All I have to do is stream

Sony's new handheld looks like a portable PS5 but is useless on its own. Can its remote play capabilities be worth the cash?

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Sony is no stranger to handheld gaming, but the first thing to say about the PlayStation Portal is that it isn’t a console in its own right. This is not the Vita 2.

Essentially just an 8in tablet with two halves of a DualSense controller stuck on either side, the Portal relies on a PS5 and a Wi-Fi connection to wirelessly stream your games. Without those, it’ll be the least useful thing in your house (apart from the cat), as there’s no way to download games for offline play. It can’t natively play video or browse the web either, and in many ways there’s nothing this device can do that the phone in your pocket can’t. On paper, then, it seems like something of a tough sell.

And yet, Sony knows that none of that is likely to dissuade the people who have a place in their lives for a gadget like this. In households where TV time has to be shared, the Portal lets you keep playing without giving up the PS5’s controller functionality. It’s got a big, bright display and it won’t interrupt your