or owns a Portal.

 

[rapid32.5]

I wonder how many people have mistaken Portal for PSP 2.

 

[FrankWza]

I don't personally know a single person interested in or owns a Portal.

Go into a Gamestop or ask in the game section of a retailer. They'll tell you they are getting most calls or inquiries about Portal

 

[FrankWza]

will be a much more interesting device if Sony decides to keep supporting.

Supporting what? Remote Play? This device will work as long as they don't remove remote play as an option.

 

[SenkiDala]

Well honestly xCloud is still basically unusable and they count on it to reach 100M subscribers by 2027 (lol), good luck with that.

Sony might not be perfect but what they release actually works.

I was the first to shit on PS Portal and I've to admit that with all the review I've seen, in all conditions, it works perfectly. The only red flag (dumb Sony) is the lack of BT capability and the need to buy their new headphones/earphones. Even though this problem can be overcomed by wired headphones, which shouldn't be a problem since it's a handheld device so the cable will never be a problem since the console is, by its essence, always very close to you.

 

[SHA]

Portal is a 5 years idea, azure streaming 10+ years, you'll see huge improvements in the in the next 10 years, it's a legit investment, not a fad idea like the wii u.

 

[FrankWza]

The only red flag (dumb Sony) is the lack of BT capability and the need to buy their new headphones/earphones. Even though this problem can be overcomed by wired headphones, which shouldn't be a problem since it's a handheld device so the cable will never be a problem since the console is, by its essence, always very close to you.

You can also add a BT adapter to the 3.5 port. Or, if you're close to your PS5, use you existing Pulse 3D connected to PS5.

 

[StereoVsn]

Supporting what? Remote Play? This device will work as long as they don't remove remote play as an option.

Support with subsequent hardware releases. So say OLED version with touchpad or better touchscreen and Bluetooth. One that supports PS Cloud Streaming.

 

[SenkiDala]

You can also add a BT adapter to the 3.5 port. Or, if you're close to your PS5, use you existing Pulse 3D connected to PS5.

Oh I haven't thought about the BT adapter ! Nice.

 

[FrankWza]

Support with subsequent hardware releases. So say OLED version with touchpad or better touchscreen and Bluetooth. One that supports PS Cloud Streaming.

That would still only matter if this device becomes the only cloud streaming portable option. They would have to completely stop the service or disable the function wouldn't they? It doesn't really need continued support after a few patches to stabilize things.

 

[FrankWza]

Oh I haven't thought about the BT adapter ! Nice.

Yeah there's plenty that are right angle so they get tucked nicely because of the position of the 3.5 jack. I'm not sure if all USB wireless headphones work but if Pulse does I don't see why they don't as well. Covers home and travel for those that don't want to buy the Explore.

 

[DragonNCM]

Xbox biggest advantage is Azure when it comes to the future of "Off-Console Gaming" but with Portal in the mix there is a reminder that there is close to 50 million PlayStation servers in people's homes around the world & growing.

 

[FullMetalx117]

I think it would be neat if Sony allowed a 3rd parties to essentially behave like xCloud, democratize streaming.

You can have maybe some bold individuals basically buy up 1000 servers or “PS5s” and be the server farm in the area for PS streaming.

I like this server approach Sony is taking, and if backwards compatibility is a mitigated issue moving foreward, PS server farms will only continually grow.

 

[StereoVsn]

That would still only matter if this device becomes the only cloud streaming portable option. They would have to completely stop the service or disable the function wouldn't they? It doesn't really need continued support after a few patches to stabilize things.

The device has deficiencies that can’t be addressed in software. Absence of WiFi 6e or higher is another one.

 

[Mortisfacio]

Go into a Gamestop or ask in the game section of a retailer. They'll tell you they are getting most calls or inquiries about Portal

I haven't been in a GameStop since I was a child and don't plan on starting now.

 

[FrankWza]

I haven't been in a GameStop since I was a child and don't plan on starting now.

Gotcha. Understood

You could pay me $200 and I still wouldn't play this thing.

 

[gothmog]

Portal is a 5 years idea, azure streaming 10+ years, you'll see huge improvements in the in the next 10 years, it's a legit investment, not a fad idea like the wii u.

Luckily Sony can work on releasing something like the Portal and giving a great streaming experience at the same time.

 

[farmerboy]

There's not one other "Mark my words" thread on the front page.

For shame Neogaf

O onQ123 I get where you're coming from. Not sure if I agree just yet.

 

[TheAmazingSpiderMan]

Once they release a PS portal based on the Edge controller where you can replace thumb sticks, (hearing there is no way to replace stick drift on this if you get it) and it has an OLED screen. Then it’s end game time.

And possibly 1440p screen

 

[Unknown?]

Not sure why you’re comparing console free streaming to streaming from your console. Different things entirely

If you already have the console, that's a user who would find the console free streaming worthless.

 

[ergem]

Oh, I get it. Once this will stream from the cloud, people don't really need to have a PS5. I wish Sony would set up an infrastructure where we could allow our PS5 to host streaming for other users when we aren't using it. Maybe earn Playstation Plus subscription points for hosting. One problem is interrupting some streamer because you want to play your PS5 suddenly. Also, if Portal had HDMI out, that would be nice.

They could probably work out a way to resume the streaming through a somebody else’s PS5/PS6 or through the server is necessary. It must be a combination of rented out console and a guaranteed server infrastructure.

 

[AGRacing]

 

[Varteras]

Marked.

 

[Crayon]

It's a pretty smart step towards cloud streaming I'll give you that. Slowly introduce people to streaming via in home streaming.

Also, they are getting this oriented around a dedicated device. Lot of trouble when the could have just pushed the phone based in-home streaming that they already have. I think they've identified the problems with using phones for this. They are in a good place to design and sell hardware rn so this is retry smart, overall.

 

[onQ123]

Xbox Talking to Partners for Mobile Store, CEO Spencer Says

Challenge to Apple, Google app stores could come soon.

www.bloomberg.com

 

[Snake29]

The moment they active cloud streaming for this device, is the moment it will be a big threat for the whole brand, since they are heavenly relying Xbox on Gamepass and XCloud (which is in quality already behind PS Cloud streaming).

 

[DenchDeckard]

Gamepass on Playstation portal when?

 

[MatrixReloaded101]

Anecdotal, but here it is:

This morning, I was looking to see if I could grab a Playstation from the Black Friday sale at Target. ($349.00) for my little one. As I was on the site, I searched for the Playstation Portal just for kicks... Apparently there was limited stock in the location a few miles for me.

I thought to myself, eh, why not. It's at least worth a shot. So I jumped out of bed and got to the Target. Sure enough, the was a single Playstation Portal behind the locked case. I found a store employee to retrieve it for purchase. As he was getting it out, we both looked to our right to see a scooter flying down the same aisle. A middle-aged lady was saying that she came all the way from Oklahoma to snag it.

Initially, I felt bad because I only wanted the Portal after the subsequent hype and demand after release (Thanks Gaf...lol) However, I stuck to my guns and just threw my hands up. I then completed the purchase and the Target employee was like, "That's how it goes man, lol". He wasn't wrong...

When I was on my way home, I thought about if for a moment... I knew that if I traveled out of state to purchase a product and I experienced the same, I would have extended an offer. Not that I was interested in selling, but mostly everything has a price . In any case, I don't know if she was being honest or not (scalper probably), but just wanted to illustrate that the PP (heh) is definitely a hot commodity.

Scalpers are the main reason it’s selling out right now, combined with the fact that people don’t realize they need a PS5 to use it lol I’ve seen some funny stories about this already.

A lot of these will be available by Jan once returns happen and Sony increases stock.

If the demand is 100% real this might encourage Sony to make a real handheld that can at least play the games natively.

 

[vkbest]

Not sure why you’re comparing console free streaming to streaming from your console. Different things entirely

Free? Even if you don't need a console you need a subscription, so they are different itself but competes in the same business market

 

[T-0800]

Scalpers are the main reason it’s selling out right now, combined with the fact that people don’t realize they need a PS5 to use it lol I’ve seen some funny stories about this already.

A lot of these will be available by Jan once returns happen and Sony increases stock.

If the demand is 100% real this might encourage Sony to make a real handheld that can at least play the games natively.

Have you seen the size of a PS5? That isn't being made into a handheld.