It’s no secret that Stuff isn’t exactly a big fan of PlayStation’s latest cash grab, the Portal. We called it a “good way to throw away $200” back when PlayStation had only just titled the thing and a dollar value was all we had to work with. That’s just changed. We now have a South African price to point to and laugh at, along with an official release date for the shelf packers to look forward to – 21 February 2024.
Portal to bankruptcy
Once it’s sat on those shelves, it’ll require a sacrifice of R5,500 to take it home with you. For something that’s not even allowed to call itself a “console” (it’s technically a “Remote Play dedicated device”), we aren’t what you might call pleased. Not that it matters. We’ll be keeping our wallets far away from the device that needs a half-decent internet connection (PlayStation recommends at least 15Mbps) and an unused PS5 in the vicinity to get going. But thanks for trying, PlayStation.
If that’s news to you, you might want to reconsider that pre-order. PlayStation might be banking on customers confusing the Portal’s slight stature with something like the Nintendo Switch. We’re not saying the company is actively trying to trick shoppers, but we’re also not saying that PlayStation has done a great job of marketing what this thing is meant for – a “Remote Play dedicated device”. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that it’s posing as a handheld console.
It’s got the makings of a decent handheld console too, which makes it all the more frustrating. It’s rocking an 8in LCD display, two halves of a DualSense controller attached to either end and 60fps capabilities. The only thing it’s missing is the ability to process all of that on board. All the important stuff, besides the battery, is being handled by a nearby PS5 and your home’s router.
If you skipped ahead or just aren’t deterred by the Portal’s odd nature, you can pre-order the device now.
Finding the Pulse
The Portal isn’t getting all of the glory come 21 February. It’ll be sharing its South African launch with two of Sony’s other products – the Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore – two pairs of audio headsets that were announced alongside the Portal back in August.
It’s a little more difficult to be upset with the Pulse headsets. Sure, they’ll set customers back R3,500 and R5,000 for the Elite and Explore respectively, but there’s no confusion as to what job they’ll be pulling off. Hook them up to a PS5 and some sound should come out. Good sound too, if Sony’s promises of “custom-designed planar magnetic drivers for an audiophile-level listening experience normally found in premium headphones for professional sound engineers” are true.
We’re rather keen to give both a go, thanks to PlayStation’s introduction of “PlayStation Link” – a new wireless audio technology that provides low latency, lossless audio, and the ability to quickly hop between devices. At the moment, the only two devices you’ll be swapping quickly between are the PS5 and Portal with the help of a dongle.
Until the 21 February South African release, we’ll be reserving judgment on Sony’s latest audio efforts. If they’re anything like the WH-1000XM5 or WF-1000XM5, we’ll be happy campers. If you’ve got enough blind faith both the Elite and Explore are available for pre-order right now.