Anyone here on Tildes pick one up? When this first was announced, I was very skeptical because you can already do this with a phone controller grip like a Razer Kishi or whatever, or with a...
Anyone here on Tildes pick one up? When this first was announced, I was very skeptical because you can already do this with a phone controller grip like a Razer Kishi or whatever, or with a Logitech G Cloud, or with a Steam Deck if you did some tinkering. Those solutions also let you stream Game Pass and play native games, unlike the Portal. Thinking now, I really underestimated how decent the $200 price tag is for something "that just works" when all you want is to stream the PS5, not do anything else, when those phone grips are like $100. And I also probably overestimated how many people even know that phone grips exist, or that phones have remote play apps for PS and Xbox.
The Portal would be actually pretty cool if they let you cloud stream PS Plus cloud games on it instead of just stream your own PS5, then it'd be a decent budget PS ecosystem entry option.
The full DualSense setup is what's tempting me the most. I play a bunch of games where the haptic resistance in the triggers is a big help, I can't get that with the Steam Deck for example
The full DualSense setup is what's tempting me the most. I play a bunch of games where the haptic resistance in the triggers is a big help, I can't get that with the Steam Deck for example
Yea, I'm seriously considering one too. We've only got the one TV and I don't want to hog it during prime time. But I also don't always want to watch whatever the rest of the family is watching -...
Yea, I'm seriously considering one too.
We've only got the one TV and I don't want to hog it during prime time. But I also don't always want to watch whatever the rest of the family is watching - nor do I want to disappear to my geek cave.
My current choices are the Switch and Steam Deck, but sometimes I'd like to play something on the PS5 instead.
I know I can get a streaming setup on the Deck, but I have more money than time so ... The Portal is looking pretty tempting =)
This is the reason I stopped playing on my PS3 many years ago - one TV and multiple users. I have played my fair share on portable devices like PSP, PS Vuta, Switch Lite and somewhere in between...
This is the reason I stopped playing on my PS3 many years ago - one TV and multiple users.
I have played my fair share on portable devices like PSP, PS Vuta, Switch Lite and somewhere in between also tablet and phone (last two being bad due to missing haptics - it is better to push real buttons instead of tapping on display).
Nowadays I play on Steam Deck while others watch TV. Steam Deck was my choice because I missed many PC games on other consoles (no ports or alternatives). If I had PS5 today, I would probably get Portal to be able to play anywhere in the house anyzime I wanted. I'm no longer a console gamer though...
Don't own one, but it's meant to be used at home in your home wifi with low latency. BUT there are stories of people using it via public wifi outside of their home. I heard of an anecdote of...
Don't own one, but it's meant to be used at home in your home wifi with low latency.
BUT there are stories of people using it via public wifi outside of their home. I heard of an anecdote of someone using it on vacation in the UK while their PS5 was in the US.
See, this I don't get with the price they are asking. Why would I pay that much just to play anywhere in my house? It seems way too expensive for the use case they are expecting out of it. And...
See, this I don't get with the price they are asking. Why would I pay that much just to play anywhere in my house? It seems way too expensive for the use case they are expecting out of it. And yes, it can be done from other places (just recently I used their remote play app on my computer along with a ps5 controller to remote play my PS5 that was in Washington from where I was in Georgia) but it's not fun cause there is enough control lag to be annoying and make it not fun plus random freezes as connection gets choppy.
I don’t think $200 is all that much for the portal, though. A dual sense is already $70, so for $130 you’re getting a screen, an soc, and custom software support. Seems fine, value wise.
I don’t think $200 is all that much for the portal, though. A dual sense is already $70, so for $130 you’re getting a screen, an soc, and custom software support. Seems fine, value wise.
When you take a view on it like this, it is good value. When you view it like "This is 200 and Steam Deck, which is full PC, is 400", Steam Deck looks like a good value. I can see both being good...
When you take a view on it like this, it is good value.
When you view it like "This is 200 and Steam Deck, which is full PC, is 400", Steam Deck looks like a good value.
I can see both being good viewpoints depending on where the viewer is.
Ok... but for me I'm not caring how much the hardware costs, what is it worth to me for what it does? I mean obviously there is a market for it cause it seems to be selling, I just don't...
Ok... but for me I'm not caring how much the hardware costs, what is it worth to me for what it does?
I mean obviously there is a market for it cause it seems to be selling, I just don't understand it cause 200 dollars for what it does seems to be a lot to pay just to be able to play away from your tv but in your house (especially as even remote play in my house from my computer seems to still have some random freezes/input lag).
If you either live alone and/or aren't the kind of person who likes to play on their bed or couch, etc. it probably isn't going to appeal to you. But a lot of people have a main TV with which they...
If you either live alone and/or aren't the kind of person who likes to play on their bed or couch, etc. it probably isn't going to appeal to you. But a lot of people have a main TV with which they have to share time - if you have a portal, you can still play on your couch. Some people really like to play games in bed or other non-couch - this a solution to that. Some people like to multitask, and play a game, maybe a RPG or something, while they do something else around the house.
It also doubles as an extra controller. If you ever need two controllers, for, say, local co op or something, you're already in for $70 anyway.
While I do have the tv mostly to myself, I prefer couch play (it's why I love my switch and if a game comes out on it I'm playing on it). And I also multi task (another reason why I love playing...
While I do have the tv mostly to myself, I prefer couch play (it's why I love my switch and if a game comes out on it I'm playing on it). And I also multi task (another reason why I love playing on my switch). But I wouldn't play 200 just to do that honestly. The switch also plays games while I'm on an airplane or when I'm travelling.. and yes I know remote play can do that (well not on the plane part) but not well enough that it's not too frustrating to be fun <- I hate input lag and there is input lag. Definitely better than back when I had my vita <- I tried remote play on it and it worked but it is definitely better now but still not good enough that I feel it's playable.
It's mostly useful for being able to get dailies done on my MMO while I'm gone. Hell... it's not even that playable in my own house tbh (it's much better but it's frustrating enough I'd still much rather just play on my playstation). Once again, I'd definitely not want to pay 200 dollars for that kind of experience. I'll just play what games come on my Switch instead. And sure, they run worse on the switch then if I bought the playstation version but here's the thing... for me I can deal with FPS and slightly worse graphics. I really can't deal with input lag or random quick freezes, for me that's way more of a deal killer then frame rate is or worse graphics (which honestly if graphics were that important to me I'd play on PC).
I mean, obviously, there is enough of a market for it. I just completely don't understand it. I guess enough people who want those features that 200 dollars doesn't feel like a big chunk of change. I'd rather use that 200 to save up for the next Switch. More expensive but worth it way more to me.
As to the cost, people just have different levels of income and what they find acceptable to pay. Although, again I'd note that the Portal can be used as a Dualsense instead of a remote player as...
As to the cost, people just have different levels of income and what they find acceptable to pay. Although, again I'd note that the Portal can be used as a Dualsense instead of a remote player as well, so it doubles as a controller.
If you already wanted to get a second controller for your PS5, that means the incremental charge is only $130 for the ability to use it on your couch. In terms of the delay, that may be more on your network topology. I haven't had any latency issues using remote play on my phone with my PS5, just the normal compression artifacts. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to tell.
guess enough people who want those features that 200 dollars doesn't feel like a big chunk of change.
That's apples and oranges, no? The Switch and PS5 have little to no overlap in games at this point. Games aren't fungible like that - I'm playing FF7 Rebirth right now, and there's no game in the Switch library I can just "replace" it with - I want to experience FF7 Rebirth, not just generically play a game.
I suppose. I just can't understand the functionality of it being worth 200 dollars. Especially if you have a computer that can run their remote play app (which I'd guess these days most homes...
I suppose. I just can't understand the functionality of it being worth 200 dollars. Especially if you have a computer that can run their remote play app (which I'd guess these days most homes would have a computer but admittedly I don't know how picky the app is for how up to date a computer you need. But my 11 year old Mac that the last OS that it supported is 2 years old seemed to run it fine).
I was able to play Elden Ring *just fine while staying in a hotel room. *I'm not sure about the latency or input lag, but I seemed to be dodging stuff just fine.
I was able to play Elden Ring *just fine while staying in a hotel room.
*I'm not sure about the latency or input lag, but I seemed to be dodging stuff just fine.
This YouTube video goes over using it out in public (linked directly to the relevant section) TLDW; It doesn't have any browser, so it's hard to connect to many free Wi-Fi networks that require...
TLDW; It doesn't have any browser, so it's hard to connect to many free Wi-Fi networks that require you to agree to terms or login. He was able to play by hotspotting with his phone. He goes into trying it at a McDonald's, library, out in public, on a mountain, and discusses trying it on corporate Wi-Fi as well.
I do not have one, but I think I can comment on an advantage of the Playstation Portal over a phone or tablet with a streaming app. Our phones and tablets are filled with dozens of different apps...
I do not have one, but I think I can comment on an advantage of the Playstation Portal over a phone or tablet with a streaming app. Our phones and tablets are filled with dozens of different apps that are all competing for our attention. The Playstation Portal is only Playstation, so you can pick it up and leave your phone in a completely different room if you like.
It's pretty interesting how 10-15 years ago everyone was excited about being able to combine multiple different devices into one multipurpose device that could do everything. Back then, it seemed like physical space and convenience was the most important thing to consumers. Now that everyone is constantly fighting for your attention, consumers seem to want devices that can give you the full online capabilities we expect from modern products and services, but with limited distractions. The Playstation Portal can give consumers the flexibility a steaming app provides, but without the distractions of other notifications.
I picked up a G Cloud when they first came out, which runs Android. But since it's a dedicated gaming device the only apps I have installed on it are the streaming apps for Xbox, Playstation, and...
I picked up a G Cloud when they first came out, which runs Android. But since it's a dedicated gaming device the only apps I have installed on it are the streaming apps for Xbox, Playstation, and Steam, as well as RetroArch for emulation, and the stock OS essentially hides notifications, so there's no competition for attention from other things. It makes a lot more sense for me over the Playstation Portal since I game across so many different platforms. I think dealing with Android as a hub OS is less annoying than having to buy separate dedicated streaming devices for each platform would be.
The thing is that it will stop receiving Android updates one day and with this you will lose your apps for streaming the games. It won't orobably happen with Portal.
The thing is that it will stop receiving Android updates one day and with this you will lose your apps for streaming the games. It won't orobably happen with Portal.
Personally I think the opposite is more likely to be the case. Android has an open ecosystem and 3rd party game streaming clients are more likely to be developed and receive support from their...
Personally I think the opposite is more likely to be the case. Android has an open ecosystem and 3rd party game streaming clients are more likely to be developed and receive support from their devs in perpetuity than a proprietary console peripheral which could lose support each time a new generation of console is released. Look at the PS Vita as an example--it can remote play PS3 and PS4 games, but Sony never added support for PS5 (if you hacked it, you can stream PS5 to it via 3rd party clients).
I don't use the official streaming clients for either Xbox or Playstation streaming to the G Cloud because the 3rd party clients are already far superior.
The thing is that one day devs of the app will stop supporting specific versions of Android. It will come, that is certain. It may be 10 years from now, but it will come. Support of the...
The thing is that one day devs of the app will stop supporting specific versions of Android. It will come, that is certain. It may be 10 years from now, but it will come. Support of the deviceitself (G Cloud) will come much sooner (no newer Android).
The Portal will not get supoort woth PS6, that is almost certain. But it will very likely work with PS5 10 years from now. Just as PS Vita should work with PS3 even today (I have both but I'm lazy to try).
I'm not alking about future support, but very long time support of current hardware setup (ie. PS5 + G Cloud -> when will it stop working for good? And PS5 + Portal -> when will it stop working for good?).
Not entirely sure I follow... if the G Cloud works with a specific version of Android and a specific version of a PS5 game streaming app today, there's nothing that should stop them from working...
Not entirely sure I follow... if the G Cloud works with a specific version of Android and a specific version of a PS5 game streaming app today, there's nothing that should stop them from working 10 years from now, even if you couldn't update to the latest and greatest versions at that time. Since it's a standalone gaming device there's no real pressure to keep updating everything, especially if you've got it in a working configuration.
Ah, yes. That is right. If you install speciric veraion of the app manually, it will work. My bad. I was still thinking like "This app cannot be installed on your device" in Google Play...
Ah, yes. That is right. If you install speciric veraion of the app manually, it will work. My bad. I was still thinking like "This app cannot be installed on your device" in Google Play...
I'm skeptical cause my experience of remote play is that it's still very choppy (Even if you are in the same house though much more playable than if you are some where else. But it still is...
I'm skeptical cause my experience of remote play is that it's still very choppy (Even if you are in the same house though much more playable than if you are some where else. But it still is obviously not ideal compared to actually using your PS5).
I would have been interested if they made it a handheld like Vita that could also remote play (long as Sony supported it and it got games. Basically so I knew there were games that would be playable on it as well as bonus easy to remote play with). But honestly, my laptop goes with me everywhere I travel (and anywhere I'd want to remote play from) so it's as simple as bringing a ps5 controller with me to remote play. And remote play is nowhere near good enough that I'd spend hundreds of extra dollars just to be able to do even if I couldn't from my laptop (it was mostly good for getting my dailies done in an mmo. It would be too frustrating to seriously try to play any game from... I mean it's doable for most but still just frustrating enough that it wasn't fun).
I mean sure, I don't have my laptop everywhere I go (just when I travel) but my Switch is good enough for that (and what I mostly play for actual fun/entertainment when I travel. I only used remote play to keep up with dailies in my mmo).
Per the article, the Portal has been the best selling gaming accessory in the US in the past month. Quite impressive for a device for which there has been a lot of skepticism for online. See prior...
Per the article, the Portal has been the best selling gaming accessory in the US in the past month. Quite impressive for a device for which there has been a lot of skepticism for online.
I've enjoyed it for what it is. I know I can remote play on any of my other devices, including my Steam Deck, but I paid for the PS5 controller "feel". Whereas I feel carpal tunnel slowly sneaking...
I've enjoyed it for what it is. I know I can remote play on any of my other devices, including my Steam Deck, but I paid for the PS5 controller "feel". Whereas I feel carpal tunnel slowly sneaking in with the Steam Deck, the PS Portal feels almost as nice as the controllers do.
I haven’t been able to get a clear answer on this: can you connect it and use it as just a second controller for the PS5? It’s too expensive for me otherwise, but if it can also work as a second...
I haven’t been able to get a clear answer on this: can you connect it and use it as just a second controller for the PS5? It’s too expensive for me otherwise, but if it can also work as a second controller in a pinch, and a normal controller is already $70 full price, the price of the Portal gets much more justifiable.
According to this Reddit thread https://www.reddit.com/r/playstation/comments/164gzj0/can_the_ps_portal_be_used_as_an_extra_controller/ Yes, you can use it as a dualsense as well.
Anyone here on Tildes pick one up? When this first was announced, I was very skeptical because you can already do this with a phone controller grip like a Razer Kishi or whatever, or with a Logitech G Cloud, or with a Steam Deck if you did some tinkering. Those solutions also let you stream Game Pass and play native games, unlike the Portal. Thinking now, I really underestimated how decent the $200 price tag is for something "that just works" when all you want is to stream the PS5, not do anything else, when those phone grips are like $100. And I also probably overestimated how many people even know that phone grips exist, or that phones have remote play apps for PS and Xbox.
The Portal would be actually pretty cool if they let you cloud stream PS Plus cloud games on it instead of just stream your own PS5, then it'd be a decent budget PS ecosystem entry option.
There’s also a big chunk of people that will pay an extra $100 to remove a bit of UX jank and add some nice aesthetics.
The full DualSense setup is what's tempting me the most. I play a bunch of games where the haptic resistance in the triggers is a big help, I can't get that with the Steam Deck for example
I have one and I really love it. It is perfect for my use case and like you said it just works!
Yea, I'm seriously considering one too.
We've only got the one TV and I don't want to hog it during prime time. But I also don't always want to watch whatever the rest of the family is watching - nor do I want to disappear to my geek cave.
My current choices are the Switch and Steam Deck, but sometimes I'd like to play something on the PS5 instead.
I know I can get a streaming setup on the Deck, but I have more money than time so ... The Portal is looking pretty tempting =)
This is the reason I stopped playing on my PS3 many years ago - one TV and multiple users.
I have played my fair share on portable devices like PSP, PS Vuta, Switch Lite and somewhere in between also tablet and phone (last two being bad due to missing haptics - it is better to push real buttons instead of tapping on display).
Nowadays I play on Steam Deck while others watch TV. Steam Deck was my choice because I missed many PC games on other consoles (no ports or alternatives). If I had PS5 today, I would probably get Portal to be able to play anywhere in the house anyzime I wanted. I'm no longer a console gamer though...
Don't own one, but it's meant to be used at home in your home wifi with low latency.
BUT there are stories of people using it via public wifi outside of their home. I heard of an anecdote of someone using it on vacation in the UK while their PS5 was in the US.
See, this I don't get with the price they are asking. Why would I pay that much just to play anywhere in my house? It seems way too expensive for the use case they are expecting out of it. And yes, it can be done from other places (just recently I used their remote play app on my computer along with a ps5 controller to remote play my PS5 that was in Washington from where I was in Georgia) but it's not fun cause there is enough control lag to be annoying and make it not fun plus random freezes as connection gets choppy.
I don’t think $200 is all that much for the portal, though. A dual sense is already $70, so for $130 you’re getting a screen, an soc, and custom software support. Seems fine, value wise.
When you take a view on it like this, it is good value.
When you view it like "This is 200 and Steam Deck, which is full PC, is 400", Steam Deck looks like a good value.
I can see both being good viewpoints depending on where the viewer is.
Ok... but for me I'm not caring how much the hardware costs, what is it worth to me for what it does?
I mean obviously there is a market for it cause it seems to be selling, I just don't understand it cause 200 dollars for what it does seems to be a lot to pay just to be able to play away from your tv but in your house (especially as even remote play in my house from my computer seems to still have some random freezes/input lag).
If you either live alone and/or aren't the kind of person who likes to play on their bed or couch, etc. it probably isn't going to appeal to you. But a lot of people have a main TV with which they have to share time - if you have a portal, you can still play on your couch. Some people really like to play games in bed or other non-couch - this a solution to that. Some people like to multitask, and play a game, maybe a RPG or something, while they do something else around the house.
It also doubles as an extra controller. If you ever need two controllers, for, say, local co op or something, you're already in for $70 anyway.
While I do have the tv mostly to myself, I prefer couch play (it's why I love my switch and if a game comes out on it I'm playing on it). And I also multi task (another reason why I love playing on my switch). But I wouldn't play 200 just to do that honestly. The switch also plays games while I'm on an airplane or when I'm travelling.. and yes I know remote play can do that (well not on the plane part) but not well enough that it's not too frustrating to be fun <- I hate input lag and there is input lag. Definitely better than back when I had my vita <- I tried remote play on it and it worked but it is definitely better now but still not good enough that I feel it's playable.
It's mostly useful for being able to get dailies done on my MMO while I'm gone. Hell... it's not even that playable in my own house tbh (it's much better but it's frustrating enough I'd still much rather just play on my playstation). Once again, I'd definitely not want to pay 200 dollars for that kind of experience. I'll just play what games come on my Switch instead. And sure, they run worse on the switch then if I bought the playstation version but here's the thing... for me I can deal with FPS and slightly worse graphics. I really can't deal with input lag or random quick freezes, for me that's way more of a deal killer then frame rate is or worse graphics (which honestly if graphics were that important to me I'd play on PC).
I mean, obviously, there is enough of a market for it. I just completely don't understand it. I guess enough people who want those features that 200 dollars doesn't feel like a big chunk of change. I'd rather use that 200 to save up for the next Switch. More expensive but worth it way more to me.
As to the cost, people just have different levels of income and what they find acceptable to pay. Although, again I'd note that the Portal can be used as a Dualsense instead of a remote player as well, so it doubles as a controller.
If you already wanted to get a second controller for your PS5, that means the incremental charge is only $130 for the ability to use it on your couch. In terms of the delay, that may be more on your network topology. I haven't had any latency issues using remote play on my phone with my PS5, just the normal compression artifacts. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to tell.
That's apples and oranges, no? The Switch and PS5 have little to no overlap in games at this point. Games aren't fungible like that - I'm playing FF7 Rebirth right now, and there's no game in the Switch library I can just "replace" it with - I want to experience FF7 Rebirth, not just generically play a game.
There are dozens of us with only one TV, a family and disposable income :D
I suppose. I just can't understand the functionality of it being worth 200 dollars. Especially if you have a computer that can run their remote play app (which I'd guess these days most homes would have a computer but admittedly I don't know how picky the app is for how up to date a computer you need. But my 11 year old Mac that the last OS that it supported is 2 years old seemed to run it fine).
I was able to play Elden Ring *just fine while staying in a hotel room.
*I'm not sure about the latency or input lag, but I seemed to be dodging stuff just fine.
This YouTube video goes over using it out in public (linked directly to the relevant section)
TLDW; It doesn't have any browser, so it's hard to connect to many free Wi-Fi networks that require you to agree to terms or login. He was able to play by hotspotting with his phone. He goes into trying it at a McDonald's, library, out in public, on a mountain, and discusses trying it on corporate Wi-Fi as well.
I do not have one, but I think I can comment on an advantage of the Playstation Portal over a phone or tablet with a streaming app. Our phones and tablets are filled with dozens of different apps that are all competing for our attention. The Playstation Portal is only Playstation, so you can pick it up and leave your phone in a completely different room if you like.
It's pretty interesting how 10-15 years ago everyone was excited about being able to combine multiple different devices into one multipurpose device that could do everything. Back then, it seemed like physical space and convenience was the most important thing to consumers. Now that everyone is constantly fighting for your attention, consumers seem to want devices that can give you the full online capabilities we expect from modern products and services, but with limited distractions. The Playstation Portal can give consumers the flexibility a steaming app provides, but without the distractions of other notifications.
I picked up a G Cloud when they first came out, which runs Android. But since it's a dedicated gaming device the only apps I have installed on it are the streaming apps for Xbox, Playstation, and Steam, as well as RetroArch for emulation, and the stock OS essentially hides notifications, so there's no competition for attention from other things. It makes a lot more sense for me over the Playstation Portal since I game across so many different platforms. I think dealing with Android as a hub OS is less annoying than having to buy separate dedicated streaming devices for each platform would be.
The thing is that it will stop receiving Android updates one day and with this you will lose your apps for streaming the games. It won't orobably happen with Portal.
Personally I think the opposite is more likely to be the case. Android has an open ecosystem and 3rd party game streaming clients are more likely to be developed and receive support from their devs in perpetuity than a proprietary console peripheral which could lose support each time a new generation of console is released. Look at the PS Vita as an example--it can remote play PS3 and PS4 games, but Sony never added support for PS5 (if you hacked it, you can stream PS5 to it via 3rd party clients).
I don't use the official streaming clients for either Xbox or Playstation streaming to the G Cloud because the 3rd party clients are already far superior.
The thing is that one day devs of the app will stop supporting specific versions of Android. It will come, that is certain. It may be 10 years from now, but it will come. Support of the deviceitself (G Cloud) will come much sooner (no newer Android).
The Portal will not get supoort woth PS6, that is almost certain. But it will very likely work with PS5 10 years from now. Just as PS Vita should work with PS3 even today (I have both but I'm lazy to try).
I'm not alking about future support, but very long time support of current hardware setup (ie. PS5 + G Cloud -> when will it stop working for good? And PS5 + Portal -> when will it stop working for good?).
Not entirely sure I follow... if the G Cloud works with a specific version of Android and a specific version of a PS5 game streaming app today, there's nothing that should stop them from working 10 years from now, even if you couldn't update to the latest and greatest versions at that time. Since it's a standalone gaming device there's no real pressure to keep updating everything, especially if you've got it in a working configuration.
Ah, yes. That is right. If you install speciric veraion of the app manually, it will work. My bad. I was still thinking like "This app cannot be installed on your device" in Google Play...
I'm skeptical cause my experience of remote play is that it's still very choppy (Even if you are in the same house though much more playable than if you are some where else. But it still is obviously not ideal compared to actually using your PS5).
I would have been interested if they made it a handheld like Vita that could also remote play (long as Sony supported it and it got games. Basically so I knew there were games that would be playable on it as well as bonus easy to remote play with). But honestly, my laptop goes with me everywhere I travel (and anywhere I'd want to remote play from) so it's as simple as bringing a ps5 controller with me to remote play. And remote play is nowhere near good enough that I'd spend hundreds of extra dollars just to be able to do even if I couldn't from my laptop (it was mostly good for getting my dailies done in an mmo. It would be too frustrating to seriously try to play any game from... I mean it's doable for most but still just frustrating enough that it wasn't fun).
I mean sure, I don't have my laptop everywhere I go (just when I travel) but my Switch is good enough for that (and what I mostly play for actual fun/entertainment when I travel. I only used remote play to keep up with dailies in my mmo).
Per the article, the Portal has been the best selling gaming accessory in the US in the past month. Quite impressive for a device for which there has been a lot of skepticism for online.
See prior discussion: https://tildes.net/~games/19nr/playstations_first_remote_play_dedicated_device_playstation_portal_remote_player_to_launch_later
I've enjoyed it for what it is. I know I can remote play on any of my other devices, including my Steam Deck, but I paid for the PS5 controller "feel". Whereas I feel carpal tunnel slowly sneaking in with the Steam Deck, the PS Portal feels almost as nice as the controllers do.
I haven’t been able to get a clear answer on this: can you connect it and use it as just a second controller for the PS5? It’s too expensive for me otherwise, but if it can also work as a second controller in a pinch, and a normal controller is already $70 full price, the price of the Portal gets much more justifiable.
According to this Reddit thread https://www.reddit.com/r/playstation/comments/164gzj0/can_the_ps_portal_be_used_as_an_extra_controller/
Yes, you can use it as a dualsense as well.