The issues that some users are experiencing with the PlayStation Portal may be caused by the device's bitrate limitations, judging from a recent discovery.
Reddit user LongjumpingLaw4362 recently discovered how the new Sony device is limiting bitrate to an average of around 7mbps, with some spikes in the 11mbps range. While it could be the PlayStation 5 limiting the bitrate, it seems like this is not the case, as the open-source Remote Play client Chiaki allows the console to stream at basically any bitrate, and the threshold is never met in a test using a Steam Deck. Given this limitation, it looks like the PlayStation Portal may have been intended for out-of-home streaming, which is at odds with how it was marketed.
As of now, the PlayStation Portal comes with limited functionality, but it could be expanded in the future, as there are apparently no technical hurdles to allow cloud streaming. What the device currently sets out to do, however, it does it well, as highlighted by Kai in his review.
The PlayStation Portal isn’t quite the portable successor that players have been asking for from Sony since the decline of the PlayStation Vita. That being said, the PlayStation Portal does one job and does it exceedingly well. It might not reinvent the remote play experience, but for those relying on controller clips to mount a phone to the top of a DualSense controller or third-party controllers that use a mobile device as the display, an official Sony product just makes sense for a unified solution. It might not replace those Backbone controllers and other devices that players might have in their home, but the PlayStation Portal might wind up being the controller that players start reaching for first.
Over two years after its release, Sony is reportedly planning to release an upgraded PlayStation Portal with an OLED display. Hopefully, the new system will make more upgrades for a better gaming experience.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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