PlayStation Portal Remote Player in the test: How the PS5 handheld saves the house blessing

“I want to play.” “No, it’s my turn!” Arguments like these have probably accompanied most of us since childhood. Some siblings had to share a Game Boy. Today, many households have more than just one platform for gaming, but not necessarily several televisions. Things can get heated when it comes to who gets to play after school or after work.

1. What you get

2. Quickly set up

3. Gaming, visuals and lag through streaming

   1. Disadvantages clearly noticeable

4. Apparently only for the home network

5. Conclusion

In the case of the PS5, Sony will offer you a solution from November 15, 2023: PlayStation Portal Remote Player. The device costs 220 euros and looks like a Nintendo Switch from Sony that can start PS5 games. But it’s not quite that simple, because the Portal Remote Player is a streaming device.

A Nintendo Switch works independently with its own games, while you can only use the PlayStation Portal Remote Player with a PlayStation 5. The handheld streams the menu and games directly from the PS5.

If you don’t own the console, you won’t be able to use the remote player either. If you don’t have both, the purchase would cost you up to 770 euros. If you already have the PS5 at home, it might be worth the 220 euros to conjure up a bit of “Switch” feeling on the sofa.

What you get

Out of the box there is a 529 gram streaming handheld and a USB-C charging cable. The remote player looks as if Sony had split a DualSense controller and patched it back together with an eight-inch touch display (Full HD resolution with up to 60 FPS). It’s not pretty, but it looks functional.

PlayStation Portal Remote Player in the test

The look of the “PS5 handheld” is a bit unusual, but see for yourself.

Once you put your hands around the controller on the left and right, it quickly becomes clear: thanks to the DualSense design, this handheld has a really nice grip and is one step ahead of other handhelds in this respect. As a PS5 player, the analog sticks and other buttons feel so familiar that handling them is intuitive.

Since there is no touchpad button, the touchscreen has to be used. In Diablo 4, you can access the world map by tapping your finger on the display twice in a row.

Quickly set up

After a few minutes, the PlayStation Portal Remote Player is set up. You log in with your PlayStation account, connect to the network and you’re ready to go.

You can even start the PS5 from sleep mode using your handheld, so you don’t have to turn on the TV or change the channel when another person in the family is watching their favorite show or playing Xbox on the TV.

Gaming, visuals and lag through streaming

The PS5 menu looks on the handheld as it does on the console, and the entire navigation is very similar, so PlayStation fans don’t have to get used to it. Sony has really succeeded in transferring the user experience.

Games from a wide variety of genres run well on the handheld. The Remote Player provides a new stage for a round of EA Sports FC 24 or for hunting loot in Diablo 4.

Disadvantages clearly noticeable

While it’s nice to play PS5 titles on a handheld, there are a few caveats to consider. No matter how good the internet is, there is always a noticeable delay. So if you like playing games of skill, you will quickly notice the different timings that are necessary – a shot in a soccer game, pinball or even a shooter just feels different. This could really bother fans of such games or ambitious players.

In addition, PS5 games with fancy graphics lose a lot of their shine if you play them on the remote player. In Diablo 4, the details of the game environments sometimes appear muddy on the handheld display.

In EA Sports FC 24, some content in the image is blurry and animations appear less fluid. This isn’t the display’s fault; it’s more about problems caused by game streaming. Not all image content is always streamed as beautifully as intended.

To play the game you need at least an internet speed of 5 Mbit/s, Sony recommends 15. If you don’t have 15 Mbit/s, you should expect somewhat blurry and not-so-smooth scenes so as not to be disappointed.

Apparently only for the home network

What continues to irritate us is the limitation to a home network. Sony often refers to the remote player as the home network. Accordingly, the remote player is intended to be operated on the same network as the PS5.

However, Sony also points out in an FAQ entry that you can also use the device on a different network and suggests that you can also play in other places with the PlayStation Portal Remote Player, even if the PS5 is at home. However, we cannot confirm this in the test. We were unable to start the PS5 using the Remote Player from another network. Because of this somewhat unfortunate wording from the publisher, we asked Sony for a statement.

So before you buy the device, keep in mind that the Remote Player is not a real Switch alternative. You can’t just take the handheld on the train and play PS5 games in no time.

Sony PlayStation Portal Remote Player will be available in stores from November 15, 2023.

Sony PlayStation Portal Remote Player

Editorial rating 7.8 Reader Ratings

14 reviews

NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More info.

Transparency note: Sony has provided Netzwelt with a test sample with early access for a limited period of time.

Don’t agree? Are you looking for suitable alternatives? We have an extensive list of Sony PlayStation Portal Remote Player alternatives available for you in our console overview.