Sony PlayStation Portal handheld console launches on November 15

Sony’s first handheld gaming console, PlayStation Portal, is set for launch on November 15. Now available for pre-orders in select markets, the portable player from Sony was announced back in March as Project Q. Over the next few months until Sony’s event, the company finally came up with a name, but what was more interesting than the name was how the new console would work. Instead of being a standalone handheld gaming console, PlayStation Portal is merely an extension of your PlayStation 5 console, allowing you to stream games to a smaller, portable screen over a Wi-Fi connection.

According to an update to the blog post, the Sony PlayStation Portal will be available in the US, the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Portugal starting November 15. The pre-orders for these markets have opened through PlayStation’s website, while those interested in pre-ordering the PlayStation Portal remote player can do that starting September 29 in the aforementioned markets, as well as Canada and Japan. Sony said the information on additional regional availability will be announced at a later date.

How PlayStation Portal works

The new Sony PlayStation Portal is nothing like the Asus ROG Ally or Nintendo Switch. Instead of acting like a standalone handheld console for gaming, the PlayStation Portal lets you only stream games from the main console to a small screen. It uses PlayStation Remote Play functionality to let you play your games anywhere as long as your device is connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Sony said the Portal needs at least 5Mbps to function, but for an optimal gaming experience, you need at least 15Mbps. Only the games installed on your PS5 console will be available for playing on PlayStation Portal. Sony said there is no support for PlayStation Plus Premium cloud streaming on the new console. You cannot play local media or games either.

The PlayStation Portal has an 8-inch 1080p screen, capable of running games at up to 60fps. The screen is flanked by a DualSense wireless controller, including adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. Sony says the PlayStation Portal is “the perfect device for gamers in households where they might need to share their living room TV or simply want to play PS5 games in another room of the house.”