PlayStation Portal Receives Major Cloud Gaming Enhancement Update

A year has rolled by since the launch of their handheld gaming device, and now PlayStation is making waves with an exciting update to the PS Portal.

In a Wednesday blog post, PlayStation unveiled a fresh system software update for their remote player initially released in November 2023. This update, available to all users, introduces a beta version of cloud streaming support. Subscribers to PlayStation Plus Premium can rejoice, as they’ll now have access to PS5 games right on their Portal devices—no PS5 console required. It’s important to mention that PS4 and PS3 titles aren’t included in this update.

Games streaming on the PS Portal can reach 1080p/60fps and feature the haptic feedback provided by the DualSense wireless controllers flanking the LCD screen. Additionally, with the cloud beta, you can save your progress with up to 100GB of PlayStation Plus Cloud storage, syncing seamlessly with your PS5 if you own one.

Mashable previously reviewed the PS Portal, where reporter Alex Perry shared his insights: “A challenge that comes with game streaming devices is latency. There’s really no way to eliminate the slight, almost unnoticeable delay between pressing a button and seeing the action on the screen with the PlayStation Portal. Thankfully, for many games, this isn’t a dealbreaker.”

Perry further commented, “Although latency isn’t a major issue on the Portal, visual disruptions occur more frequently. If a game operates at 60 frames per second on a PS5, it should run similarly on the Portal, but not consistently. I observed frequent minor dips, often due to my WiFi connection rather than the games themselves. For most games, this isn’t problematic, yet it could impact shooters and racing games.”

In the blog post, Hiromi Wakai, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s VP of Product Management, mentioned that the company is “just beginning to publicly test cloud streaming on the PS Portal,” clarifying that “some features, like Game Trials, streaming purchased games from the PS Store, certain system features like Party voice chat and game invites for specific games, the Create button, 3D audio, and in-game commerce, won’t be available now.”

The update also brings several audio enhancements, like the ability to adjust speaker volume lower than the previous minimum setting. Plus, users can now tweak settings on PlayStation Link USB devices directly from the Portal.