Nostalgia is a powerful thing, and Sony knows it, as it tries to offset the backlash of the PS5 Pro price tag with the PlayStation 30th anniversary collection. Included within this drop is a brand-new PlayStation Portal, freshly adorned in that familiar gray finish, with the original colorful logo proudly on display. Yet, as awesome as this colorway is, I can’t help but feel like it’d be more exciting if it was for a ‘proper’ Sony handheld.
It feels like an eternity has passed since I first got my hands on the PlayStation Portable, Sony’s almighty foray into the handheld market after a brief stint with the PocketStation in 1999. I owe so many of my formative gaming memories to many of the best PSP games, like the underrated Chili Con Carnage or GTA: Liberty City Stories. I was admittedly late to the PlayStation Vita era, but while it didn’t quite have the same impact at the time of release, its lasting legacy can’t be ignored. However, I’m not counting the PlayStation Portal as a new PlayStation handheld.
The purpose of the PlayStation Portal remains a point of contention, ever since it hit shelves nine months ago. While some players appreciate the ability to cloud stream triple-A action games like Spider-Man 2 or FPS games like The Finals away from home, it just does nothing for me as a concept. As impressive of an imitation of the PlayStation 5 experience as it may be, that’s all it chalks up to be. However, against its divisive nature, the PS Portal has been a resounding sales success for Sony too.
Up until April this year, the streaming device had been out of stock frequently and has only just started to become easier to acquire over the summer. There’s clearly an audience for it, even if the Portal’s use cases are very niche.
Even PlayStation’s vice president of product management Hiromi Wakai knows it, telling GameFile earlier this year that it’s “best suited for people with specific needs and those who want to play in a specific way, so the reactions after the announcement were very much within our expectations.” I’m not just looking to extend the PS5 experience, though. The beauty of the PSP and PS Vita is that dedicated experiences were crafted for them, utilizing their onboard features.
I still remember geeking out over Uncharted Golden Abyss incorporating the Vita’s touchpad into gameplay. Bangers like Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops or God of War: Chains of Olympus drove the PSP hard too, as you couldn’t play them elsewhere. These were games that celebrated the strengths of Sony’s outlook on gaming.
Devices like the Ayaneo Pocket DMG or Retroid Pocket 5 make it clear that players want to revisit these handheld-specific experiences, yet Sony continues to shy away from them – at least for now. Insider Gaming claimed in August that following the PS Portal’s sales success that Sony is “paying very close attention to the current handheld market.”
How closely remains to be seen, but it will be telling to see how it responds if Xbox’s alleged handheld is revealed before the year is over. Instead, for now, there’s a new coat of paint to remind you of better days that will soften the blow of the PlayStation Portal’s hollow shell.