Sony recently launched the PlayStation Portal, its latest portable gaming console in India. The device sports an 8-inch LCD screen and two controllers on either side of the screen that resemble Sony’s DualSense controllers with adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. Unlike standalone gaming handhelds like Steam Deck and ROG Ally, the PlayStation Portal cannot run games but instead streams all your PlayStation 5 titles to the 1080p LCD screen at 60 fps. Also, the PlayStation Portal needs to be remotely connected to the same Wi-Fi your PlayStation 5 is connected to. The handheld remote player also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and can double up as a media player by mirroring the PlayStation 5 screen. Launched in other parts of the world in November last year, Sony recommends a Wi-Fi connection with a minimum speed of 5Mbps, but the company says you need a connection with atleast 15Mbps speed to get a better experience. The PlayStation Portal is powered by a 4,370mAh battery that can be charged using the built-in USB-C port. It does not support Bluetooth, so you are pretty much limited to the 3.5mm headphone jack on the player. However, it is compatible with Sony’s new PlayStation Link enabled headphones. While you can play games on the PlayStation Portal even when not connected to the TV, the device does not support cloud gaming services like the company’s own PlayStation Plus Premium subscription or Nvidia GeForce Now and you won’t be able to watch videos from streaming services like YouTube or Netflix. One thing to note is that you can also stream some PlayStation 4 titles using the PlayStation 5’s backward compatibility feature. Sony PlayStation Portal will be available for purchase from August 3 for Rs 18,990 across various retail stores like Sony Centres, Croma, Reliance Digital, Vijay Sales and online portals like Amazon, Flipkart and Blinkit.
