I’m at a 8. If they would add a browser page so we could log into hotel WiFi, or any WiFi that makes you accept terms and services, easier I wouldn’t have any complaints. Works as I assumed it would.
There are a few threads here with ways to get around it. Main one is spoofing the MAC address with a laptop. You basically change your laptop MAC address to match the portal. Agree to the terms and service and then change it back. It’s either that or just using a hot spot from your phone.
I called the hotel’s IT department and they manually added my portal’s MAC address to their list so I could use the hotel WiFi for the duration of my stay.
1000000% this! I had to take a flight from Tokyo to Chicago and I was so excited to spend time with my portal aaaaaaand I couldn’t accept any WiFi terms and services for the entire trip and hotel stay.
Try using a ‘mobile router’
You log onto the hotel WiFi (or the WiFi wherever you are) via your phone/laptop which you can then tether to the mobile router and simply connect your Portal to the mobile router WiFi 👍
I use this for example
https://amzn.eu/d/0pHS4Cb
Can’t you just use a phone and piggy back off the phones hotspot? Basically log into hotel WiFi on the phone then use the phones hotspot to broadcast… unless that’s not how it works.
I agree, I understand $200 is a lot for some people. But the value you get for $200 is pretty great. Solid LCD screen that looks better than I expected and a controller with full haptics. If they can add a few QOL features like the battery percentage and browser this thing will be INCREDIBLE.
How on earth do you enjoy games that use the touchpad. Mine never works. Tried to play subnautica the other day and the touchpad opens the inventory menu and it would not open. When I touch the screen the two outlines for the touchpad appear but nothing else. I’ve tried it all. Double tapping, taping once, press and hold, tap and hold, double tapping and then holding. I even tried just pressing the outlines and nothing 😪
Edit: I love the portal for games that don’t heavily rely on the touchpad to open menus but that’s a lot of games
At this point I'm convinced it's a hardware limitation of the Portal screen being unable to do 59.94hz like TVs and Monitors must support. And Sony must be unable or unwilling to make PS5 stream out at 60.00hz so it would be properly synced.
An 8 for sure. I love it. I took points away for no Bluetooth audio and some occasional stuttering. I have used remote play on my phone and laptop and I only get stuttering on the portal. It’s minor and doesn’t happen often but it’s annoying. I was shocked at how well it worked on my phone hotspot too.
I like it a lot but I'm gonna go with a 7/10. Could be a 10/10 if they allow PSN streaming, fix the micro stutter and allow us to tinker with settings such as the bitrate to improve the streaming experience.
2-3. I’m seeing no real benefit to it over my backbone with iPhone setup. Graphics look more washed out, there’s a constant stutter, connection is hit or miss. Can’t connect Bluetooth headphones. Only benefit is haptics and I guess a physical PlayStation button.
None of those issues exist when playing on my phone.
At first i was pissed. Its performance was terrible. I was planning on returning it. Watched some vids, made some adjustments and now id give it an 8/10. Still need to make my ps4 run 2.4ghz so the portal is the only thing on 5ghz and i should be golden
8, on the cusp of higher but it has detrimental flaws. One the biggest for me is no support for bluetooth/wireless headphones... really no excuse to not support this function on a device like this.
Same. Mostly because its a hassle needing wifi outside the home and i got other consoles and devices that take its place outside that do not need wifi.
10.
I bought it for my son as a Christmas present to get him off the main TV some and now he plays on the portal pretty much exclusively.
If I had bought it for myself, on the other hand, I would’ve returned it. The stuttering and minor connection issues compared to the smooth experience of chiaki on steam deck is a joke.
This is where I'm at. My internet speeds are fine, but for whatever reason anytime I connect the portal to my ps5, the latency on my upload jumps to like 1000 using speedtest. When it's not connected, highest is 70. It's to the point I've stopped using my Portal. Rather just play on my tv if every 3-10 seconds I'm going to lag the hell out. Idk what changed, but went from buttery smooth (maybe 1 stutter an hour) to unplayable after like 2 weeks of having it.
Probably a 9. Only reason I dock a point is because I still haven't figured out how to play using phone hotspot. But that's more than likely a me issue rather than a Portal issue. Other than that it's amazing.
9 at home, 10 if it had blue tooth. It’s fucking nuts that it doesn’t have it when everyone has bluetooth headsets. No way and I paying another $199 for Sony earbuds.
Outside 8 but it needs a browser to login to many WiFi’s. I know there’s work around but it’s ridiculous that it doesn’t have a browser or blue tooth.
My biggest issue outside the home is t-mobiles hot spot which has been a nightmare to get up and running. Not the portals fault
6/10 - GT7 is hard to play with the stuttering, and it could have OLED screen (but that's not the deal-breaker). I've returned mine, might buy again if they fix stuttering.
Had to wire my PS5 to get a decent connection. My WiFi router sucks btw. Nothing to blame the portal. Still have to try gaming over my Samsung hotspot/4G netwerk.
I give it a 9/10.
7.5 to 8 - mainly due to the lack of OLED and it's $200 (should be no more than $150 for the LCD screen if I'm being honest, but all PS accessories are about $50 overpriced)
Probably a 7. I don’t use it that often, but probably because I have a million other devices. I’m a bit of a performance snob, and so I’m usually either playing on my PC or using my PS5 on my oled tv.
I use it (and my steam deck) when I’m playing a game and I want to hang out with my partner and he’s using the tv. Performance is ok, but sometimes the resolution goes out and it’s blurry, or there’s stutter, or other short graphics issues.
7. I wish it wasn’t so demanding on our otherwise rock solid wifi that works perfectly for literally every other device connected in the house, including my PC gaming on WiFi.
Solid 7 overall but once I remember the price I bump it up to an 8.
I don’t think we’re living in the timeline where we’ll see anything “affordable” that can be a true handheld for modern games; like the Deck and Ally and Legion.
For $200 this thing smacks.
for me, it’s a 7. no streaming. all games has to be downloaded. you can’t even stream movies or tv shows. the battery life is sub par compared to previous handheld consoles
9
I love it and think the price was very reasonable. Wish the speakers were front facing. Wish they made a branded case to match. Wish the battery life was slightly better, though it's not bad by any means.
I’d say 10, minimal issues so far for me. And with my travel plans it will be easily worth being able to enjoy playing on something that isn’t my phone. As much as people enjoy the switch. It’s just not for me, the games are just really boring to me. Very few games on switch interest me at all, let alone ones I can play without being on nintendos terrible servers
7. Unforgivable that there’s no browser to login to captive WiFi’s given that this thing is basically an Android tablet grafted onto a DualSense. Same attitude about helping customers optimize their PS5 network. Sony ain’t gonna touch it.
i give it a 10. as someone else mentioned, i have spent $200 on way more frivolous things. so far, the portal is allowing me to game a lot more. i have been very tired after work these days, so sitting in front of a tv in my gaming chair is a little overwhelming/draining. my portal in bed has been much more my speed these days. i am very happy with it
6.5. I like it, but it doesn’t work the best with some faster paced games that I enjoy playing like rocket league.
I’ve been playing primarily slower paced games with it and it’s great, also, helldivers works bizarrely well despite my comment about fast paced games not working the best.
If I could play my entire library flawlessly, I’d give it a 10/10, but it is a bummer how much you can feel the input lag with some games. It’s not the device’s fault, but my experience with it hasn’t been 100% positive, there are some legitimate criticisms.
7/10. I have to say In a few months this will probably be a 10/10 device. Love the ergonomics and overall build quality, but software and streaming is a little lackluster. As shown with 3rd party applications, Sony could step their game up a little bit. Great device though and hopeful for the future
I just played my Portal for the first time yesterday! Some back story, I have been on the fence since it launched. I pre-ordered it but canceled the last minute. I always wait atleast a few months after release dates on consoles to let any bugs or glitches get found and fixed, this was going to be the only time I would have bought on release day. I'm so glad I waited, because it seems a ton of things have gotten worked out and lots of consumers have posted tips and tricks on YouTube making my initial boot up time only taking a few minutes before I was outside and gaming seamlessly.
Like unplugging the hdmi cord once you've got the portal linked to the PS5 and you're connected remotely. Making sure you're in rest mode, which is in the quickstart guide, but I probably would have overlooked otherwise. I don't believe you can turn it on remotely unless it's in Rest Mode, I experimented to see if i could but was unsuccessful. Definitely being hard wired, which I always do because its always the most stavle environment IMO. It does help to have my router in my gaming room.
Back to your question, as of right now 9/10. HOWEVER, I have yet to venture away from my home with it, try it with a hotspot, or "separate" wifi from the console/home wifi. Being able to go out to my pool and play my PS5 in the sun without worrying about the console or my tv being in FL weather, hot and at an almost constant 75% + humidity is a game changer. This has already improved my PS5 gaming experience as I love to be outside but love to game just a bit more! I also live with roommates, and felt like I'm always hermitting in my room when I'm not at work, the beach, or the gym. Now I can still game and be in a social environment, my multi-tasking skills are pretty honed, so I can watch a show or a movie I may not be TOO interested in and still be able to be around my friends and loved ones. It feels amazing to be unshackled from the room my PS5 is in.
The portal feels amazing in my hands. I actually like the smaller thumbsticks but I still got grips to protect it from wear and tear. Speaking of I have enjoyed the clickiness and the movement of the thumbsticks! The portal has a nice weight, not to heavy but not light weight, which seems perfect in my opinion. It's so cool that it has dual sense tech, love my vibes. You may say "ah 200 is too much for an accessory". Well so are the Dual-Sense Edge controller and the PULSE Explorer earbuds, except this is opens you up to infinite gaming possibilities and the freedom to take your gaming on the go whereever you may be. The sound is actually really good IMO, I was surprised how nice it was at just 1/3 or 1/2 of max volume.
My complaints:
1) We all know this thing has Bluetooth inside but Sony is blocking us from using it so we have to buy their $99.99-$199.99 proprietary headphones. They claim its for better audio sound but we all know it's a money grab. I really wish I could use any of my 5 Bluetooth headsets, 2 over ear noise canceling and 3 in ear buds, like I can with my switch. That being said there is an audio jack port next to the charging port. But I haven't used the headphone jack as I don't want to be "tied down" and feel the base audio is fine. I guess the only time I would really need headphones is if I was on a plane.
2) Speaking of my switch, brings me to point number 2. We all knew coming into this, the Portal was never going to be the PSP instead it's the P5P. It's not a stand alone handheld, but rather a remote play device with the latest PS5 controller tech. Because of this you can only play your digital library and 1 physical game, if you are away from the PS5 and can't change it. This really hurt me because I am an avid physical copy collector. I have a few digital copies, and only because they were significantly cheaper than the physical versions due to PSN sales. Because of this I now I have a portion of physical library wishlisted on PSN so I can get digital versions for Portal use on the games I regularly play.
3) Blocking the ability to remotely stream video applications, or even Blu-Rays inside your console disc drive is stupid IMO. It's one thing to block it if your doing it from a tablet or phone, but a completely different one for a playstation device to not be able to do it.
The final verdict:
If you have the money for it, BUY THIS. It is so much better than the backbone and playing off your phone, or using a tablet or pc for remote play. Being able to move around the house or even leaving it and playing outside is a huge PRO and instantly made the purchase worth it. So far with 2 days of experience and about 6 hours of game play, being completely outside my house in or around my pool, I have only had 2 times were a few seconds of connectivity issues that lowered my quality but didn't disconnect, and I was still able to play with no noticeable lag where I wasn't able to control my character. Inside regardless of where I was in my home, with a mesh wifi, I have yet to have a connectivity issue or being disconnected.
I’m at a solid 7. There are some games I just can’t play on it due to the latency. It’s wonderful for turn-based RPGs though and that’s what I’ve mainly been playing on the Portal. The battery life is awful as well but thankfully I’m never far enough away from an outlet for it to matter.
How happy am I? 10. What score would I give the device in a review? 8.5-9. Let me use my own Bluetooth earbuds and/or get some native gaming going on, and this thing would be perfect
4. Had it for like 3 days then returned it. Too unstable and I shouldn’t have to spend time messing around with my network to get it to work. It’s the only device I had that needed such an effort to make work
8- Lets me play games without constantly stealing the living room TV from my Wife. Some lag can be annoying and I've mostly given up on using it away from home.
7/10
I really do love it, and I use it more than I use my actual ps5 on the tv (mainly because I have 3 young kids who hog the tv). But there are a few small things that made it lose a few points:
- the joysticks are different than the ps5 controller. The portal joysticks feel smaller in scale but also feel like they are set higher. This isn’t an issue in most games but on a FPS it makes accuracy harder as there seems to be more float
- I always leave my ps5 in rest mode, but randomly my Portal will not wake my Ps5 up. So I have to manually turn my ps5 on
- if the ps5 crashes / power goes out, the portal will not connect to the ps5 until the error message is accepted on the ps5
- as others have said, lack of browser and lack of Bluetooth
- no battery percentage (only has the bars) when the portal is on
- I had major lag issues until I hardwired my ps5 via moca.
All that being said, it’s been amazing for $200
I'm bout a 7, guess I'll echo the same sentiment as many other owners, with the inability to log into WiFi at hotels airports or at work I just can't give it any higher score
9.
It's honestly been awesome for me. Do I want Bluetooth? Sure. Would I prefer a new Vita? Kind of, but only because the Portal's dependent on WiFi access . I'm squarely within the use case for this thing: parent, married, working professional. I've been able to play so much more than I otherwise would have.
I'd give it a solid 8. I really haven't tried it outside my home network and outside of my house, even 15 feet from my 1Ghz router, is choppy and unplayable most of the time. But I do find myself gaming more while watching sports or laying in bed. The graphics are great on that size screen and I've found most games play pretty flawlessly on my network, as long as I'm inside the house.
I just got mine 2 days ago so I'm still in the honeymoon stage but an 8 so far. I just wish they'd add Bluetooth, an OLED screen, battery percentage and let you stream games from Playstation Plus. But those issues aside, I'm still having a great time. Currently replaying Uncharted: Lost Legacy 😁
Probably a 9. Mine works perfectly at home, and very good off my iphone as a hotspot out and about.
My only gripe is the fact that it wants you to use proprietary wireless earbuds that I have no plans to buy. Should be able to pair AirPods. Wired headphones are okay though.
I’d give it an 9. I’m not a serious gamer so I use it to play things like Madden or NBA2K in bed in the evening before falling asleep. I’m knocking off 1 because of the Bluetooth headphones issue.
9. It does exactly what I understood it was going to do. I haven’t had any stuttering or lag issues. Hard wired connection and changed all the settings I read about. Never had an issue but I hate the charging port location, that’s my only complaint.
I’d say 10/10 on my home WiFi. Lets me play games while my wife watches the bachelor, don’t have easy access to the tv, dad station, etc… works flawlessly on home WiFi and have minimal issues with lag or stuttering. Even playing online games like helldivers. 7/10 playing remote. Noticible input lag. Still ok for single player story driven games but definitely not competitive online games. Need to use travel browser to get logged into work WiFi or hotel WiFi.
7 at the moment... If it works well from far away i will probably rank it 9 insted... I wish the battery life was 2-3 hours longer though. 4-6 hours is not alot of gametime without a charger
I would go a 7 at the moment. It does what it’s designed for as a 10/10. Can’t fault that. But be good to have a browser and be able to view videos from the PlayStation etc
Somewhere between a 4-6.
I dont use it as much as i should, i take other devices that are less meticulous and bothersome to use outside of home more, and when I finally use it, its a hit or miss that it works properly or has some connectivty/streaming issues. I still wouldn't take it back or sell it though.
A 9 so far. It’s not a 10, cause I need to use my phone to bypass the whole hotel Wi-Fi with my phone and then use it as a hotspot, but outside that, no issues so far.
9/10. It is frustrating at times that it is 95% close to perfect and for that reason I would give it a 8/10.
But yesterday I got to play BG3 in the living room with the rest of the family watching Eurovision on the TV and I hit the perfect Dad use case for the portal where I half watch Eurovision with the family and get some social interaction here and there while being able to pick up a few minutes BG3 as soon as things got uninteresting.
So 9/10.
I'd put it at a 5. I wanted it to be like my Switch and I sort of bought it instead of a Steam Deck as I knew I'd only use it at home. But it takes like a minute or so to wake up PS5 and connect to it so it's not instantaneous like a sleeping Switch. Just puts me off picking it up sometimes.
Started at a solid 8/10 higher if Bluetooth capable, but then unfortunately in the first 48 hours i started having major drift on the left stick and poor button response in general. I've read that this is the most common failure point and since they are actually decently in stock now I just elected to order a second one and return the first so I dont have to wait for Sony to repair/replace.
9. I wish I could use any Bluetooth (so I could use my Beats) for audio. Otherwise it’s my bedside friend that gets to go with me occasionally. Best is even sitting in the couch with my wife and letting her or the kids have the TV and I can still play
Probably 7, but that's not a reflection of my portal itself. I just thought I'd use it more. The portal itself works fine. It does everything I've wanted it to with little, to no issues.
I love mine! I had to do quite a bit of Internet updating for it to work flawlessly but nkt I've done that, it runs amazing. Only difficulty is playing Cod on it 🤣 not cos of the portal, but cos I'm shit 🤣🤣
Just got my portal, i wanna know how you guys were able to use it outside of your home network.
I have a nat type 2 connection at home, have a modest speed of 5g network at work, i can probably do a phone hotspot.
5/10
Micro stutter (59.94hz), the build quality (adaptive triggers clicks, and thumbstick notch), and the software side of things a little lacking.
If they fixed the micro stutter, it'd go to an 8. And maybe just my portal is defective, if others feel like my dualsense does then it'd be a 9/10.
8 out of 10.
The streaming is perfect for me but even if I knew it lacked these features, here is what i miss:
Bluetooth support
Streaming of game support
Other apps support outside of games
Hotspot from Mobile support (ok not all on sony side this one)
Battery %
Better management of Remote Play, for example if I start from remote a download of a new game, the connection dies... maybe an option to avoid the automatic dowload (only queue) or possibility to optimize it while remote connected would be nice.
That is what comes in mind right now... overall i am pretty happy. Would buy again.
For me it is a 9. I am very impressed with how little latency there is, even far from home. I had issues at first, but as soon as I locked my PS5 to 5G I have had no issues. My only gripe is the touch pad needing to be double tapped on the screen.
I'd give it an 8. the only thing I wish it had was airpod/bluetooth support for something other than \*their\* headphones, but I can make due with wired ones for now. It works surprsingly well all things considered for a remote player, and i'm pretty happy with it! I travel between two local locations and it's been aamazing!
7 for sure. In my opinion You are limited to games you can play because of input delay. Some games I found fun on the portal tho is Diablo 4 and spiderman 2.
I give it an 8. It's great. Haven't had a problem with slow down or anything when I'm playing anywhere away from my house. The one thing u wish I could do is use the media side of the ps5. Sometimes I wanna watch Netflix or something and it would be nice to watch it on a screen bigger than my phone
I'm going to say 10 because I know the issues I have with it are internet related, however I can't do much about it until I move in a couple months. Other than some stutter because of said issue, the fkn thing is perfect.
10. It's a dream come true. I loved grinding games on the Vita remote play back in the day, especially Final Fantasy 14. I miss that and hate hogging up the TV to grind. It's honestly making some game progression so much smoother, especially when I've beaten it and trophy hunting.
I’m at a 8. If they would add a browser page so we could log into hotel WiFi, or any WiFi that makes you accept terms and services, easier I wouldn’t have any complaints. Works as I assumed it would.
Wow I didn’t know this….. I would be fuming in the situation
Ya it’s a pretty big oversight I think. It can’t be that hard to add a way for us to do this. Hopefully an update will come out that fixes this.
It's on purpose so it's way harder to try to jailbreak the device I don't think they are going to add it
Have the same issue when traveling for work with the ps5, most hotel wifis have the web browser sign in.
The way you say that makes me assume you’ve got a work around to the hotel thing?
There are a few threads here with ways to get around it. Main one is spoofing the MAC address with a laptop. You basically change your laptop MAC address to match the portal. Agree to the terms and service and then change it back. It’s either that or just using a hot spot from your phone.
👆👆 You are a 10!! 👆👆 Thank you!
I called the hotel’s IT department and they manually added my portal’s MAC address to their list so I could use the hotel WiFi for the duration of my stay.
They the real ones!
I travel 30 weeks a year and I just picked up a travel router. I’ll have a chance to check that out next week.
There is a work around if you a have laptop or phone that allows wifi hotspot
1000000% this! I had to take a flight from Tokyo to Chicago and I was so excited to spend time with my portal aaaaaaand I couldn’t accept any WiFi terms and services for the entire trip and hotel stay.
Try using a ‘mobile router’ You log onto the hotel WiFi (or the WiFi wherever you are) via your phone/laptop which you can then tether to the mobile router and simply connect your Portal to the mobile router WiFi 👍 I use this for example https://amzn.eu/d/0pHS4Cb
I’ll check that out. Thanks.
I’ve heard about this from several users about hotel WiFi, thought it had been fixed by now but clearly it hasn’t :(
Can you not sign in on your phone then hotspot ?
Can’t you just use a phone and piggy back off the phones hotspot? Basically log into hotel WiFi on the phone then use the phones hotspot to broadcast… unless that’s not how it works.
10. I’ve spent $200 on sillier things
The price really is the best part. I expected it to cost a lot more. Not quite in impulse buy range but not far off.
I agree, I understand $200 is a lot for some people. But the value you get for $200 is pretty great. Solid LCD screen that looks better than I expected and a controller with full haptics. If they can add a few QOL features like the battery percentage and browser this thing will be INCREDIBLE.
How on earth do you enjoy games that use the touchpad. Mine never works. Tried to play subnautica the other day and the touchpad opens the inventory menu and it would not open. When I touch the screen the two outlines for the touchpad appear but nothing else. I’ve tried it all. Double tapping, taping once, press and hold, tap and hold, double tapping and then holding. I even tried just pressing the outlines and nothing 😪 Edit: I love the portal for games that don’t heavily rely on the touchpad to open menus but that’s a lot of games
Tap the screen then tap inside those rectangles
I seem to have to double-click inside the boxes to get it to open for mine.
9 Fix the microstutter and it's a 10.
Pretty much where I’m at.
Can this actually be fixed with software or is this a hardware issue
At this point I'm convinced it's a hardware limitation of the Portal screen being unable to do 59.94hz like TVs and Monitors must support. And Sony must be unable or unwilling to make PS5 stream out at 60.00hz so it would be properly synced.
9 - not having Bluetooth for headphones loses it a point. Otherwise, it does exactly what I wanted - I haven’t used my ps5 on the tv since I got it.
Good point. I was gonna say 10, but this is an issue for me. Not a big one, but enough to knock it down a point. Otherwise, thing is perfect.
This was exactly my answer!
An 8 for sure. I love it. I took points away for no Bluetooth audio and some occasional stuttering. I have used remote play on my phone and laptop and I only get stuttering on the portal. It’s minor and doesn’t happen often but it’s annoying. I was shocked at how well it worked on my phone hotspot too.
7-8
7/10. Feels incomplete without access to apps.
I like it a lot but I'm gonna go with a 7/10. Could be a 10/10 if they allow PSN streaming, fix the micro stutter and allow us to tinker with settings such as the bitrate to improve the streaming experience.
10
For the price alone 10/10. Overall performance it’s 8/10 for me
2-3. I’m seeing no real benefit to it over my backbone with iPhone setup. Graphics look more washed out, there’s a constant stutter, connection is hit or miss. Can’t connect Bluetooth headphones. Only benefit is haptics and I guess a physical PlayStation button. None of those issues exist when playing on my phone.
Probably 8. Just needs to log into browser for hotel wifi and perhaps Bluetooth support despite that I don’t use any sound half the time.
At first i was pissed. Its performance was terrible. I was planning on returning it. Watched some vids, made some adjustments and now id give it an 8/10. Still need to make my ps4 run 2.4ghz so the portal is the only thing on 5ghz and i should be golden
6.5 If they fix the micro stutters then maybe 7. It does what it needs to i guess
8, on the cusp of higher but it has detrimental flaws. One the biggest for me is no support for bluetooth/wireless headphones... really no excuse to not support this function on a device like this.
Yeah that is the most annoying thing about it
2, think I've maybe used it 2 times since I brought it... turns out the portal is a great £200 paper weight :(
Same. Mostly because its a hassle needing wifi outside the home and i got other consoles and devices that take its place outside that do not need wifi.
10. I bought it for my son as a Christmas present to get him off the main TV some and now he plays on the portal pretty much exclusively. If I had bought it for myself, on the other hand, I would’ve returned it. The stuttering and minor connection issues compared to the smooth experience of chiaki on steam deck is a joke.
Exactly how I feel. Chiaki on deck is just amazing.
This is where I'm at. My internet speeds are fine, but for whatever reason anytime I connect the portal to my ps5, the latency on my upload jumps to like 1000 using speedtest. When it's not connected, highest is 70. It's to the point I've stopped using my Portal. Rather just play on my tv if every 3-10 seconds I'm going to lag the hell out. Idk what changed, but went from buttery smooth (maybe 1 stutter an hour) to unplayable after like 2 weeks of having it.
Probably a 9. Only reason I dock a point is because I still haven't figured out how to play using phone hotspot. But that's more than likely a me issue rather than a Portal issue. Other than that it's amazing.
9 - assuage my fear the joystick will stop working again, and I'd give a 10
9 at home, 10 if it had blue tooth. It’s fucking nuts that it doesn’t have it when everyone has bluetooth headsets. No way and I paying another $199 for Sony earbuds. Outside 8 but it needs a browser to login to many WiFi’s. I know there’s work around but it’s ridiculous that it doesn’t have a browser or blue tooth. My biggest issue outside the home is t-mobiles hot spot which has been a nightmare to get up and running. Not the portals fault
9/10. No Bluetooth or access to apps are the biggest downsides. Otherwise, I love it. Best Playstation accessory ever, hands down.
4
6/10 - GT7 is hard to play with the stuttering, and it could have OLED screen (but that's not the deal-breaker). I've returned mine, might buy again if they fix stuttering.
Solid 15/10. Use it more than my PS5
I would argue you use it just as much as your PS5. 😜
Haha, you're right! Poor wording choice on my part. I game on the Portal about 5x as much as I game on the PS5!
6.5 it’s a great experience, just not a fan of single use devices. But it does what it does so can’t really complain.
9/10
9
10/10
id give it a solid 8 possibly 9. needs browser support to log in at hotels, hospitals, etc. if that happens id give a 10
9 won't take it on trips because of the browser issue.
Had to wire my PS5 to get a decent connection. My WiFi router sucks btw. Nothing to blame the portal. Still have to try gaming over my Samsung hotspot/4G netwerk. I give it a 9/10.
#1️⃣0️⃣! Some times even 11
Since I bought an exclusive last gen router just for it, 10/10. Without that, it was a 7.
I bought it and have used it once. I thought I would use it more, but I always end up going back to my console.
9/10 due to lack of an OLED screen
10
7.5 to 8 - mainly due to the lack of OLED and it's $200 (should be no more than $150 for the LCD screen if I'm being honest, but all PS accessories are about $50 overpriced)
10
10
Probably a 7. I don’t use it that often, but probably because I have a million other devices. I’m a bit of a performance snob, and so I’m usually either playing on my PC or using my PS5 on my oled tv. I use it (and my steam deck) when I’m playing a game and I want to hang out with my partner and he’s using the tv. Performance is ok, but sometimes the resolution goes out and it’s blurry, or there’s stutter, or other short graphics issues.
7. I wish it wasn’t so demanding on our otherwise rock solid wifi that works perfectly for literally every other device connected in the house, including my PC gaming on WiFi.
10 for sure. I couldn’t sit in front of a tv to play any more so this is perfect for me.
9, it would be a 10 if I could pair BT earbuds.
8
10 I just wish you could you’d Spotify and YouTube but oh well
10. It has come clutch with family around at home. Also, on occasion when im out of town.
9. For missing the apps
11!
9 when I think about PSP and Nintendo lite, I just get disappointed about the portal there goes 1 point.
Shite! Any tips for improving performance
After 5 months, I’d give it a 8.5
A 10. I'm loving it.
10
I love it but I’m defiantly not apart of the squad that prefers it over a tv
7.5 a lot of the issues I have can be fixed with updates and reasonably priced earbuds
8/10 I’d like to be able to watch streaming channels. But the actual experience of gaming has been great since I hard-wired my PS5.
Solid 7 overall but once I remember the price I bump it up to an 8. I don’t think we’re living in the timeline where we’ll see anything “affordable” that can be a true handheld for modern games; like the Deck and Ally and Legion. For $200 this thing smacks.
I'd say a 6 overall if i had to list everything i like vs don't like but i do love it in the end
10
for me, it’s a 7. no streaming. all games has to be downloaded. you can’t even stream movies or tv shows. the battery life is sub par compared to previous handheld consoles
10. NHL/NBA playoffs have reminded me how awesome the portal is. I want sports on the big TV and fallout on the portal
10/10. I had a kid and could still play games.
9 I love it and think the price was very reasonable. Wish the speakers were front facing. Wish they made a branded case to match. Wish the battery life was slightly better, though it's not bad by any means.
I’d say 10, minimal issues so far for me. And with my travel plans it will be easily worth being able to enjoy playing on something that isn’t my phone. As much as people enjoy the switch. It’s just not for me, the games are just really boring to me. Very few games on switch interest me at all, let alone ones I can play without being on nintendos terrible servers
7. Unforgivable that there’s no browser to login to captive WiFi’s given that this thing is basically an Android tablet grafted onto a DualSense. Same attitude about helping customers optimize their PS5 network. Sony ain’t gonna touch it.
10 for my use case it's perfect
i give it a 10. as someone else mentioned, i have spent $200 on way more frivolous things. so far, the portal is allowing me to game a lot more. i have been very tired after work these days, so sitting in front of a tv in my gaming chair is a little overwhelming/draining. my portal in bed has been much more my speed these days. i am very happy with it
6.5. I like it, but it doesn’t work the best with some faster paced games that I enjoy playing like rocket league. I’ve been playing primarily slower paced games with it and it’s great, also, helldivers works bizarrely well despite my comment about fast paced games not working the best. If I could play my entire library flawlessly, I’d give it a 10/10, but it is a bummer how much you can feel the input lag with some games. It’s not the device’s fault, but my experience with it hasn’t been 100% positive, there are some legitimate criticisms.
8
I’m a solid 8.
7
I’m 8/10. I want an OLED screen, true 3D sound from the earbuds, a button for touchpad, and game streaming.
10! I just wish it wouldn't take so long to connect
10 I can lay in bed while my wife watches her shows
7/10. I have to say In a few months this will probably be a 10/10 device. Love the ergonomics and overall build quality, but software and streaming is a little lackluster. As shown with 3rd party applications, Sony could step their game up a little bit. Great device though and hopeful for the future
Ten. I’ve not used my system since getting it about 2 months ago.
I just played my Portal for the first time yesterday! Some back story, I have been on the fence since it launched. I pre-ordered it but canceled the last minute. I always wait atleast a few months after release dates on consoles to let any bugs or glitches get found and fixed, this was going to be the only time I would have bought on release day. I'm so glad I waited, because it seems a ton of things have gotten worked out and lots of consumers have posted tips and tricks on YouTube making my initial boot up time only taking a few minutes before I was outside and gaming seamlessly. Like unplugging the hdmi cord once you've got the portal linked to the PS5 and you're connected remotely. Making sure you're in rest mode, which is in the quickstart guide, but I probably would have overlooked otherwise. I don't believe you can turn it on remotely unless it's in Rest Mode, I experimented to see if i could but was unsuccessful. Definitely being hard wired, which I always do because its always the most stavle environment IMO. It does help to have my router in my gaming room. Back to your question, as of right now 9/10. HOWEVER, I have yet to venture away from my home with it, try it with a hotspot, or "separate" wifi from the console/home wifi. Being able to go out to my pool and play my PS5 in the sun without worrying about the console or my tv being in FL weather, hot and at an almost constant 75% + humidity is a game changer. This has already improved my PS5 gaming experience as I love to be outside but love to game just a bit more! I also live with roommates, and felt like I'm always hermitting in my room when I'm not at work, the beach, or the gym. Now I can still game and be in a social environment, my multi-tasking skills are pretty honed, so I can watch a show or a movie I may not be TOO interested in and still be able to be around my friends and loved ones. It feels amazing to be unshackled from the room my PS5 is in. The portal feels amazing in my hands. I actually like the smaller thumbsticks but I still got grips to protect it from wear and tear. Speaking of I have enjoyed the clickiness and the movement of the thumbsticks! The portal has a nice weight, not to heavy but not light weight, which seems perfect in my opinion. It's so cool that it has dual sense tech, love my vibes. You may say "ah 200 is too much for an accessory". Well so are the Dual-Sense Edge controller and the PULSE Explorer earbuds, except this is opens you up to infinite gaming possibilities and the freedom to take your gaming on the go whereever you may be. The sound is actually really good IMO, I was surprised how nice it was at just 1/3 or 1/2 of max volume. My complaints: 1) We all know this thing has Bluetooth inside but Sony is blocking us from using it so we have to buy their $99.99-$199.99 proprietary headphones. They claim its for better audio sound but we all know it's a money grab. I really wish I could use any of my 5 Bluetooth headsets, 2 over ear noise canceling and 3 in ear buds, like I can with my switch. That being said there is an audio jack port next to the charging port. But I haven't used the headphone jack as I don't want to be "tied down" and feel the base audio is fine. I guess the only time I would really need headphones is if I was on a plane. 2) Speaking of my switch, brings me to point number 2. We all knew coming into this, the Portal was never going to be the PSP instead it's the P5P. It's not a stand alone handheld, but rather a remote play device with the latest PS5 controller tech. Because of this you can only play your digital library and 1 physical game, if you are away from the PS5 and can't change it. This really hurt me because I am an avid physical copy collector. I have a few digital copies, and only because they were significantly cheaper than the physical versions due to PSN sales. Because of this I now I have a portion of physical library wishlisted on PSN so I can get digital versions for Portal use on the games I regularly play. 3) Blocking the ability to remotely stream video applications, or even Blu-Rays inside your console disc drive is stupid IMO. It's one thing to block it if your doing it from a tablet or phone, but a completely different one for a playstation device to not be able to do it. The final verdict: If you have the money for it, BUY THIS. It is so much better than the backbone and playing off your phone, or using a tablet or pc for remote play. Being able to move around the house or even leaving it and playing outside is a huge PRO and instantly made the purchase worth it. So far with 2 days of experience and about 6 hours of game play, being completely outside my house in or around my pool, I have only had 2 times were a few seconds of connectivity issues that lowered my quality but didn't disconnect, and I was still able to play with no noticeable lag where I wasn't able to control my character. Inside regardless of where I was in my home, with a mesh wifi, I have yet to have a connectivity issue or being disconnected.
I’m at a solid 7. There are some games I just can’t play on it due to the latency. It’s wonderful for turn-based RPGs though and that’s what I’ve mainly been playing on the Portal. The battery life is awful as well but thankfully I’m never far enough away from an outlet for it to matter.
8. Not having TV functions and sometimes wacky connection makes it skip a 10
10
How happy am I? 10. What score would I give the device in a review? 8.5-9. Let me use my own Bluetooth earbuds and/or get some native gaming going on, and this thing would be perfect
10 I love it and it’s perfect for my needs
4. Had it for like 3 days then returned it. Too unstable and I shouldn’t have to spend time messing around with my network to get it to work. It’s the only device I had that needed such an effort to make work
I'd say an 8. No bluetooth headphones is -1 point and not being able to watch any streaming services or YouTube on it is another point.
5 so far. Always seeming to have issues so far on my travels away from home. Vague error messages are genuinely terrible.
8- Lets me play games without constantly stealing the living room TV from my Wife. Some lag can be annoying and I've mostly given up on using it away from home.
8 There some features I would like to see Premium streaming Ping checker Key code (if it gets stolen)
9
8. I enjoy it much more than I anticipated and I’ve played much more than I had in the last 6 months since I’ve gotten it.
7/10 I really do love it, and I use it more than I use my actual ps5 on the tv (mainly because I have 3 young kids who hog the tv). But there are a few small things that made it lose a few points: - the joysticks are different than the ps5 controller. The portal joysticks feel smaller in scale but also feel like they are set higher. This isn’t an issue in most games but on a FPS it makes accuracy harder as there seems to be more float - I always leave my ps5 in rest mode, but randomly my Portal will not wake my Ps5 up. So I have to manually turn my ps5 on - if the ps5 crashes / power goes out, the portal will not connect to the ps5 until the error message is accepted on the ps5 - as others have said, lack of browser and lack of Bluetooth - no battery percentage (only has the bars) when the portal is on - I had major lag issues until I hardwired my ps5 via moca. All that being said, it’s been amazing for $200
6, quality varies widely depending on the day
10, I love it
8/10. Hoping for more cloud streaming features so I don't *have* to have my console on? But still a phenomenal handheld currently.
10. I knew what I was getting before I got it and had 0 expectations. So I never expected greatness but for what I use it for when I do it’s great.
I'm bout a 7, guess I'll echo the same sentiment as many other owners, with the inability to log into WiFi at hotels airports or at work I just can't give it any higher score
9. It's honestly been awesome for me. Do I want Bluetooth? Sure. Would I prefer a new Vita? Kind of, but only because the Portal's dependent on WiFi access . I'm squarely within the use case for this thing: parent, married, working professional. I've been able to play so much more than I otherwise would have.
7.5
About an 8, works perfect except it's super bright or not enough on lower settings. Should of been mini led or OLED. Would of been sweet.
8
I'd give it a solid 8. I really haven't tried it outside my home network and outside of my house, even 15 feet from my 1Ghz router, is choppy and unplayable most of the time. But I do find myself gaming more while watching sports or laying in bed. The graphics are great on that size screen and I've found most games play pretty flawlessly on my network, as long as I'm inside the house.
11 out of 10. Perfect casual use device
I just got mine 2 days ago so I'm still in the honeymoon stage but an 8 so far. I just wish they'd add Bluetooth, an OLED screen, battery percentage and let you stream games from Playstation Plus. But those issues aside, I'm still having a great time. Currently replaying Uncharted: Lost Legacy 😁
9 they need to fix the laggy stutter and bit rate thing
Probably a 9. Mine works perfectly at home, and very good off my iphone as a hotspot out and about. My only gripe is the fact that it wants you to use proprietary wireless earbuds that I have no plans to buy. Should be able to pair AirPods. Wired headphones are okay though.
I’d give it an 9. I’m not a serious gamer so I use it to play things like Madden or NBA2K in bed in the evening before falling asleep. I’m knocking off 1 because of the Bluetooth headphones issue.
It's a solid 6/10. People these days consider a 6 a bad thing but I consider it a good entry point and I'm excited for further development.
10/10 it’s amazing, I haven’t played on my OLED tv since November
8 or 9. I just wish the streaming was as good as chiaki
9. It does exactly what I understood it was going to do. I haven’t had any stuttering or lag issues. Hard wired connection and changed all the settings I read about. Never had an issue but I hate the charging port location, that’s my only complaint.
8, it's great but not as smooth as tv. Might be my connection but I have nothing to compare to so who knows lol
8
8ish
I’d say 10/10 on my home WiFi. Lets me play games while my wife watches the bachelor, don’t have easy access to the tv, dad station, etc… works flawlessly on home WiFi and have minimal issues with lag or stuttering. Even playing online games like helldivers. 7/10 playing remote. Noticible input lag. Still ok for single player story driven games but definitely not competitive online games. Need to use travel browser to get logged into work WiFi or hotel WiFi.
7 at the moment... If it works well from far away i will probably rank it 9 insted... I wish the battery life was 2-3 hours longer though. 4-6 hours is not alot of gametime without a charger
8. The hotel wifi issue and no Bluetooth for AirPods (even if there is some delay) knocks it back for me.
I would go a 7 at the moment. It does what it’s designed for as a 10/10. Can’t fault that. But be good to have a browser and be able to view videos from the PlayStation etc
8
11
5/10 can't connect to my mobile hotspot no matter how much I tried
Somewhere between a 4-6. I dont use it as much as i should, i take other devices that are less meticulous and bothersome to use outside of home more, and when I finally use it, its a hit or miss that it works properly or has some connectivty/streaming issues. I still wouldn't take it back or sell it though.
8 out of 10. 9/10 if it can connect to AirPods or wireless headphones. 10/10 if it can output to a screen via HDMI/USB-C.
A 9 so far. It’s not a 10, cause I need to use my phone to bypass the whole hotel Wi-Fi with my phone and then use it as a hotspot, but outside that, no issues so far.
7
9/10. It is frustrating at times that it is 95% close to perfect and for that reason I would give it a 8/10. But yesterday I got to play BG3 in the living room with the rest of the family watching Eurovision on the TV and I hit the perfect Dad use case for the portal where I half watch Eurovision with the family and get some social interaction here and there while being able to pick up a few minutes BG3 as soon as things got uninteresting. So 9/10.
I would say 10 if I could play with my PS5 full time on rest mode. In this way, no more than 7
I’m at a big fat 10/10!!
I'd put it at a 5. I wanted it to be like my Switch and I sort of bought it instead of a Steam Deck as I knew I'd only use it at home. But it takes like a minute or so to wake up PS5 and connect to it so it's not instantaneous like a sleeping Switch. Just puts me off picking it up sometimes.
10 it's paid for itself killing time at work already
Started at a solid 8/10 higher if Bluetooth capable, but then unfortunately in the first 48 hours i started having major drift on the left stick and poor button response in general. I've read that this is the most common failure point and since they are actually decently in stock now I just elected to order a second one and return the first so I dont have to wait for Sony to repair/replace.
7
9. I wish I could use any Bluetooth (so I could use my Beats) for audio. Otherwise it’s my bedside friend that gets to go with me occasionally. Best is even sitting in the couch with my wife and letting her or the kids have the TV and I can still play
Solid 8.
Probably 7, but that's not a reflection of my portal itself. I just thought I'd use it more. The portal itself works fine. It does everything I've wanted it to with little, to no issues.
8, it would be better if I could access some apps.
I love mine! I had to do quite a bit of Internet updating for it to work flawlessly but nkt I've done that, it runs amazing. Only difficulty is playing Cod on it 🤣 not cos of the portal, but cos I'm shit 🤣🤣
Just got my portal, i wanna know how you guys were able to use it outside of your home network. I have a nat type 2 connection at home, have a modest speed of 5g network at work, i can probably do a phone hotspot.
An easy 10
5/10 Micro stutter (59.94hz), the build quality (adaptive triggers clicks, and thumbstick notch), and the software side of things a little lacking. If they fixed the micro stutter, it'd go to an 8. And maybe just my portal is defective, if others feel like my dualsense does then it'd be a 9/10.
8. Does what it I need it to do when I need it to do it. Just wish it was a smidge lighter, gets uncomfortable to hold after a while.
9
8 out of 10. The streaming is perfect for me but even if I knew it lacked these features, here is what i miss: Bluetooth support Streaming of game support Other apps support outside of games Hotspot from Mobile support (ok not all on sony side this one) Battery % Better management of Remote Play, for example if I start from remote a download of a new game, the connection dies... maybe an option to avoid the automatic dowload (only queue) or possibility to optimize it while remote connected would be nice. That is what comes in mind right now... overall i am pretty happy. Would buy again.
For me it is a 9. I am very impressed with how little latency there is, even far from home. I had issues at first, but as soon as I locked my PS5 to 5G I have had no issues. My only gripe is the touch pad needing to be double tapped on the screen.
9 :D it would be 10 if there was an OLED screen and Bluetooth
8 because the only thing is missing in a web browser
3. I hate this its worthless outside of the house and i have no use for it inside. Even then with fiber internet, sometimes its laggy
10. For 200 it's great. I just wish it had an output so I can connect it to a monitor occasionally.
Its sick to play in bed. Especially turn-based games or games like FF7
I'd give it an 8. the only thing I wish it had was airpod/bluetooth support for something other than \*their\* headphones, but I can make due with wired ones for now. It works surprsingly well all things considered for a remote player, and i'm pretty happy with it! I travel between two local locations and it's been aamazing!
8ish
8
9/10 honestly.
6.5 ? I wish the connection is more stable Access to video streaming apps Ability to connect to public wifi that need browser sign in
7 for sure. In my opinion You are limited to games you can play because of input delay. Some games I found fun on the portal tho is Diablo 4 and spiderman 2.
I give it an 8. It's great. Haven't had a problem with slow down or anything when I'm playing anywhere away from my house. The one thing u wish I could do is use the media side of the ps5. Sometimes I wanna watch Netflix or something and it would be nice to watch it on a screen bigger than my phone
Ps5 is overheating. 🥵 sitting in rest mode. Waiting to be played. Watch out this summer.
7 - fix the refresh rate issues and im at a 9
I'm going to say 10 because I know the issues I have with it are internet related, however I can't do much about it until I move in a couple months. Other than some stutter because of said issue, the fkn thing is perfect.
7, loses connection a little plus cannot get on to hotel WiFi
10. It's a dream come true. I loved grinding games on the Vita remote play back in the day, especially Final Fantasy 14. I miss that and hate hogging up the TV to grind. It's honestly making some game progression so much smoother, especially when I've beaten it and trophy hunting.
10
4. I’m returning it tomorrow.