Portal isn't the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck killer some thought it might be, but it's still a useful tool for gamers who can't play on their main TV or just want to be able to enjoy games throughout their home. If you're not already aware of what it is, it's essentially an eight-inch 1080p LCD screen sandwiched between two halves of a standard DualSense controller, meaning it features adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and all the goodies of the latest gamepad from Sony. . Its main (and only) goal is to stream games via Remote Play, which requires a PS5 and a reliable Wi-Fi network.
We love what the Portal allows, but some curious technical options can get in the way of your fun. For example, since wireless audio is based on Sony's proprietary Link protocol, you can only use the Pulse Explore and Pulse Elite headphones with it (sorry, no Bluetooth headphones allowed). Fortunately, it has a 3.5mm audio jack for using a pair of wired headphones, assuming you still have a pair lying around.
Additionally, you may run into problems if your network performance is not good. Latency can make the experience completely unpleasant and we certainly wouldn't recommend trying multiplayer games or fighting titles where precision is paramount. However, we found it much better when the console is connected via Ethernet, which is almost mandatory for stable gaming away from home. We hope that Sony can eventually improve these weaknesses with future software updates, but even with the aforementioned caveats, Portal is still the best all-in-one solution for streaming games via Remote Play.
