The PlayStation Portal is now available for purchase, or is it? Sony unveiled the PlayStation Portal as a new handheld PlayStation accessory in May 2023 and announced availability details in late October, with November 15 set as the release date in around a dozen markets. Pre-orders were quickly sold out, and it looks like finding a PlayStation Portal now that it is officially available is also proving difficult.
Stocks have run out at all major retailers and on Sony's own website. To make matters worse, scalpers are taking advantage of the situation by selling the handheld at inflated prices, so interested customers might have to wait a while if they wish to grab the PlayStation Portal at the official $$199.99 price tag. Hopefully the situation will be resolved by the time the PlayStation Portal goes on sale in more countries around the world.
PlayStation Portal streams PS5 games over Wi-Fi
The PlayStation Portal is designed for streaming games from a PlayStation 5 using a Wi-Fi connection. It features an 8-inch LCD screen sitting between two halves of a DualSense controller, with the controller sporting features like adaptive triggers and haptic feedback similar to the controller that comes with the PlayStation 5.
The PlayStation Portal uses Sony's new PlayStation Link feature to stream PS5 games, with the company claiming lower latency and lossless audio. As lossless audio is part of the attraction, the PlayStation Link doesn't allow the use of Bluetooth headsets, so players will have to take advantage of the 3.5mm headphone port built into the handheld.
Sony will launch the Pulse Elite headset and Pulse Explore earbuds for use with the PlayStation Portal. The release date for the headset is set for December 6 and the earbuds will come out on February 21, 2024. The Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore will also work with the PlayStation 5, though that will require a separate purchase of the $25 PlayStation Link adapter.
Image credit: Sony
