The PlayStation Portal, Sony’s latest crack at a gaming handheld, disappointed fans of the PSP and PS Vita when it hit store shelves last year, requiring owners to stream games from a PS5 console rather than being able to play games on its own. Now, it’s getting a little more standalone with a feature that everyone has been asking for—the ability to stream compatible games from the cloud. Sony announced that an upcoming system update will allow the PS Portal to stream games without the help of a console, and while it’s still not quite a dedicated portable gaming machine, the update does make it more of its own thing— potentially, you could even get it instead of a PS5, assuming you don’t mind cloud gaming and a somewhat smaller library. You’ll need a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription for this to work, and thanks to a beta, you’ll be able to try it later today.
Why the PS Portal’s cloud streaming feature is a big deal
The PS Portal is a $200 accessory that’s basically a DualSense controller with a screen. Up until now, it had a few limitations that made it a hard sell for many. It allowed you to remotely play games you already had installed on your PS5, but you couldn’t do much else, and you couldn’t use the Portal if you didn’t already own a PS5.
With the planned update, your PS Portal will finally be able to stream games off the cloud. Your gameplay will no longer depend on the strength of the internet connection where your PS5 is located, or the available free space on your PS5.
How to stream PS5 games from the cloud on the PS Portal
Credit: Sony
Before you can start cloud gaming on your PS Portal, you’ll need the following:
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A PlayStation Portal
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A PSN account with an active PS Plus Premium membership (costs $17.99/mo or $159.99/year)
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An internet connection with a minimum of 5Mbps upload and download speeds (Sony recommends 7Mbps for 720p streaming and 13Mbps for 1080p)
To get started, you’ll need to update your PS Portal’s system software. Sony says the update will start rolling out today (Europeans will have to wait until Wednesday), so if you don’t see it, wait a little bit and try again. To update your device’s system software, follow these steps:
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From the top right of your PS Portal’s home screen, swipe left to see the Quick Menu.
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Navigate to Settings > System > System Software
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Select Update System Software
With that, you can finally start playing your games by enabling the Cloud Streaming beta:
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Open the Quick Menu again and navigate to Settings.
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Select Cloud Streaming (Beta).
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Turn on the Cloud Streaming (Beta) toggle, which is off by default.
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Back on your PS Portal’s home screen, you should now see an option to access compatible games using Sony’s cloud streaming service.
This software update also introduces a lower minimum volume, Sony says. The cloud streaming beta will be available in regions where PS Plus Premium is available. The full list includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.
The PS Portal will not be able to stream PS4 or PS3 games, but PS5 games are supported, Sony says. The company adds that the PS Portal will not initially support certain features, including game trials, party voice chat, the Create button, 3D audio, and in-game transactions, but that these could be added at a later date.
