Sony unveils PlayStation Portal, Pulse Explore, and Pulse Elite as it steps up efforts in portable gaming
Sony is, once again, doubling down on the portable gaming sector. This time, the company has unveiled the details of its handheld gaming device, the PlayStation Portal Remote Player. Formerly known as the PlayStation Project Q, this device is designed to revolutionize remote play for PlayStation 5 (PS5) users. And if this is not enough, alongside the Portal, Sony also introduced the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds and Pulse Elite wireless headset, both aimed at enhancing the audio experience for gamers and redefine the way they engage with their favorite titles.
Sony, in an official blog post on the matter, revealed the price, full specifications, and the functionality that users can expect from the PlayStation Portal Remote Player. Shipping later this year, the PlayStation Portal is set to cost $199.99 in the US, and more details will be revealed once it is available for pre-order.
“Since launching PS5, we’ve been amazed to see how players around the world have embraced the generational leaps we made in the gaming experience, such as the heightened feeling of immersion delivered by the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers in the DualSense wireless controller,” Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President of Platform Experience at SIE, wrote in the blog post. “Our PlayStation community continues to give us a reason to challenge ourselves to bring new innovations to the market for all players to enjoy. That’s why today, we are especially pleased to share new updates about our upcoming hardware products.
The PlayStation Portal Remote Player is designed to redefine the concept of remote gaming by allowing users to stream PS5 games directly to the device’s 8-inch IPS 1080p screen. With a frame rate of 60 frames per second, the Portal promises high-definition visual fidelity. The design of the Portal features a screen positioned between two halves, reminiscent of the PlayStation DualSense controller. This innovative layout offers an immersive gaming experience, transforming the remote player into a powerful handheld gaming console. One of the most compelling aspects of the PlayStation Portal is its seamless integration of native DualSense features. This includes adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, ensuring that gamers enjoy a complete and immersive gaming experience, even during remote play.
The PlayStation Portal, however, does not support PS VR2 games that require the VR headset or games streamed through PlayStation Plus Premium’s cloud streaming. Nonetheless, the Portal addresses audio needs by featuring a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired audio. Interestingly, Sony introduces its proprietary technology called “PlayStation Link,” which replaces traditional Bluetooth support. This technology necessitates new headsets and earbuds, including the PlayStation Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore, designed to provide “lossless audio.”
Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President of Platform Experience at Sony Interactive Entertainment, announced that the Portal connects remotely to the PS5 via Wi-Fi, enabling gamers to swiftly transition from playing on their console to the Portal. Additionally, the Portal is fully compatible with supported games installed on the PS5 console and utilizes the DualSense controller.
Speaking more about the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds and Pulse Elite wireless headset, Sony elaborated on them in the blog post. The Pulse Elite offers lossless audio and comes with AI-enhanced noise rejection and a retractable boom mic. The Pulse Explore wireless earbuds – the first such offering by Sony – offer dual microphones and a charging case for portability. Both products incorporate custom-designed planar magnetic drivers, an audiophile-level feature typically found in premium headphones for professional sound engineers. Sony writes that the Pulse Elite will cost $149.99, while the Pulse Explore will cost $199.99.
