Sony's new PlayStation Portal Cloud Streaming feature could be exactly what the device needs to give it a new lease of life. When originally released a year ago, the PlayStation Portal was a handheld gaming device which allowed you to cloud stream from your PS5 console via PlayStation Remote Play. Recently released in Beta is a new feature which allows you to stream games straight to your PlayStation Portal handheld without the need for a PS5 console.
My initial review of the PlayStation Portal left me quite disappointed, with the device picking up just two stars. While it did what it needed to do, I couldn't see its use case considering you could use PlayStation Remote Play on your mobile phone but thanks to this new addition that could be subject to change.
Clocking in at £199.99 / $199.99 / AU$329.95 over at the PlayStation Store, the handheld is quite expensive considering it can't play games natively and doesn't have any 4G or 5G support making it a fancy paperweight without a stable Wi-Fi connection. This new cloud streaming feature actually gives the device a bit more of a purpose rather than it being a device which could replicate what most smartphones could already do at a cost.
However, at the moment, in order to use the brand new cloud streaming feature you have to be a PS Plus Premium member, locking it behind a £13.49 / $17.99 / AU$21.95 per month paywall. While this does also give you access to a range of other features which may help you determine whether or not PS Plus is worth it, I feel let down that its not included with the purchase of a PlayStation Portal.
