The PlayStation Portal, commonly referred to as the PS Portal, is set to receive a significant update, enhancing user flexibility with the remote play device. Sony announced on Tuesday that the latest update introduces beta support for cloud streaming of select PS5 games. This new feature is rolling out but comes with specific limitations, primarily available to subscribers of the highest tier of PlayStation Plus.
PS Portal Gains Cloud Streaming Capability
Introduced last year, the PS Portal serves as a dedicated remote play device, allowing users to enjoy gaming from a distance as long as they are connected to Wi-Fi. However, one major drawback of the handheld device is its dependency on a PS5 console, which must remain in rest mode for the Portal to function. This means that without a PS5 actively powered in rest mode, the PS Portal cannot be utilized.
The newly announced system update, elaborated in a blog post by Sony, aims to alleviate this limitation. The beta cloud streaming feature will be accessible exclusively to PS Plus Premium subscribers, enabling them to select from over 120 PS5 titles—including popular games like Dave the Diver, Ghost of Tsushima, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Monster Hunter Rise, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart—streaming them directly from the cloud.
To effectively stream these games, Sony recommends a minimum internet speed of 7Mbps for 720p resolution and 13Mbps for 1080p resolution, with games capable of streaming at up to 60 frames per second. The beta will initially launch in selected regions, including Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others. However, users in India will not have access to this feature at this time.
Importantly, the titles available for cloud streaming fall within the PS Plus Game Catalogue, which is accessible to PS Plus Extra and Deluxe/Premium subscribers, but not all games will be playable. Currently, PS4 and PS3 games will not be supported through this feature. Additional PS Plus functionalities such as Game Trials, party voice chat, and in-game transactions will also be unavailable. Moreover, child accounts will be restricted from accessing the cloud streaming feature.
Despite these limitations, the beta update reduces the PS Portal’s dependency on a PS5 console, potentially attracting more gamers to the device. According to Sony, to utilize cloud streaming, users will only require the remote player device, an active PS Plus Premium subscription, and a stable Wi-Fi connection.
