Sony announces the name of the new PlayStation console – and there is already criticism

While many gaming enthusiasts appreciate the benefits of stationary consoles (good performance and big screen graphics), portable consoles have also always been popular.

The classic handhelds are Nintendo’s devices – from the Gameboy to the DS to the Switch. On the other hand, Sony and the iconic PlayStation are better known as stationary consoles. But those who have been gaming for a long time will probably remember the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which was around from 2005 to 2016.

But now Sony is releasing a new portable console. In the margins of the Games 2023 in Cologne, the company finally announced the name: PlayStation Portal. The device should appear before the end of the year, but Sony did not give a specific date. The PlayStation Portal should cost 220 euros.

But there is already criticism of the console. Unlike the Nintendo Switch, for example, you cannot use the Playstation Portal as a stand-alone console – you already need a Playstation 5 for this. According to Sony it is a “remote player”.

It works like this: the games run on the actual console – ie the PlayStation 5 – and are transferred to the PlayStation Portal via WLAN. As Sony explains, the device should mainly be used if the television is being used by someone else or if you want to play in another room.

So you can’t use the console on the go. Streaming via the cloud from PlayStation Plus Premium is also not possible. Many on the social networks therefore doubt the usefulness of the device. On Platform X (formerly Twitter) they compare the console with, for example, the Nintendo Switch Lite, which performs significantly better.

A Nintendo Switch Lite costs about 220 euros – the same as the PlayStation Portal. For this you first need the Playstation 5, which alone costs 549.99 euros (or 449.99 euros as a digital version).

In addition to the PlayStation Portal, Sony is releasing two other innovations. The “Pulse Elite” wireless headphones, the successor to the “Pulse” headset, come with better sound and AI-based noise reduction. They should cost around 150 euros. There are also ‘Pulse Explore Wireless’ in-ear headphones that should cost around 220 euros.

(t online)