340°

Sony Senior VP of Platform Experience talks bringing Cloud Gaming to PS Portal

In this lengthy interview with AV Watch, Sony Senior VP of Platform Experience Hideaki Nishino talks about the effects of the COVID Pandemic on PS5 distribution goals.
He gives insight into their current year end goal.
He explains how a weak Japanese Yen is impacting console pricing in Japan.
He also explains that shrinking the semi conductor did not reduce costs.
He talks in detail about the new line of headsets.

He explains why cloud streaming is currently locked to PS5 for now and that discussions and verifications are taking place to ensure that cloud gaming is properly introduced on the Portal. He explains that Remote Play is the first step to acclimating users to gaming over Networks. Another important factor seems to be wanting to ensure to Developers can provide the experience they expect and that consumers can get reliable experiences. Remote Play/Cloud gaming threaten to create a fracture in reliability and expectations. This must be taken seriously.

Additional, Hideaki reveals that the Portal was not designed with profitability in mind. It was designed to increase engagement on the PlayStation platform.

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Eonjay175d ago

Its basically confirmed to be coming. I do appreciate them not rushing it out. Considering how much they improved cloud streaming on PS5 itself, I hope they can achieve similar results on the Portal.

Ozzy2407174d ago

Yeah not having cloud streaming on Portal was the main reason i did not purchase it. Once the streaming is added its time to buy

Eonjay174d ago

Hideaki reasons that in order for this to work, consumers must be introduced to the services in a way that doesn't create confusion. He seems worried that if this doesn't work seamlessly that consumers will never want to try it again. So, his approach is very methodical and measured. He explains that there is no technological barrier to delivering cloud to Portal because like Remote Play as they both involve pointing to a specific server. If more of a matter of educating users on how to game over networks.

I was thinking that they didn't do it because they were worried about making the PS5 hardware obsolete but it seems like they care more about engagement. If they can get people to consumer content over the cloud they are all for it... but it has to work well and consumers have to understand the importance of solid network connections to use a product like this.

He didn't go into details about what verification involves or how that would work when streaming from the cloud to Portal.

Cacabunga173d ago

This would be a groundbreaking feature if true.. day one buy when this becomes official, not for home only use

StormSnooper173d ago

@cacabunga
Its already something you can use elsewhere. You dont have to use it at home, you can play it from anywhere you have internet.

darthv72174d ago

Figured it was just something that would eventually happen. So far this thing is cool. Was playing some stuff last night and it was way better than my phone or vita ever were.

Eonjay174d ago

What did you play if you don't mind me asking?

darthv72174d ago (Edited 174d ago )

I played some spider-man remastered, ghost of tsushima and the konami arcade collection and contra collection. I have so many games I started but never finished that i am hoping this will light that spark to get me to finish them.

Tonight I'm going to dive back in to GoW Ragnarok. Have to say it holds 60fps pretty well. A few dips here and there but otherwise it does really good.

kayoss174d ago

@Eonjay
I received mine yesterday and i was able to play Final Fantasy 7 remake and Destiny 2 on it. It worked great for both games. Playing shooters still feels different but its 10x better than on the Vita or using your phone with the backbone attachment.

derek174d ago (Edited 174d ago )

@darth, it's good? I have mine just haven't set it up yet, can't wait.

Eonjay173d ago

@darth

Thats awesome. I'm jealous because mine is delayed till Saturday 😢

@kayoss

Destiny didn't give you a bad delay?

Cacabunga173d ago

See you just made me think of Matterfall.. I always start stop and I think a handheld would make me dive into it.
Did you have wired internet connection on ps5? How far were you from it with the Portal?

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 173d ago
ModsDoBetter174d ago

"discussions and verifications are taking place to ensure that cloud gaming is properly introduced on the Portal."

Excellent news.

Mr_cheese174d ago

Got to be honest, I wasn't expecting the portal to be getting updates with things like cloud. I assumed that it was what it was and that any enhancement would be on a future model

Vits174d ago

Already been confirmed that it runs a custom version of Android 13 and uses the Snapdragon 662. So the only reason for it to not have Playstation Cloud streaming is if Sony just doesn't bother to allow it. Even Gamepass Cloud and GeForce NOW should be usable if Sony had not blocked the browser access.

Eonjay174d ago

I mean clearly its not because the just don't 'bother to allow it'. He explains in the article and as pointed out in the description what they are actually doing to get cloud on Portal and why it isn't there yet. Clearly Sony blocked Gamepass and Geforce Now. But thats more complicated because if you release a game on the PS platform and then someone can play it using another platform then you aren't gonna be compensated per your agreement with the PS platform holder. By the same token, Sony probably doesn't want to compensate a publisher for running a game on their platform that they are not being compensated for. But yes without a doubt the block comes from Sony itself.

Vits174d ago

@Eonjay

If you're falling for the PR talk that doesn't really amount to anything, be my guest. Sony's all set with the blades and server setup for streaming. They've put in the technical effort already so now the only thing keeping it from happening on the Portal is, well, Sony. To be more specific, it's their desire to rake in the cash. Why offer people the option to play games with a $200 device and a subscription fee for streaming when they can make a killing by selling a $200 client, a $400 processor box, and the software separately?

As for blocking Gamepass and Geforce Now. There is nothing complicated about it. An artificial block on the browser application, nothing that Sony hasn't done before. Sure, here it's even shittier because it's entry-level hardware that runs nothing natively and it's even running Android already. But the main idea behind it is the same, you are not the owner of the hardware.

Eonjay174d ago

A few things. First Sony stated that they aren't making any money on the Portal and that profitability is not the goal. Their goal is engagement. You are correct about the tech being there already. They make a point to explain that the reason for not deploying it now is because they need to do more testing before its ready. They are worried that if it doesn't perform well enough, people aren't going to want to use it. And they want people to stream. Why? Simple, streaming is part of their Premium tier Plus membership.

So it is in their best interest to get streaming running good on Portal so that someone who buys a Portal can go straight to Premium without even owing a PS5. The money they make by getting you onto Premium is more than make from selling a PS5.

There is no logical reason in not launching it unless they are being honest when they say they want to keep testing it first.

Vits174d ago

@Eonjay

"First Sony stated that they aren't making any money on the Portal and that profitability is not the goal. Their goal is engagement. "

Oh, I believe that their goal is engagement or some sort of other PR bullshit term. Because no way in hell that this piece of e-waste will sell enough units to generate a good profit. That said, it doesn't mean that they don't have a margin and if they don't, their R&D team is taking them for a ride cause a 2020 mid-range SoC without the modem paired with an IPS 60hz display should cost peanuts.

"They make a point to explain that the reason for not deploying it now is because they need to do more testing before its ready. They are worried that if it doesn't perform well enough, people aren't going to want to use it. And they want people to stream. Why? Simple, streaming is part of their Premium tier Plus membership."

That is where you are wrong. They don't want you to stream. Why would they ever want you to do so when they went time and time again talking about software sales? Makes absolutely no sense with their current strategy.

"So it is in their best interest to get streaming running good on Portal so that someone who buys a Portal can go straight to Premium without even owing a PS5. The money they make by getting you onto Premium is more than make from selling a PS5."

It's not. Why would they want you to pay for the device and then some subscription? If they can can you pay for the device, some subscription, the PS5 and all the software that you will buy for the latter?

"There is no logical reason in not launching it unless they are being honest when they say they want to keep testing it first."

Again if you want to believe in PR bullshit, be my guess. Sony has always been the master of it.

derek174d ago (Edited 174d ago )

@Vits, what are you not understanding? It's not pr spin, Sony rep says that it is Sony blocking further use until they are ready to provide a seamless streaming experience from the cloud. You seem to have some weird rage towards this device. Lol

Eonjay173d ago

LOL Calm down there.

Keep in mind Sony is a corporation and corporations are designed to generate growth so you should always be careful with anything they say but we can also use what we know about their goals to figure out whats going on.

You said they don't want you to stream. They do. Thats why they just went out and spent money on iSize. The goal is to linked to Premium Plus. They want to make their streaming platform as flexible as possible so people will upgrade for the ease of access to their own catalog. The Portal is an ALL STEAMING DEVICE. They want you to stream. First, its CHEAPER for them to make a Portal than a PS5. Their plan is to sell as many Portals as they can, then put streaming on there which will prompt people who don't have Premium to upgrade/buy. People will love it because you get access to the games in Plus... AND games you purchased. Meaning you have immediate access to all your stuff with no need to worry about storage and all your saves sync. This will boost the Portal substantially.

Yes of course they want you to still get a PS5, and its still gonna be the place to play the games with the least lag so you should want to get one too. Also, they haven't converted all the purchased games into streamable ones yet. If you read the interview, you will see that reducing the cost of console production has become difficult because they are having issues with semiconductor cost. That means that they aren't making that much money off of them. Why is this important? Because if you get a portal and they have cloud streaming to it, even though they aren't making money off the portal, the likelihood of you getting Premium is higher than if you own a PS5 alone. Its all about subscriptions. How can they get the most people to adopt the highest tier.

Because they have tied the Premium to streaming they feel obligated, as they should, to make sure it works really well. I don't know if you have tried the new streaming on PS5, but it is really really good. Probably the best out there by far. They go all the way up to 4K 60 fps (although to go that high they recommend a like 50mbps) and you can barely feel lag. When it comes to Portal its gonna blow everything away. On a good outside network, its gonna be better than Remote Play-promise.

So its not PR BS and you know this because they are betting on streaming to boost Premium which will boost their pockets. Its all about money and the fastest way for them to make money is to convert as many people as possible to Premium. Its like $180 a year.

Vits173d ago (Edited 173d ago )

Every day I get increasingly impressed by the amount of sheep in this place. Like, can't you guys think for yourself for like 5 minutes? Or eating up any shit that these manufacturers spin is the only thing you are capable of?

And don't even try to hide that it is a brainless fanboy. "Blow everything out of the water", sure buddy, I'm sure your daddy Sony is really proud of your free marketing.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 173d ago
GoodGuy09174d ago

Not sure why that wasn't a thing at launch lol.

derek174d ago

But they just told you why, didn't you read the article? Lol

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240°

The PlayStation Portal is finally winning me over

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.

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digitaltrends.com
jznrpg25d ago

I love it for single player games

blackblades24d ago

It'll probably help me get through some games. Listen to the tv and play at same time. Also people need to stop hating

DogJosha24d ago

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.

MaximusPrime_24d ago

I'm still playing it. Playing GT7 on it has been awesome

MaximusPrime_24d ago

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!

monkey60224d ago

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

VenomUK24d ago

You spent a fortnight playing Fortnite?

monkey60224d ago

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

jwillj2k424d ago

You spend a Fortnite on your back? ….

DarXyde24d ago

You back spending on Fortnite?

monkey60224d ago

Cheers JZNRPG!
I'm back walking again. And was out for the first time two days ago. Going to attempt driving today.

jznrpg24d ago

Great to hear ! Back injuries are one of the worst. Good luck with your driving

mudakoshaka24d ago

You spent two weeks in a fort at night?

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 24d ago
24d ago
hiawa2324d ago

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.

Tapani24d ago

I wonder which one has better controls or screen. Genuine question.

raWfodog24d ago (Edited 24d ago )

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.

Sgt_Slaughter24d ago

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.

mudakoshaka24d ago

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!

Show all comments (40)
280°

PlayStation Portal Sales Continue to Impress Despite Skepticism

Sony has said that the PlayStation Portal is meant to be a niche product for a specific audience, but its sales continue to impress.

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playstationlifestyle.net
46d ago Replies(1)
BrettAwesome46d ago

And PS2 is at...155? Damn...the Switch got close! It still just might make it.

Profchaos46d ago

Plus or minus a few zeros

BrettAwesome45d ago (Edited 45d ago )

The disagrees for this 😂😂😂 for some numbers. Or is it because I dare say the Switch might have a go at the PS2 numbers? Is that forbidden? 😂😂😂 what if I end up being right?

Barlos46d ago

I use mine a lot. Don't get me wrong it's not perfect by any means. It really isn't good for fast paced games but as I love my RPGs it's perfect for those. I've put a good few hours into BG3 and Infinite Wealth on my Portal when the TV is being used. It's so good to use that at times it's easy to forget it's not playing games natively.

monkey60246d ago

I took the time to upgrade my network at home by replacing the router and getting a mesh system throughout the house before I bought the portal. I have absolutely zero latency issues with it and I am using it currently to play Helldivers, The Finals and Star Wars Jedi Survivor.

Ironmike46d ago (Edited 46d ago )

So uspent a fortune for 200 pound handheld device lol

darthv7246d ago

@mike, a mesh network is not very expensive. I think I paid $200 for mine. It made a huge difference in performance and coverage.

monkey60246d ago

Or IronMike!... hear me out here. I spent money upgrading my home network and now the back rooms with smart tvs and our home office benefit too.
So quick to judge, You should have taken a second to use some common sense first. 🙄

Eonjay46d ago

It's perfect for helldivers! I also use mine to play FF7 Rebirth and Granblue fantasy. I'm actually expecting the PS5 Pro to enhance Remote Play by streaming downsampled performance modes.

Charlieboy33345d ago (Edited 45d ago )

@ironbike Yeah, it's not like people would like to improve their network for other reasons. What he actually said was, he happened to upgrade his network 'before' he got his portal. Not 'because' of his portal. But I know reading is hard for you ( and writing based on all your comments ).

Edit: I just saw Monkey replied and said pretty much what I said. So that's already two people with more advanced thinking skills than you.

Barlos45d ago (Edited 45d ago )

Nice! Tbh my home isn't suited to a mesh network but it could benefit from an upgraded router. We're using a TPLink Archer 2600. It does the job but is definitely showing its age. In honesty we don't get much lag, but in the faster games such as GT7 it does stutter every now and again. Otherwise the connection is strong even on my old TPLink 😂

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 45d ago
blackblades45d ago (Edited 45d ago )

Right, they should've at least have 2 modes. Remote play via Wi-Fi and a direct connect to the system like how the dual sense is for better latency. Overall that one time I played on phone it was response imo so which leads to me getting a portal one day. Making a native system just for ps4 games doesnt make sense to me when you have this with remote play. No one is gonna play competitive on a handheld to begin with

Tody_ZA45d ago

@monkey602 Same, I upgraded my home network to a mesh one sometime ago and it works wonders for the Portal. TP-Link Archer 3000 Router and a Wifi extender. Pretty much can move wherever I want in the house and never drop a bar.

Tody_ZA46d ago (Edited 46d ago )

Not surprised. My Portal has been a life changer with two kids in the house. I use it almost every day and the comfort factor and build quality is amazing. Of course playing on a big TV with Pulse Elite headphones is superior, but the Portal is such a damn good handheld experience that you get lost in it. Can't remote play any other way now.

1nsomniac46d ago

‘They’ as well as the rest of the paid media also claimed this for PSVR2…. It’s about time people realised published sales figures mean nothing and can be slanted to any direction to suit the chosen narrative… they’re fake..

Profchaos46d ago (Edited 46d ago )

This is a far different story to the psvr2 this will support every game until the end of the generation. So to the end user it's just numbers on a spreadsheet and low numbers won't negatively impact their experience.

The psvr2 is a year In and there's no word on what's next in terms of first party with only two first party games being launched to date. Low sales of the psvr2 mean us psvr2 owners can kiss long term support goodbye Sony's already opening the headset up to PC comparability which is nice but also says hey we tried but we got nothing go play your fancy headset on steam VR

I say this as a psvr2 owner who genuinely loves the hardware and the games I've played so far but I still feel ripped off it's got the same feeling like when I had the 32x and Sega CD in the 90s.

But maybe I'm just a sucker

crazyCoconuts46d ago

I'm with you. It feels like they had bigger plans and then changed their mind. I also felt their decision to not build in compatibility with our purchased PSVR 1 games was a business decision, not a technical one.
I was moving from a Rift S though, where Facebook/Meta screwed us pretty hard so I'm still relatively happy with the move. There's a decent amount of games to play and the headset is really good. But I am disappointed in Sony as I think it could be much better

Einhander197246d ago

By paid media you mean all the people who said it would fail before it launched and did everything they could to tell people not to buy it, right?

This isn't paid media this is NPD, Circana saying it's selling well btw.

Ironmike46d ago

Everyone of my friends on psn about 200 ppl who I know owns a ps5 nor one of them have bought one it it's bullshit

crazyCoconuts46d ago

"Sell through" is difficult to report, so yeah sometimes stores aren't selling their stock.
But this is different. Try to find one to buy at list price... Not easy in the US. These aren't sitting in store shelves.

Ironmike46d ago

Totally I remember all the sales articles saying psvr2 selling out now articles saying massive stockpile no one buying them I don't believe this selling great no browser latency issues I calling this bs as well

thorstein45d ago

We know at launch the story was 100k per week.

Of course that will drop off, it will for anything that's new. (A few exceptions prove the rule.) PC support is rumored to be incoming. But those "stopped production" stories all quote Bloomberg. And they have it as a rumor.

porkChop46d ago

The thing is, this isn't even sales figures. It's the best selling accessory in terms of dollar amount. It costs multiple times what the average accessory costs though. I'm not saying it's a failure or anything, but you can't really extrapolate any sales data from this.

blackblades45d ago

You forget Sony never expect both to sells like Hot cakes. Its there for ones who wants it.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 45d ago
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150°

Exclusive: The making of the PlayStation Portal

Project lead Hiromi Wakai explains Sony's goals and why the Portal isn't a Vita 2.

Read Full Story >>
gamefile.news
darthv7271d ago

Portal is a great little piece of kit. I use it and the G-Cloud for my console streaming needs.

GamingSinceForever71d ago

I looked today after seeing this and you still can’t find one for retail.

71d ago
TheEnigma31371d ago (Edited 71d ago )

I was able to find one at gamestop this past weekend, but you need to be a pro member smh. I paid the $25 to get it

71d ago
Tody_ZA71d ago

As a dad of two this is the best gadget I could have ever bought for the price. In a week I've finished Valhalla and dived well into Tales of Arise, which previously would have taken me a month or more. It helps that it's so comfortable and amazing to play on, the design is far better than pictures would suggest. As someone who used to remote play on my phone with a backbone, only an insane person would say the experience is comparable. You just can't underestimate the appeal of playing on an 8 inch screen with DualSense controls, of playing in bed, or while the kids are watching or being able to hide what you're playing from the little ones because 90% of your games aren't child friendly. Loving my Portal.

jznrpg71d ago

As a father of 5 children I approve this message.

__y2jb71d ago

It’s a fantastic device and works flawlessly on the 5ghz Wi-Fi band.

TheEnigma31371d ago

This works better than I thought. A quick tip, for best results, wire your PS5 and make sure you are connected to 5gz on the Portal.