I’m not exaggerating when I say the PlayStation Portal is probably the most frustrating handheld I’ve ever tested. That’s not down to the way it performs as a PS5 'Remote Player,' as it pretty much nails its primary task. If anything, I’m frustrated that Sony decided to skip on everything else that’d make it the next big disruptor since the Steam Deck, forcing it instead to function like a Wii U controller with less features.
Yet, in spite of all that, the PlayStation Portal is probably still the best gaming handheld for PS Remote Play specifically. After all, Sony already had all the ingredients to make an awesome portable experience to hand, as this device is imbued with everything that makes the DualSense a great controller. However, if you strip that and the player’s decent 1080p display away, all you’re really left with is some bog standard guts and proprietary audio tech that nobody asked for.
