Sony has unveiled the true name of its long-awaitedProject Qstreaming handheld, and it’s quite snappy: PlayStation Portal. The handheld will release later this year, but we now know its price point.
It’s an impressive one, too - $199.99, €219.99 or £199.99, coming in below the all-important $200 mark to make it a genuine accessory rather than a super-expensive option.
The handheld has been confirmed as a Remote Play-only system, so you’ll stream action from your PS5 (which will be powered on and running as usual) to the PlayStation Portal, and it won’t be able to run PSVR 2 or cloud-streamed games.
We still don’t have an actual date to look forward to, butPlayStation says in its blogthat it’ll be back with more news shortly, along with details on when the Portal will be available to pre-order.
The system will apparently need an internet connection capable of at least 5 Mbps but 15 Mbps will apparently be a safer minimum, although having used a few other Remote Play options it’s more the strength of your home’s Wi-Fi network that’ll have a strong say.
You’ll be able to play fully remotely, though - you don’t have to be on the same network as your PS5 to use the Portal.
Interestingly, it also doesn’t have Bluetooth for a headset connection (although there is a 3.5mm port) - it instead uses a new proprietary system called PlayStation Link that will seemingly be lower-latency and more reliable, although it won’t have a wide range of supported hardware at first.
On that note, PlayStation also showed off some more details about new audio products - including the earbuds it teased much earlier in 2023. These are called the Pulse Explore and will cost the exact same amount as the Portal - $199.99, €219.99 or £199.99.
There’s also a new headset on the way, the Pulse Elite, bringing some upgrades on the decent but not outstanding Pulse headset that Sony’s been selling for a few years now.
It has a proper retractable boom microphone, and planar magnetic drivers (also there in the Pulse Explore) for hopefully more detailed sound.
They’ll cost $149.99, €149.99 or £129.99, and to fit the pattern they also don’t have a release date as yet.
This makes for an interesting suite of new hardware options from Sony to close out the year, with all expected to be available for the holiday season, and we can’t wait to get our hands on the PlayStation Portal to see how it holds up.
