Sony announces a new console. But there have been alternatives on the market for a long time. We introduce you to some of them
Yesterday, Sony officially presented its new handheld at Gamescom. It is called Portal and will be released in Europe later this year for 220 euros.
However, in the shallows of the internet (such as on Reddit), voices are being raised that wonder if this isn’t a bit too expensive for what the console offers.
Why should i buy PlayStation Portal instead of one of these?
by u/Nie_Chce_Mi_Sie in playstation
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With the Playstation Portal you can only play remotely on your Playstation 5. You must therefore already own a PS5 and always have a good internet connection. A decision that many in the community question. Colleague Jan was also not very enthusiastic when the first data on the console, then known as “Project Q”, was published:
Happily, there have long been a few good alternatives that let you get (almost) the same thing as Playstation Portal.
Before we get started, we have listed the known data of the Portal for you:
- 8 inch LCD screen
- 1.080p
- 60 fps
- adaptive trigger
- haptic feedback
- 3.5mm jack connector for audio
1. your smartphone
Probably the cheapest alternative to the Portal is the smartphone you already have in your pocket anyway
With the (Remote-Play-App from Sony) you can connect your mobile phone to the Playstation and play games on the go. However, only in the figurative sense, because “on the road” in this case means “not at home and yet a strong internet connection is available”.
So it works just like the Playstation Portal – only without paying 220 Euros.
But playing only with your mobile phone is much less convenient. After all, you would have to use the digital GamePad this way. There’s more!
2. Dual Sense with mobile phone holder
You can also simply get a smartphone holder for your Playstation controller. You can connect it via Bluetooth and enjoy real controller quality while streaming your PS5 gameplay.
This type of product is available from various manufacturers and costs on average around 20 to 30 euros.
However, there is also a disadvantage: with the gadget, you always have to make sure to keep two devices at halfway full battery level.
In addition, the adaptive triggers of the Dual Sense controllers will not work this way. For that you’ll have to go for the original after all.
3rd controller for your mobile phone
Instead of attaching your mobile phone to the controller, you can also attach a controller to your mobile phone. There are almost countless third-party providers who give you the opportunity to clamp your mobile phone between two halves of the controller.
For all those who don’t want to do without the Playstation design, the Backbone, for example, could be the right choice. Colleague Maxe shows you why here:
Other devices include the Razer Kishi V2 or the GameSir X3 Type-C, which even comes with a cooling system.
These alternatives are often much more expensive than mobile phone mounts for controllers. In return, however, you don’t have to worry about two batteries, because this type of controller draws power from the mobile phone itself.
Tablet and controller
Admittedly, there is one major drawback to our alternatives: you have to have a fairly large smartphone to actually enjoy playing on it.
A tablet can work wonders here. Because you can also download the Remote Play app on it.
By the way, there are also controllers for tablets, such as the GameSir F7.
But what do you think about the Playstation Portal? Are you at all interested in gaming on the go or would you rather stay at home and play on your 4K TV? Are you already using an alternative or can you recommend another? If so, please let us know in the comments below! We’re looking forward to hearing your opinions and experiences.
