Sony revamps PlayStation’s Portal for Japan, introduces internal storage and gives the platform a new name.
You can still stream PS5 games from the cloud or a console, but you can’t play games locally with the Portal.
Summary
- Sony just revealed it’s new, Japan-exclusive PS Portal, due for release on December 10th in midnight black.
- The new device gets rid of the word “Remote” and introduces built-in storage.
- The hardware is locked to the region and must be set to the Japanese language, and have a Japan-registered PlayStation account.
Sony has revealed a region-locked update for their gaming handhelds. The PlayStation Portal’s new version will only be available in Japan, and will be released on December 10th. The device is available in midnight black colour and priced 39,980 yen or about $253 USD. Importation of the device for operation abroad entails serious operating barriers. The handheld can only be used in Japanese language. It will also be launched exclusively in Japan through users who have a PlayStation account.
The older PlayStation Portal is a completely tethered companion app that’s used to stream PS5 games from a console or the cloud. The hand-held isn’t powerful enough to run games on its own. The current model is not only for gaming; it also doesn’t allow media streaming applications such as YouTube, Disney Plus or Netflix to be used. Despite the internal improvements that will take place, the new version will still have no OLED screen, leaving the display to remain as it was in the original version.
Sony has changed the name of this particular version to “PlayStation Portal Player” from “PlayStation Portal Remote Player.” The new model has added internal storage that was not found in the original. The firm did not reveal what the upgrade would be used for, saying the additional storage space is “for the future to be added with unknown functions.” Full details will follow when development is finished, representatives said.
The official title removal of the word “Remote” and the addition of “internal storage” shows a change in the product’s use. This particular hardware update suggests that Sony will be fitting the device with native media streaming applications or offline playback of media.