Bigger is Better
IGN's Seth Macy writes:
"I did not think for a second I was going to be impressed by the PlayStation Portal, Sony's small-screen Remote Play solution for the PS5. With Remote Play already working great on tablets and phones, and controller solutions like the Backbone designed specifically for playing console games remotely, the Portal seemed like a solution to a problem no one had. Why spend $200 on a single-purpose device when there are much cheaper solutions already available? And yet, after spending time with the PlayStation Portal, I gotta say… this thing rules. That's not to say I wouldn’t change anything about it. In fact, it has some missing features that make me scratch my head, but my initial skepticism has been replaced by enthusiasm.
8/10 "
The PlayStation Portal has been "exceeding supply for several months" in the US and doing better than it ever was expected to.
I'm laying on my bed with Eve on my Portal and my skama in tha air. 😶🌫️ Chilln. I have been playing it on my big tv though just cause I like to play the main story on there. I do side quests and collecting on my Portal.
Seems like industry advisors and analyst constantly underestimate or straight up talk from their back side
Not just analysts. These very message boards were full of people throwing as much shade on the idea as they possibly could. I saw it for what it was, a great authentic and plug-and-play way to access your system from another room (or house). Glad it’s finding success.
As someone who does a lot of data analysis for a living, I can tell you that these econometric analysts have a tendency to look exclusively at numbers without any attachment to the human element. Anything that is not explained in their numbers doesn't make sense to them, when in reality, any analysis that involves people will always be subject to error (that they never seem to account for).
In this case, the demand was underestimated likely because they built their calculations on declining Switch sales to indicate there was low demand for a dedicated portable gaming device and price sensitivity. I didn't expect it to sell this well either to be honest, but I don't have access to their data either.
In truth, there is so much noise around the data here: we don't know how informed people were about it needing a PS5, how many are scalping it, how many typically purchase the latest tech, etc. All of that does factor in. Even the interpretation of demand is flawed. I have no doubt there is strong demand for it at this time, but I do suspect the numbers are inflated a bit by scalpers, where people become curious and purchase one because they keep selling out.
Between the Portal, PSVR2, Edge controller, Pulse headsets, and potentially PS5 Pro Sony customers are going to have a lot of hardware purchase choices this holiday
All will likely be sold out this holiday and you’ll pay up to double if you want it. Typical Sony never enough hardware or purposely shorting the market, whichever it is causing shortages I see no end especially around the holidays.
They don't make more money when others scalp for double. They're not purposely shorting the market
I don't know about the other devices but PSVR2 is not doing some well. I read a report a while back that sales were so bad they had to stop production.
https://www.eurogamer.net/p...
Want to snag the PlayStation Portal Remote Player? It's finally available at multiple retailers right now.
we don't know how many they made to be honest. It continued to sell out, but if stock was limited to begin with, then that doesn't paint the entire picture.
That being said, good for those who use and enjoy it.
Interesting that we don’t have any sales numbers, when Sony said that they will be counting the peripheral as a console.
It means after they sold out of the limited stock there is still demand. Most people weren't expecting the Portal to run through the limited stock. In other words , it sold like crazy.
After a few months with the PlayStation Portal, Digital Trends Giovanni Colantonio is starting to see how the streaming handheld fits into our gaming lives.
It'll probably help me get through some games. Listen to the tv and play at same time. Also people need to stop hating
I'll stop hating when they go back to being able to connect locally instead of through the internet. Some of us are adults with jobs that take us away from top tier internet service.
Thanks for disagreeing. I doubt you never seen or afford a PS Portal?
I bought it at launch and it's the best decision I ever made. Well done Sony!
I slipped a disc in my back a short while ago and I could barely move for 2 weeks. A spent a near fortnite on my back and the Portal was a god send
I must type fortnite out more often than I actually use the word fortnight because my phone auto corrects to it. Haha
Nah I've been playing Cyberpunk and HellDivers though
I was thinking about getting the Portal but my Logitech G-Cloud remote plays my PS5 games, Series X, retro games fine so will stick with that for now. Good to see the Portal doing well.
IIRC both have 1080p resolution and 60Hz/fps. The Portal has a 1” bigger screen though (8” vs 7”) and is about $100 cheaper if you can find one without having to seek out a reseller.
The Portal is strictly a PlayStation device and has on-par if not worse connectivity than most phones, so a G-Cloud or even a Steam Deck for a bit more money is a better deal for more options.
Completely agree! Playing PS5 remotely, Game Pass, GeForce Now, some emulators as well for older games. The G Cloud is an amazing device for that price!
Game I would like to play on the Portal include: Star Ocean: Second Story R, Baldur's Gate 3, Humanity, and even classics like Wild Arms and the PSP games. This is gonna be great for RPGs
I'm very glad that Sony made the switch to treat physical and digital games as the same. Meaning you no longer have to uninstall one to install the other. And many of my games that I had installed via disc are now on PS+ in digital form so I have been activating the already installed data into digital mode so now I can play without the disc.
this is going to make playing through my backlog soooo much better.
Sounds super cool but I honestly can’t see myself using it enough to justify buying one.
Chiaki on the steam deck and Ally stream from the PS5 with excellent quality and these are much more versatile devices all around.
A glorified remote play device at $200 is a scam. At $100-$150 there is a much more attractive value prop
349$ Steam Deck can hurt PlayStation Portal sales... but you never have enough screens at home. Better to have both.