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PlayStation Portal is the best selling PlayStation Hardware on Amazon US at the moment

FrankWza

Gold Member
It really was, lol:

Thread 'PlayStation’s first Remote Play dedicated device, PlayStation Portal remote player, to launch later this year at $199.99' https://www.neogaf.com/threads/playstation’s-first-remote-play-dedicated-device-playstation-portal-remote-player-to-launch-later-this-year-at-199-99.1660141/

Older posts are fun to read sometimes, lol.


Also, I I'm a little biased since I specifically asked them to make this product through a couple different focus surveys (retail partner & consumer/player.) It made lots of sense to me since I had been using my Vita for remote play for years & found tablet remote play a pain in the butt when lying down in bed, lol
I'm pretty sure that thread title was changed because it had DOA in the title or op. Could have been a different thread entirely but the calls for DoA were strong last year.
 

Sooner

Member
No need for a PS5 if you have PS+ Premium
As of yesterday, yeah, but ONLY if you just want to play PS+ games.

Soon, you'll be able to stream any PSN games you own digitally without needing a PS5.

To stream your physical PS5 games, you'll always need a PS5 (obviously).

Just another reason to move to all digital ASAP. You might lose access to physical games if the PS6 and/or PS7 are digital only machines.
 
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Doesn't change the image much, but the latency feels improved and the connection speed is much, MUCH better than it was with my launch PS5
Direct connection or over the internet? I'm unsure how the Pro could be helping with over the internet streaming considering it's still only Gigabit ethernet and Remote Play over the internet has a bandwidth usage cap.


What I would like to see is a comparison between direct Remote Play, internet Remote Play, and Cloud Streaming of the same game in best possible conditions.
 

FoxMcChief

Gold Member
87c0e9ed-a939-4473-87ce-1c7cf021b9b8_text.gif
 

Sanepar

Member
Yes a piece of hardware that's on sale for 200 bucks is selling more than a piece of hardware selling for 700 dollars.

Thing is...i thought the narrative when this was announced was that it would flop?

Except you don't. You just need a PS Plus Premium subscription.
What? Elaborate that. What I can play without a proper ps5?
 
All the PS Portal haters eating massive crow right now. I think the Portal 'experimental' has all but confirmed to be a huge success..

I'd be very, very surprised if the PS6 doesn't launch with either a PS Portal 2 or a suped-up firmware update for the current Portal that further addresses the challenges that have come its way.
 

Cornbread78

Member
Direct connection or over the internet? I'm unsure how the Pro could be helping with over the internet streaming considering it's still only Gigabit ethernet and Remote Play over the internet has a bandwidth usage cap.


What I would like to see is a comparison between direct Remote Play, internet Remote Play, and Cloud Streaming of the same game in best possible conditions.
Not sure what it is, but it ised to take around 30 secs to connect to my base PS5, now it takes about 5-10 secs with my Pro...
 

vivftp

Member
all that shows is how low people's standards are really.
it's an entirely useless product whose functionality can me matched by basically anything that runs android or iOS

lol, no.

- The Portal has full DualSense haptics and design, making it quite possibly the most comfortable handheld on the planet to hold and use
- The 8" 16:9 display provides more screen space than any phone for gaming, which is important when playing games that are designed to be viewed on a TV rather than a small phone display
- While you could use a tablet that's got an equal or larger sized display + a DualSense, the handheld form factor means you don't have to find a place to prop up your tablet as you play. It allows you to play in a wider variety of locations and situations, like when you're in bed
- You don't have to drain your phone/tablet battery while gaming on the Portal, and you don't have to worry about notifications/calls interrupting your gaming experience
- It just works. No fiddling with an app on your phone or tablet, just turn it on and either let it wake your PS5 and connect, or connect to the cloud in the new beta
- There is currently no cloud streaming option for PlayStation on Android or iOS, only remote play. My speculation is that the Portal is a testbed for the Android cloud rollout, since it runs on Android. This is a feature the Portal can do right now in the beta that Android and iOS devices can not


The Portal is not meant to replace phones and tablet from being options for remote play, Sony is perfectly happy if folks wanna continue to use those devices to remote play their console. It offers the most comfortable and ergonomic option available in a package that just works. The tone of your post indicates you've never used one, and don't understand what the Portal really is. Do yourself a favor and try it out if you've got a PS5 as it's a wonderful device.
 

Topher

Identifies as young
all that shows is how low people's standards are really.
it's an entirely useless product whose functionality can me matched by basically anything that runs android or iOS

Hardly. Nothing to do with "standards". Not everyone wants to have to attach controls to their phone. Tablets are going to be hard to find at a $200 price point and 1080p unless they are no-name brands. Most 7" and 8" tablets are 1300x800.
 

kevboard

Member
Hardly. Nothing to do with "standards". Not everyone wants to have to attach controls to their phone. Tablets are going to be hard to find at a $200 price point and 1080p unless they are no-name brands. Most 7" and 8" tablets are 1300x800.

why does noone want to attach a controller to their phone? takes 2 seconds, costs a fraction, has basically the same functionality + more.
it's also infinitely more portable, and more comfortable to use lying down.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Hardly. Nothing to do with "standards". Not everyone wants to have to attach controls to their phone. Tablets are going to be hard to find at a $200 price point and 1080p unless they are no-name brands. Most 7" and 8" tablets are 1300x800.
Especially at the rate of “set up to fail” phone batteries are compared to a product like this. Not to mention they run much hotter due to all the other processors impacting their lifespan.

I don’t have a Portal, but I can see its appeal much like a SteamDeck.
 
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vivftp

Member
why does noone want to attach a controller to their phone? takes 2 seconds, costs a fraction, has basically the same functionality + more.
it's also infinitely more portable, and more comfortable to use lying down.

Several years ago I used one of the clip-on devices that placed my phone above my DualShock 4. It caused a terrible balancing issue with the whole setup being top heavy. I did not use it for long. There are other setups like a Backbone and whatnot, and if you're already paying for something like that then it really doesn't cost that much more to consider a Portal

And while it can vary from person to person, the general sentiment is that the Portal is by far the most comfortable remote play solution on the market.
 

yurinka

Member
My speculation is that the Portal is a testbed for the Android cloud rollout, since it runs on Android. This is a feature the Portal can do right now in the beta that Android and iOS devices can not
It isn't an speculation: it's PS cloud gaming on Android, and they have been working on PS cloud gaming for mobile during so many years, even announced it 10 years ago in the PS cloud gaming announcement when they mentioned its long term plans, and 5 years ago mentioned they planned to implement it this generation.

They also filled related patents, like cloud gaming optimizations for when running it over 5G. So yes, some time after it's fully deployed on PS Portal make sure it will be also released on phones and tablets.
 
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Topher

Identifies as young
why does noone want to attach a controller to their phone? takes 2 seconds, costs a fraction, has basically the same functionality + more.
it's also infinitely more portable, and more comfortable to use lying down.

I didn't say "no one". I would much rather have a dedicated device than have to take off physical controls off when I get a phone call. Obviously I am not the only one. If you are fine with jumping back and forth between phone and handheld then that's you.

The only attachable controller comparable to DualSense is the Razer Kishi Ultra and it is $150. I have one and it is not "infinitely more portable" or more "comfortable". I'd say it is slightly more portable, but not by much. About the same comfort-wise except for when you have to answer the dang phone.

Nothing wrong with anyone using their phone for game streaming, but dedicated devices have their own advantages so saying they are "useless" is simply false.

Especially at the rate of “set up to fail” phone batteries are compared to a product like this. Not to mention they run much hotter due to all the other processors impacting their lifespan.

I don’t have a Portal, but I can see its appeal much like a SteamDeck.

I had one, but returned it only because of the stutter issue, which has apparently been fixed. It is a nice device. Hopefully they will release another but with OLED.
 

vivftp

Member
It isn't an speculation: it's PS cloud gaming on Android, and they have been working on PS cloud gaming for mobile during so many years, even announced it 10 years ago in the PS cloud gaming announcement when they mentioned its long term plans, and 5 years ago mentioned they planned to implement it this generation.

They also filled related patents, like cloud gaming optimizations for when running it over 5G.

It's speculation of an Android app until it happens. The announcements when they acquired Gaikai over 10 years ago were a roadmap, but of course that roadmap ran into speedbumps along the way. They've been getting back on track during this gen of course. Once the Android app is released then we'll see PS cloud gaming on phones, tablets and Bravia TVs.

The speculation is that the Portal is a stealth test for the Android app they're developing, but haven't announced yet.
 

yurinka

Member
It's speculation of an Android app until it happens. The announcements when they acquired Gaikai over 10 years ago were a roadmap, but of course that roadmap ran into speedbumps along the way. They've been getting back on track during this gen of course. Once the Android app is released then we'll see PS cloud gaming on phones, tablets and Bravia TVs.

The speculation is that the Portal is a stealth test for the Android app they're developing, but haven't announced yet.
It is not speculation, they publicly announced it multiple times.

As I mentioned not in Gaikai, but as the PS Now announcement long term plans, and more recently in 2019 when Sony mentioned it to their investors their cloud gaming plans for this generation. And even more recently when mentioning as part of their mobile gaming strategy.

Plus also appears in several patents filled during many years ago. It's a fact, it is a publicly known announced fact that they are working on PS Cloud gaming for mobile.

In fact MS must be paying Sony for using cloud gaming on mobile because Sony is the one who has the patent of both cloud gaming in general and also cloud gaming on mobile using mobile internet.

And well, tech wise the cloud gaming app on PS Portal is just an Android app, so to turn it into a normal Android App they only would need to implement the other controls and make sure it adapts well to the other resolutions, something I assume they can reuse from their Android and iOS remote play app. Meaning, the implementation is basically complete and maybe after some test in PS Portal may be ready to be released.
 
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vivftp

Member
It is not speculation, they publicly announced it multiple times.

As I mentioned not in Gaikai, but as the PS Now announcement long term plans, and more recently in 2019 when Sony mentioned it to their investors their cloud gaming plans for this generation. And even more recently when mentioning as part of their mobile gaming strategy.

Plus also appears in several patents filled during many years ago. It's a fact, it is a publicly known announced fact that they are working on PS Cloud gaming for mobile.

In fact MS must be paying Sony for using cloud gaming on mobile because Sony is the one who has the patent of both cloud gaming in general and also cloud gaming on mobile using mobile internet.

And well, tech wise the cloud gaming app on PS Portal is just an Android app, so to turn it into a normal Android App they only would need to implement the other controls and make sure it adapts well to the other resolutions, something I assume they can reuse from their Android and iOS remote play app. Meaning, the implementation is basically complete and maybe after some test in PS Portal may be ready to be released.

We're talking about 2 different things related to the same subject. You're referring to their plans for mobile expansion, and I'm referring to the actual announcement of an Android mobile app, which has not occurred as of yet.

The Andoid app will require more testing since the Portal is just a singular device with set hardware and there are so many Android devices out there. They've already got data they can utilize from the remote play app, but they'll still need to bring it all together for the Android cloud streaming app, which is what I was referring to.
 
why does noone want to attach a controller to their phone? takes 2 seconds, costs a fraction, has basically the same functionality + more.
it's also infinitely more portable, and more comfortable to use lying down.
No, it's not, for a lot of people. Also the designs of all of these phone controllers annoy many.

However, even after saying this, I have personally been waiting years for someone to make the Xperia-style slider controller and after years of nothing, it looks like someone is finally trying to produce it for phones:




And version 0.5 of the model looks good enough for me to buy into it.
 

Killjoy-NL

Gold Member
Absolutely, I'm playing with my Portal way more now. It's my remote play platform of choice right now.
I already spent most of my game-time on Portal, but it's only now that I realize how much the presence of the stutter was.

Especially in Blops6. It's like I completely have to re-learn my 'skills' as subconciously I seem to have completely adjusted to the stutter/latency (whatever it was) and now that it plays smoothly my timing was a bit off, giving me a hard time aiming.
But I'm getting accustomed to it. Lol
 
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The cloud streaming is nice, but the real winner is the elimination of stutter with this new update.

Of course, they had to fix it only a couple of weeks after I sold the damned thing 🥲

Waited long enough and personally, knowing Sony, I didn't think they'd have bothered at all, joke's on me I suppose, the only winner is the guy I sold it to in mint condition with a tempered glass applied, console skin, thumb grips AND carrying case for 130€, FML...🤣

Anyway, NOW is the time to jump in on the portal and I'd argue that it's actually one of the nicest streaming console propositions ATM.

Just a heads up for users interested in getting it :
For the love of God, try the remote play app first on your phone/tablet and IF you have no connection problems, then and ONLY THEN get a Portal.since it doesn't have any "secret sauce" nor does it connect differently compared to the average device you have in your household.

TLDNR : Give the Remote play app a go on your phone/tablet first before spending 200$/220€ on the Portal
 

yurinka

Member
We're talking about 2 different things related to the same subject. You're referring to their plans for mobile expansion, and I'm referring to the actual announcement of an Android mobile app, which has not occurred as of yet.
Yes, the plans have been announced but the cloud gaming app for mobile devices itself still hasn't been announced.

The Andoid app will require more testing since the Portal is just a singular device with set hardware and there are so many Android devices out there. They've already got data they can utilize from the remote play app, but they'll still need to bring it all together for the Android cloud streaming app, which is what I was referring to.
Yes, do to the app for a single device is way simpler than to release it for hundreds of devices. It's better to release it for a single one, to test it, fix it and tweak it there. And once it looks great, then to do the work of porting it to many devices more and escalate the server side.

Their plans for mobile expansion has four areas:
  • Cloud gaming on mobile devices
    • Very small priority for short term, big potential for the very long term
  • Mobile games
    • Some published by them, some developed in-house and some developed by external partners
    • Some published by imporant 3rd parties who get licensed Sony IPs to also use them on mobile gaming
    • Some support to external small mobile gaming gems
  • Mobile specific PS+ stuff
    • They were exploring types of new gaming and non-gaming PS+ content that may interest the users to use it on mobile devices
  • Mobile PSN store
    • To also sell first and 3rd party mobile games and dlcs on their own store/payment
    • Potential home for the PS+ mobile specific stuff
Each one of these separate projects require a ton of work, many years. Plus also some of them need to wait for the correct timing (example: 5G or even good 4G coverage and penetration still is too small, and streaming tech needed to improve for mobile cloud gaming. Or for the store there are still things being clarified in courts or with regulators regarding Google and Apple).

They have been investing in a lot of stuff there thinking in the long term. Many of these projects are taking years.
 
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yurinka

Member
Ps portal does some things well, the screen isn’t huge but it wins the switch crowd who want PlayStation games.
It's not comparable to the Switch experience at all and I don't (want to) believe that was the intention.
According to Sony the idea with PS Portal was to increase the gameplay hours of the already existing PS5 users, something they mentioned that was achieved.

Because for companies, on average more gameplay hours = more games/dlc bought.

I assume their idea was mainly to allow their PS5 users to play from the bedroom when they only have the console in the living room, to play while someone else is using the tv, or to play while pooping. That would increase the user's gameplay hours, so indirectly in the long term would also increase the average amount of money spent per user.
 
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How’s the latency on this thing in general?
Take the existing PS5 input latency and add 100ms to "hundreds of ms" additional input latency.
The FTC needs to make consoles state the base input latency on the console box and the added input latency on each controller/accessory box.
Taking input latency from your TV/monitor and adding together the console + controller would give you the exact base latency before games are factored in.
As soon as this becomes mandatory plug-in wired controllers will become more popular than wireless and the console war will become an input latency war.
Sony should give the PS6 plug-in controllers and post the latency on the box to fire the first shot.
all that shows is how low people's standards are really.
The masses have always had low standards and will always have low standards - looking back it's just an accident that older consoles are better in a lot of ways than what we have now.
Playing Ms. Pac-Man or a decades old shmup on a CRT cabinet in a pizza restaurant is closer to real-time gaming than any modern console.
 

N30RYU

Member
Just a question... will we ever see a last gen console stream a curren gen console catalog? Aka the PS4 doing what the Portal is doing with PS5 for those who don't care about hardware and phisical media?
 

FrankWza

Gold Member
Just a question... will we ever see a last gen console stream a curren gen console catalog? Aka the PS4 doing what the Portal is doing with PS5 for those who don't care about hardware and phisical media?
You can do that already but it limits the output at the system level vs the portal which I guess has a screen limit of 1080p. So stream a ps5 game to ps4 over remote play

PS5 console​

Stream your PS5 games to another PS5 or PS4 console with your DualSense controller via a home broadband wired network. The same PlayStation Network account is required to connect both consoles. You'll find the Remote Play application on your PS5 home screen.
 

FrankWza

Gold Member
Can we get a list of people laughing this off as a failure before it came out? I do believe we had at least one person saying they couldn't wait to see the charts and show how bad it is. I do love to watch crow get gulped!

eating-crow.jpg
There was definitely a DoA thread and I believe it was the one I commented on at the top of this page. I think the title was changed. There should be some comments in there
 

Topher

Identifies as young
There was definitely a DoA thread and I believe it was the one I commented on at the top of this page. I think the title was changed. There should be some comments in there

I had to check the threads and see if I said anything disparaging about it. I recall not really thinking that highly of the device as I wanted something more like a Steam Deck for PlayStation. Turns out, all I said was that it was "not for me". Either way, I certainly did not think it was going to be as successful as it has been.

Found the review thread where there are a variety of takes on it...

 

Varteras

Member
I had to check the threads and see if I said anything disparaging about it. I recall not really thinking that highly of the device as I wanted something more like a Steam Deck for PlayStation. Turns out, all I said was that it was "not for me". Either way, I certainly did not think it was going to be as successful as it has been.

Found the review thread where there are a variety of takes on it...


I vote you eat crow on a technicality!

Eating_Crow.jpg


Now just waiting for GHG GHG to come in with receipts like, "Actually, Varty Boy, remember when you said..."

b7h3lsl22mk71.jpg


Nervous Ted Striker GIF by filmeditor
 

Topher

Identifies as young
I vote you eat crow on a technicality!

Eating_Crow.jpg


Now just waiting for GHG GHG to come in with receipts like, "Actually, Varty Boy, remember when you said..."

b7h3lsl22mk71.jpg


Nervous Ted Striker GIF by filmeditor

Actually, Varty boy....

I swear to Christ. I had better not get that as a Christmas gift. I'd just stick it up my ass for the use I'd get out of it. This thing has haptic feedback, right?

Uh Oh Sam GIF by GLOW Netflix
 

Three

Member
How’s the latency on this thing in general?

Does it look better with the Pro?
It will look better with the Pro since it's showing what the Pro shows but keep in mind that like a lot of the portables the display is 1080p. You will still get better framerates, better downsampling, and RT etc but you won't be seeing 4k on a portable.
 

Allandor

Member
PS4 Pro also "fell hard" and was never the main seller. It also didn't sell out anywhere btw.

edit:
PS5 Pro vs. PS4 Pro comparison:

PS5 Pro Week 1: 78.086
PS5 Pro Week 2: 13.878
Total: 91.964

PS4 Pro Week 1: 65.194
PS4 Pro Week 2: 11.116
Total: 76.310

Sounds like it's having exactly the same trajectory and at a much more expensive price.
Well, the ps4 pro was sold out for weeks. The PS5 pro is available everywhere. So at least they delivered more this time. But I guess all time sales will be lower
 
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