From the beginning, Sony considered niche as one of the key advantages of the $200 PlayStation Portal. Now the company is extremely pleased with the sales and high demand for the portable device, which was created as a complement to PS5, not an alternative to PSP or PS Vita. These and other interesting details were revealed by Sony’s Vice President of Product Management Hiromi Wakai in interview with Game File.
What is PlayStation Portal?
PlayStation Portal — a gadget for streaming games from PS5, which is, de facto, a modification of DualSense, which was supplemented with an 8-inch display with a resolution of 1080p and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. You can’t run games on it via the «cloud» — only transfer a picture from the PS5. This, as well as the lack of support for Bluetooth accessories, makes PlayStation Portal lose out to full-fledged portables such as Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally. Despite the peculiarities and contradictory assessments of specialized MEDIA and ordinary consumers, at the start of sales in November 2013, the entire first batch of PlayStation Portal quickly sold out, and it surprised many people at the time. On the other hand, Sony did not share production plans or detail the size of the first batch.
PlayStation Portal sales
In a conversation with Stephen Totilo, the Sony executive touched upon the success of PlayStation Portal for the first time and at the same time communicated the positioning of the device, which has never claimed to be an alternative to PSP or PS Vita. Ms. Hiromi Wakai demand for PlayStation Portal «continues to exceed expectations» Sony —it is currently difficult to buy the new product, as most stores have run out of the gadget. At the same time, the Sony executive refused to give exact sales figures. «While we can’t share exact figures, demand continues to exceed our expectations», — Totilo quotes Wakai as saying.
The Sony vice president also said that the reaction to the announcement was as the company expected — the device has always been seen as a niche device and was intended for users with specific needs. Moreover, even before the start of sales, Sony clearly understood that not everyone would appreciate the Portal’s special niche. From the very beginning, it was designed to be the simplest and most convenient gadget companion that would not require additional efforts from developers. The key goal, according to Hiromi Wakai, is to extend the capabilities of the PS5 (to provide «quality console experience» on a portable screen and without the need to be directly in front of the console), not to completely replace it.
Hiromi Wakai didn’t say a word about Sony’s plans for PlayStation Portal or any other portable devices, only that the current priority is to supply additional batches so that everyone can buy a device. If anything, there’s no shortage of PlayStation Portals in Ukrainian stores — offers start at UAH 8,799. And recently, enthusiasts managed to hack the PlayStation Portal and run the PPSSPP emulator on it and even play the native version of GTA.