Our verdict
PlayStation Portal does not run games itself. Your PS5 does the work and streams the picture over your home Wi-Fi, a method Sony calls Remote Play, while your button presses travel back the other way. You see the game on an 8-inch Full HD LCD screen, with a backlight behind the panel, held between two halves of a DualSense-style controller with haptic feedback (detailed vibration) and adaptive triggers that push back as you press. Tom's Guide found you need well above Sony's recommended 5Mbps to 15Mbps for a stable picture, and it reported latency problems. Sony claims about four hours of battery; Tom's Guide got about three. Our price check found Sony PlayStation Portal at £229 for Remote player on 1 August 2026.
Buy it if
- You own a PS5 and the family TV is often in use
- Your home broadband and Wi-Fi are fast and reliable in the rooms you would play in
- You want to play your PS5 games in bed or another room
Skip it if
- You do not own a PS5 and do not want a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription
- Your Wi-Fi is patchy or your broadband is slow
- You want to watch Netflix or YouTube on it: Tom's Guide found these apps are not supported
How it would fit your home
When the TV is busy
Keep playing your PS5 games on the 8-inch screen while someone else watches TV in the same room or elsewhere.
Playing in another room
It works best close to a strong Wi-Fi signal. Test it in the room you plan to use before the return window ends.
Wrong fit
If you want a true portable console with its own games, a handheld such as the Nintendo Switch or a gaming PC handheld suits you better.
The details, in plain English
Screen and controls
The 8-inch LCD screen has a backlight behind it and shows a Full HD picture, which looks sharp at this size. The controls copy the PS5's DualSense controller: haptic feedback gives detailed vibration, so you can feel effects such as rain or footsteps, and adaptive triggers add resistance, such as the tension of a bowstring. Tom's Guide notes the thumbsticks are slightly smaller than on a normal DualSense.
Home network
Everything depends on your Wi-Fi, because the picture is streamed from your PS5 rather than made on the device. Sony recommends at least 5Mbps, or 15Mbps for a better connection. Tom's Guide found you need double or triple that for a stable experience, and still noticed latency, meaning a small delay between pressing a button and seeing the result. Fast action games feel this most.
Battery, sound and extras
Sony claims about four hours of battery. Tom's Guide got around three with brightness and volume above average. Standard Bluetooth headphones do not work: use the 3.5mm headphone jack or one of Sony's PlayStation Link headsets. Tom's Guide also found you cannot stream Netflix, YouTube or similar apps, so it is a gaming screen only.
What may frustrate you
Games, a PlayStation Plus subscription and the PS5 itself are all part of the real cost. Streaming can blur fine detail and add delay, so not every game looks or feels as good as it does on the TV. If your home network is weak or you play mostly at the television, the Portal will add less than its price suggests.
Strengths and drawbacks
What it does well
- 8-inch Full HD LCD screen: large and sharp for a handheld
- Streams your PS5 over home Wi-Fi, so you can play while the TV is in use
- Plays the PS5 games you already own, with no need to buy them again
- Haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, as on the DualSense controller
What to watch out for
- For most games it needs your PS5 switched on or in rest mode. Cloud play of selected games needs PlayStation Plus Premium and good Wi-Fi
- Picture and response depend on your Wi-Fi; Tom's Guide reported latency issues
- No support for ordinary Bluetooth headphones: use the 3.5mm jack or Sony's PlayStation Link headsets
- About three hours of battery in Tom's Guide's use, against Sony's claim of about four
The PlayStation Portal's value depends on already owning a PS5 and a game library you want to play, not only the price of the box. It competes less with other consoles than with simply waiting for the TV, so weigh how often the TV is busy against the £229 cost. PlayStation Plus Premium now adds cloud streaming of selected PS5 games, including away from home on Wi-Fi, which makes it more flexible if you already pay for that tier.
Make the Sony PlayStation Portal easier to live with
Add-ons that answer a drawback we named above. Check compatibility with your exact model before buying.
Solves: no support for ordinary Bluetooth headphones: use the 3.5mm jack or Sony's PlayStation Link headsets
Sony MDR-ZX110, wired stereo headphones Not yet reviewed by us
Uses the review’s 3.5mm wired-audio option instead of expecting ordinary Bluetooth headphones to connect.
Check first: Requires a compatible stereo mini headphone socket. No microphone/call-quality claim; exact plug fit and volume comfort should be checked.
Alternatives we have reviewed
| Product | Our verdict | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sony PlayStation Portal (this one) | Worth considering if you own a PS5 and want to keep playing when someone else needs the TV, provided your Wi-Fi is fast and reliable; PlayStation Plus Premium adds cloud play for selected games. | £219.99RRP · Remote player, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
 Microsoft Xbox Series S 512GB | A low-cost way into current Xbox games if you are happy to buy digitally and add storage later, but not the one to pick if you want native 4K or discs. | £429.99RRP · 512GB digital console, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
 Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Edition | A good fit if you are happy to buy games digitally and have a compatible 4K TV; choose a disc model if you buy secondhand games. | £519.99RRP · 825GB digital console, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
 Sony PlayStation 5 Slim (Disc Edition) | The safest conventional console for most game-first households, especially if you want to buy, borrow or resell games on disc, though Sony says new games will be digital only from January 2028. | £569.99RRP · disc drive, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
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Where our findings come from
Research-based review: we have not tested the PlayStation Portal ourselves. We checked the exact product against the independent and official sources listed below, and the measurements and findings quoted here come from Tom's Guide's review.