I kinda have a feeling a lot of folks were like me, bought it and then never use it. Seemed like a must-have gadget but it really is a phone with a dualsense. No “secret sauce” (digital foundry) to streaming from ps5, just the same experience as every other device capable of streaming ps5 game play.
Seemed like a must-have gadget
… how?
I came in here to note that most skepticism seems to miss what a niche and fixed-function gizmo this is. It has low aspirations and makes them pretty clear just from looking at the thing. Sony wedged a screen amid a controller. Its R&D budget was not deep. They didn’t need to care if most people did not buy one.
I would ask, “what did you buy it for?,” except it’s only for one thing. If you don’t match that single use-case where this thing functions - why would you even consider it?
That’s what I had heard. I would have gotten one for a reasonable price. Or if it had PSP/Vita capabilities baked in. I ended up just getting a backbone for my phone and using remote play instead.
I bought a deck instead, and it turns out 80% of my game time is on Chiaki4Deck, streaming my PS5. I don’t regret the purchase, but I do miss those haptic dualsense features. However, Deck has OLED and HDR streaming. Plus 720p resolution is more stable than 1080p.
Chiaki4Deck is amazing and added a lot for me. Don’t have to stop playing FF7:Rebirth when someone else wants the TV 😄 Just pause, switch over, and keep playing. PS Portal seems like a good idea until you realise your phone can do the same thing with your existing controller and a £10 attachment.
I did (pre steam deck) get Chiaki working on my homebrew switch. It was okay, but nowhere near as good as the deck is performance wise.
Edit: Word
Guess we can kiss goodbye the idea of having another PSP in the future then…
Why do people think this fancy controller is a handheld console?
Because it costs like one. PSP dropped at $250 though it quickly went down.
This is $200 and all it does is let you play your own very expensive PS5 Games so long you stay within your own home portably.
And if you don’t want that, don’t buy one.
It won’t somehow become a separate platform, just because the price is higher than you’d like, for a single-purpose object. Its sales prove nothing about a completely different theoretical gizmo.
Nobody saw the Wavebird and went “well, the DS is fucked.”
I use mine almost every day. I’m a business owner, husband, and father of 3 boys, so I can’t always retreat to a game room for hours to game. The portal is perfect for when I have a little bit of time. It’s quick and dead simple to pick up whatever game where I left off, and put it down when something needs my attention.
That’s what I like about my Steam Deck, so it’s awesome the Portal has filled that niche as well.
This is why I use my Steam Deck to remote play my PS5.
Just FYI for anyone who has a Steam Deck, you don’t need this product. Look up Chiaki (or Chiaki4Deck for a Steam Deck-specific fork). Works very well.
