The PlayStation Portal has been my favorite PS5 accessory since it launched here are 8 ways Sony could make a new version even better

Date:
Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Description:
Im a huge fan of the PlayStation Portal, but I think a newer version could make it even better. Here are the upgrades in a new model Id love to see.

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The PlayStation Portal has really come into its own with the late-2024 update to fully enable cloud streaming (for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers), but its had a very dedicated fanbase ever since it was revealed.

Even as a fresh remote play-focused handheld in late 2023, I was fully in on the device, and I couldnt wait to test, review, and fully adopt the Portal
and make it part of my setup.

Thats still the case today, and I simply couldnt be without it, especially given that my main platform is PlayStation 5 (by a long way), and the handhelds DualSense shape and ergonomic design are perfect for my different hands (more context on that both when I saw the PlayStation Access controller , and then reviewed it ).

However, in the more than two years Ive had it, Ive never stopped thinking about how it could be improved and refined even more to offer an even better remote-play and cloud-streaming experience. Plus, after I recently wrote
about the super-slow charging of the PlayStation Portal over an extended holiday, I really got thinking about what Id want to see in a new version of the accessory.

So, I present you with my wishlist for a PlayStation Portal 2, for lack of a better term. This wishlist keeps the remote-play and growing cloud-streaming abilities at the core of a next-gen Portal were not jumping into native-playing handheld games-console territory and highlights a few things that I think could really enhance it.

Do you agree with these? What would you like to see in a second PlayStation Portal? Let me know in the comments! Up the power with a new battery and fast charging (Image credit: Future)

After dealing with the limitations of the Portals current charging times and battery capacity over the holidays at the end of last year , this had to be the first thing on my list.

I think you could probably get away with a similar-capacity battery in a new model, but it simply has to have faster charging to enable folks like me to know that their Portal is going to be all juiced up and ready to go in super-quick time, rather than having to plan extended charging sessions.

However, having said that, it's probably safe to assume and hope that with one comes the other, so a bigger battery would certainly be welcome too.
While I always seem to have enough for my play sessions, raising the ceiling further would only be a good thing. Plus, there are some other things on this list that will increase the demand on the battery, so itll be sensible in
that regard, too. A new screen to make games shine (Image credit: Future)

An enhanced screen is something the Portal community always shouts about when talk of a new model comes around.

Ill refrain from just flat-out demanding an OLED screen here the demand on the battery could be massive, even if the battery got a boost too but even something akin to the Switch 2s Vivid LCD would be welcome.

Nintendos upgraded handheld screen has shown that 1080p handhelds in modern times dont have to jump straight to OLED panels to see an upgrade. And that upgrade is tangible in more than one way: games look nicer for sure, with better picture quality, richer colors, and nicer contrasts, but it also has a higher refresh rate, allowing for higher frame rates. Bring in Bluetooth
audio (Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)

Another of the communitys most-requested features in any future updates to this model or a new Portal is the inclusion of Bluetooth pairing for headphones or earbuds.

Part of me can kind of see why Sony wanted to limit the wireless connections to its own proprietary PlayStation Link, but the other part of me still feels that decision is a bit mean, and basically unnecessary let the people use their own audio solutions, which would likely include many Sony and PlayStation products too.

With folks already shelling out for the Portal itself and maybe even the top-tier of PS Plus on top of that it feels a bit stingy to close off the audio possibilities. Fans have sort of found ways around this anyway with third-party Bluetooth adapters though I much prefer to use my Pulse Explore earbuds with the Portal but official support for Bluetooth would be a huge plus for a future Portal 2 in my view. Whip up more Wi-Fi (Image credit: Netgear)

With so much of the Portals functionality at the mercy of external internet and connection factors, it seems sensible for a new model to put the very
best option possible onboard. This would ensure that any Portal 2 is best equipped within itself to offer the strongest and most stable internet connection, no matter how close to Sonys minimum your internet connection might be externally.

Thus, boosting the current Portals onboard Wi-Fi 5 hardware to at least Wi-Fi 6, but preferably Wi-Fi 7, on any newer model would make for a welcome upgrade. Insert some more intuitive controls (Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

The biggest improvement Id like to see on the button and input front is a better replacement for the DualSense touchpad. To be frank, Ive never had a huge problem with double-tapping the Portals touchscreen, but it still doesnt feel elegant or work 100% of the time.

A neatly placed dedicated button, which may even have some touch-sensitive tech like the Apple iPhone camera button, and which can be used for things like swiping up on the touchpad, would be excellent. To my eye, theres space on the Portal as it stands for something like that but then again, I dont design these things

Elsewhere, Id enjoy seeing a rethink of the power, volume, and PS Link
buttons on the top of the current Portal. They function fine, but it would be great if they were easier to reach and nicer to interact with.

In fact, while Im wishing for things, adding microswitch buttons to every appropriate face button and shoulder button, and upgrading the thumbsticks with Hall Effect or the newer Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) tech, as we see on some premium PS5 controllers, would be some serious icing on this
cake. Though I wouldn't hold my breath on this, given we don't see this on
any of Sony's own DualSense controllers. More seamless menu integrations (Image credit: Sony/PlayStation)

A bit more to do with software than hardware here, and while the update at
the end of 2024 did give the menus and interface a welcome overhaul , theres something not quite right about the current integration of certain PS5 features and notifications on the Portal right now, especially when cloud-streaming games.

Trophies are a good example of this, as when I earn one while cloud
streaming, all I see is a Silver trophy earned! notification, rather than the usual graphic and description combo we all know and love. This feels like it needs refining.

It would also be great if we got a rejig of functions like party settings and other such core controls, so that they were closer to hand in both modes, making it easier to change settings when streaming, without having to go back into the PS5s open settings when remote playing. Give me some official accessories (Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

Another one thats less hardware or onboard software-related, but theres definitely an opportunity with a new Portal for Sony to embrace the opportunity to fully adorn it with official accessories and goodies.

The obvious candidates are official screen protectors and carry cases, made
to precise measurements and exacting standards to ensure protection for your Portal when youre taking it out and about but also with enough storage room for the companion earbuds, of course.

Id also extend this to official grips and thumbstick covers , too - which I'm a huge fan of using elsewhere - given that the Portal, while based on a DualSense, doesnt have exactly the same measurements and details to make accessories interchangeable. As someone who benefits from these greatly, official items like them are something Id be all over. Bring cloud streaming to more PS Plus tiers (Image credit: Sony)

Again, this isnt something thats strictly tied to the device itself, but opening up the cloud streaming ability to a vast number of players would be a heck of a way to launch a new Portal, wouldnt it?

Id love to see the numbers of members on each level of subscription, but Im guessing that Premium may have the smallest membership, and despite folks paying more for the top tier for the pleasure of cloud streaming, if Sony opened this feature up to even the Extra tier, there would be huge numbers of folks adopting the Portal, Id wager.

As an extension of this, if the ability to stream my own games could be extended at the same time to include literally all of my own games, that
would be fantastic too.

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