PlayStation Portal, Sony's New (Sort Of) Gaming Handheld, Is Coming This Year For $200

Sony has officially announced the name and price for its upcoming Project Q handheld streaming device for PS5 games. The system is called PlayStation Portal, and it will cost $200. It is set for release sometime later this year.

Portal streams games from your PS5, so it's not a dedicated gaming device like Sony's PSP or PS Vita. But it is a way to play high-fidelity games on the toilet or in bed from your PS5. The system features adaptive triggers and haptic feedback just like the PS5's DualSense controller. It sports an 8-inch LCD screen that can reach up to 1080p/60fps, provided the Wi-Fi connection is strong and stable enough.

Sony said PlayStation Portal is aimed at people who live in homes where the TV is frequently occupied or if they just want to play PS5 games in a different setting inside the same house. The PlayStation Portal plays your existing PS5 game library, but PlayStation VR 2 games are not supported.

PlayStation Portal has a 3.5mm audio jack for wired audio. It does not, however, use Bluetooth, according to IGN. Instead, the system has its own proprietary audio solution--PlayStation Link--that is currently only supported by two new Pulse headphones and earbuds from Sony.

The Pulse Elite traditional over-ear headphones and Pulse Explore earbuds can connect to any PlayStation Link-supported device, and that includes PS5, PlayStation Portal, PC, or Mac, and a Bluetooth device.

"For example, Pulse Explore can be connected to PS5 (via the USB adapter) using PlayStation Link and also to a mobile phone through Bluetooth at the same time. While playing on PS5, gamers can instantly answer a call and hear it through the same Pulse Explore earbuds," Sony said.

PlayStation Link aims to offer "low latency, lossless audio," Sony said. The Pulse Elite headset is priced at $150 and the Pulse Explore earbuds costs $200. More details, including the launch dates, will be announced soon. A PlayStation Link USB adapter will be sold separately as a standalone item so players can use the headsets on their PC or Mac.