Long considered a superfluous gadget, PlayStation Portal is starting to earn its stripes. The device’s latest update, rolling out in November, significantly improves its usefulness for PS5 owners. From now on, it is no longer necessary to have a PlayStation Plus subscription to enjoy your own streaming library. An evolution requested since the launch.
As a reminder, PlayStation Portal allows you to stream games from your PlayStation 5, provided you are permanently connected to it. This constraint sparked widespread criticism when it was announced. But with this update, Sony finally adds a more logical function: playing titles that you already own, without going through the games provided by the Premium subscription.
A user did not hesitate to greet the initiative in these terms: “This update is incredible! BRAVO SONY!”
A redesigned experience for shared homes
The Portal is gradually finding its place in homes where the PS5 is already well established. It becomes the ideal tool for those who share their console and wish to play in parallel, without monopolizing the main screen. Another new feature highlighted: the possibility of accessing a wider selection of games, even without a subscription, with optimized streaming quality (provided you have a good connection).
One of the most shared comments on the networks sums up the general opinion well: “This feature should have been there from the start. Better late than never, I guess.”
Others praise the continued improvement of the device since its release: “I’ve loved my portal since day one and they keep improving it. My premium subscription is well worth it: I no longer even have to worry about connecting my PS5, wherever I am, I can stream directly from the cloud. Heaven!”
Towards a real PlayStation portable console in 2027?
Alongside this successful update, persistent rumors point to an even more ambitious project: a fully standalone PlayStation portable console, planned to coincide with the release of the PS6. Unlike the Portal, this new device would work without a direct link to a home console, like the Nintendo Switch 2.
The first information suggests a dock to connect it to a television, as well as power equivalent to a PS4. Nothing official at the moment, but Sony seems determined to no longer leave this market in the sole hands of Nintendo.