I was WRONG about the PlayStation Portal…

At first I thought the PlayStation Portal was a dumb idea...and then... I gave it a chance.
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases from affiliate links)

The PlayStation Portal is like a gaming Swiss Army knife that forgot its blades at home but still insists on being the life of the party. Imagine taking a PlayStation 5, shrinking it down to tablet size, and then realizing, "Oh wait, this thing can't run games on its own." It's essentially the gaming world's equivalent of a long-distance relationship—you’re technically together, but you need a strong Wi-Fi connection, or things get frustrating fast. The Portal is perfect if you've ever wanted to game on your couch without hogging the TV, but still need your PS5 to do all the heavy lifting. The PlayStation Portal is a lovable paradox: advanced yet oddly limited, freeing yet tethered, and definitely a conversation starter.

My Video Gear & Equipment:

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases from affiliate links)
Background music by Metal Jesus Rocks and the YouTube Creator Audio Library

** DISCLAIMER: Nope. Not sponsored in any way **

[MetalJesusRocks]

I just got home from Norway and I'll have a travel / game hunting video on the trip soon!

[jamess.]

tip for anyone getting this, UPGRADE your home wifi first. Look for something that says wifi 6 or 6e. then make sure your PS5 is HARDWIRED via ethernet.

[Martinj]

I was playing on my portal in Puerto Rico, and I forgot to put in my RE4 disc in before leaving. I had to text my son. He then decided to play TNMT with his friends instead and logging me out.

[Punisher]

I can so see you texting your wife to put a game in while you're half way around the world 😂

[bluebomber]

I use the Portal for playing PS5 in bed and as a result I just finish games quicker. I highly recommend it.

[armandoesparza]

When i find that my PS5 is off and not in Rest Mode, i got to my Alexa App, and tell her to turn on Tv. Which then forces my PS5 to turn on😅✌️

[miguelherrera-nnbh]

I got mine about 3 months ago and I love it. I call it the Dadstation 5 because it lets me play anywhere in my house and don't have to take over the TV while my son watches his cartoons. It has helped me lower my PS5 backlog immensely. I totally recommend for dads with a big PS5 backlog.

[clouddriver]

20 years old magic. You could use a Psp and a ps3 to do exactly the same back then

[GDColbert]

Im tempted to get one for serveral reasons: 1. It gives a lot of busy people a chance to play games when they can without being stuck to a chair. 2. It shows Sony that the demand for portable consoles never died and that they could be working on a dedicated portable console.

[RAMMER]

The lag has gotten way better since an update. At one point mine was almost unplayable. Now it works incredibly well

[TheRokunana]

One of my buddies keeps trying to tell me I need to get this. The problem is I don’t have any digital games and if I’m going to play video games in the bedroom or on travel I’d much rather use my Switch instead.

[grizzlybearking]

New dad here. This thing is the Dad-Station Portal and the slayer of the backlog.

[tubeliac]

The amount of care and deliberation this thing has gotten from Sony is INSANE. Starting from the brilliant packaging itself, to how the buttons and triggered are re-sized for handheld with a gorgeous screen (which btw is moulded to the body and not just slapped on) to boot is pure perfection. Definitely a great buy!

[danbooke]

It does not only support PlayStation 5 games, it also supports PlayStation 4 games running in backwards compatibility mode.

[overlordalfredo]

I am a physical collector. And having to travel back home just to change the game I am playing is just way too inconvenient for me when on vacation 😅

[porkepik]

Love mine, recently been playing bg3 on my bed when wife is busy on her phone. Also even using it on the hospital wifi during my daughter chemo treatments. Not always perfect at the hospital but for slow paced game its fine enough

[Elevada]

The biggest con for me is that you can only associate one PS5 user at a time with the PS Portal. Meaning, if you want to play as a different user, you literally have to reset the connection of the PS5 and do all of the setup work just to use a different user from the console. I wish MJR mentioned that cause that is one of the biggest cons imo. If you’re a sole user, then it doesn't matter. But this is a huge overight.

[kinketsu]

This kind of convinced me. I dont play the PS5 enough on the weekends when I have the chance because it is a hassle to basically shunt everyone out of the way for it, and staying up late to do it is a bit difficult if you are tired. I travel a fair bit for work and family reasons and one thing that does get at me is down time where I could be doing something else, YouTube often ending up being the best option. As I live in Japan, I think the wifi will usually be up to the task and my PS5 is connected by cable. However, I have bought a number of other things in the past which I didnt really use so I am a bit cautious. This rundown helped a lot as always, thanks MJR!

[Level-tsxl]

the latency in devices like these are a huge issue for me. as soon as i notice it, i can't stop thinking about it and it destroys the experience for me.

[amazingflavour]

I’m one of the biggest Playstation guys out there but I personally cannot ever justify buying this thing.. the connection issues are way too prevalent, in Australia anyway