Speaker 1: Announced just a few months ago. PlayStation's Project Q, now titled the PlayStation Portal Remote Player is coming out later this year and we just got our hands on it. PlayStation is making its return to the handheld gaming space with the PlayStation portal. Yep, you heard that right. The acronym for Sony's Next Gaming handheld will once again be the P S P. We were given an early, not final look at the portal, but PlayStation also had three other updates to share with us, including their upcoming earbuds now [00:00:30] called the Pulse Explorer, an updated headset called Pulse Elite and a new wireless connectivity feature that all three of these devices will utilize called PlayStation Link.
Speaker 1: The PlayStation portal is Sony's attempt at putting most of a PS five in your hands when you're not on the couch. It has an eight inch L C D display that runs at 60 hertz. PlayStation says this is the sweet spot for long gaming sessions, keeps text legible and won't leave the player feeling like [00:01:00] they're downgrading. The visuals look sharp and crisp and overall I was quite happy with the display. One thing I would've liked is an OLED panel instead of L C D, especially after being spoiled and using the Nintendo Switch OLED for the last year. The portal is light to the touch and from my brief time and not actually weighing it, I'd put it somewhere between a Nintendo Switch and a steam deck. No definitive battery life was given, but they're targeting something similar to the dual sense controllers, which is typically around seven to nine hours.
Speaker 1: Speaking [00:01:30] of dual sense, the controls on either side of the handheld replicate the PSS five controller completely. This means the haptics triggers, microphone, et cetera that you're used to on your PSS five are all present here. Even the touch pad, which is no longer visible is now used through the touch screen. Players can move their thumb over to access it from either side with either hand. The headphone Jack and U S B C charging port are also located on the back of the device playing games like Astros, playroom and Returnal felt exactly the same [00:02:00] as I remembered. The one noticeable difference is that the analog stick pads are a little smaller than on the dual sense. The rep told me they're actually the same sticks found on the PSS VR twos controllers. Its remote player title is what puts this device in a different category compared to the Nintendo Switch or valve steam deck.
Speaker 1: The portal has no internal memory and no functionality when it isn't connected to a PlayStation five. In other words, there is no offline play. It is purely a streaming handheld. Similar to using remote play [00:02:30] a function that the PS five already has on your phone, tablet, or computer. What PlayStation is announcing to give it a leg up is PlayStation Link. This is a new wireless connectivity function that is utilized by all three of the devices shown to me. It was described as remote play turned up to 11, and while you can already pair a dual sense to a PC or your phone and play your PS five that way, link allows PlayStation to optimize the connection. Since they control the hardware on both ends, it isn't a separate user experience requiring you to [00:03:00] use an app and waiting for the connection. The portal turns on and is immediately connected and ready to go.
Speaker 1: I noticed no leg whatsoever when playing returnal a game requiring faster inputs and reflexes along with other titles I demoed such as Astros, playroom and God War. Ragnarok take this with a grain of salt. However, since I was in a very manicured demo room and sitting only a few feet away from the PSS five, the rep did mention the portal can connect to wifi, so playing in a different room further away from your PS five is definitely an option. In fact, [00:03:30] just like remote play now, you can connect your psss five to the portal and stream games from networks outside your home, but your wifi and connection strength will become a limiting factor. Stay tuned for our full review. When we put the portal to the test and see how well it can really stream, the PlayStation portal remote player will be priced at 1 99 and pre-orders are set to start soon with a launch date somewhere later in 2023.
Speaker 1: Launching alongside the portal is the new Pulse Explorer Earbuds launching shortly after is the Pulse Elite headset. [00:04:00] Both of these devices will feature planner magnetic drivers. This allows for a high level of audio fidelity with a very wide, accurate and fast frequency response. Both the Explorer and Elite felt good. The earbuds were light and comfortable and come with a case to charge and store them. The headsets can connect to the portal using PlayStation Link or Bluetooth. In addition to the headsets, your purchase will also get you a U SS B dongle that plugs into the PSS five. This lets the console connect to multiple headsets or even your PC [00:04:30] if the dongle is plugged in. PlayStation will also be selling the dongle separately so players can move from their PS five to a PC with just the push of a button. Both audio devices also support multiple inputs at the same time.
Speaker 1: The example given was if you're playing a game and want to be in a Discord chat as well, you'll be able to hear and talk to both at once. Using the built-in microphones, the Pulse Elite's microphone is hidden and can be extended out from the left hand side. In addition, both microphones are using AI enhanced noise reduction. The Pulse Explorer [00:05:00] earbuds are also launching later this year alongside the portal for the same 1 99 price point. While the Pulse Elite will come shortly after for 1 49. As someone who routinely uses remote play to play my PSS five in bed, I came outta this demo feeling pretty good with how the portal looked, felt, and ran. I was pleasantly surprised at the price point, but it remains to be seen if this experience is $200 better than the options I already have. How do you feel this device would fit into your gaming setup? Let us know and thanks for watching.
