The PlayStation Portal raised some eyebrows when Sony first unveiled the device. It’s a different piece of hardware and one that consumers might be passing on. While initially revealed, the PlayStation Portal almost looked like a means to play your PlayStation 5 games on the go. But it’s far more limiting, and that’s done on purpose. It turns out Sony did not intend to profit when they developed the PlayStation Portal. Instead, there is a specific market that Sony is trying to cater to with this device.
Thanks to PlayStation Lifestyle, we’re finding out that Sony Interactive Entertainment’s vice president of platform experience, Hideaki Nishino, spoke about the PlayStation Portal. The conversation stems back to an interview on AV Watch, which is a Japanese publication. According to the reports that translated the interview, it looks like the PlayStation Portal is about increasing consumers’ engagement with the PlayStation 5 and not about releasing a hardware accessory for profit. In particular, it’s noted that this device will be useful to consumers who don’t want to be tied to a TV in one specific spot of their home.
PlayStation Portal allows you to enjoy games from your PlayStation 5 anywhere within your home. You just need to be on the same local wireless connection, and from there, you can use Remote Play to enjoy your favorite games. So, it’s not something that can store games or be taken outside of your home to enjoy the video game content. As a result, it might be a hardware most consumers might be passing on, especially if they are not concerned with playing their PlayStation 5 games within a different room of their home.
Hideaki Nishino paints the picture that Sony is only interested in keeping players connected to their PlayStation 5 console. That might be the win Sony is after rather than bringing in money from units sold. Whether this proves to be a success remains to be seen, as the PlayStation Portal just launched today. We’ll have to see how many consumers are adopting the new PlayStation handheld gaming accessory, especially as we head into the holidays.
For now, you can view a trailer highlighting the PlayStation Portal in the video we have embedded below. Meanwhile, there is also the recent addition to this new gaming accessory, Sony recently launched the PlayStation 5 Slim. You can view our Before You Buy coverage on the new PlayStation 5 revision right here.
