Previously codenamed Project Q during its first reveal in May, Sony has now revealed more information about its upcoming PlayStation handheld that launches later this year for 199.99 USD | 219.99 EURO | 199.99 GBP | 29,980 YEN. The device will be a dedicated remote player for the PS5, and it is referred to as PlayStation Portal remote player.
PlayStation Portal remote player is an 8-inch handheld device with an LCD display that supports up to 1080p resolution at 60fps. It is useful for households where there is only one TV available to play PS5 games or in a situation where players just want to be alone in another room enjoying their favourite games.
“PlayStation Portal will connect remotely to your PS5 over Wi-Fi**, so you’ll be able to swiftly jump from playing on your PS5 to your PlayStation Portal,” Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President of platform experience at Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) shared in a PlayStation blog post. “PlayStation Portal can play supported games that are installed on your PS5 console and use the Dualsense controller. It also includes a 3.5mm audio jack for wired audio. PS VR2 games, which require the headset, and games that are streamed through PlayStation Plus Premium’s cloud streaming, are not supported.***”
Sony did not provide an exact launch date yet but promised to share more details soon when pre-orders for the device will go live.
Sony also unveiled its latest wireless headset and earbuds, the Pulse Elite and the Pulse Explore. According to Sony:
- Pulse Elite is our new wireless headset that offers lossless audio and comes with a retractable boom mic and AI-enhanced noise rejection capable of filtering background sounds. A charging hanger is also included with the product for a convenient charging and storage option.
- Pulse Explore is our first set of wireless earbuds, providing a premium portable audio experience with dual microphones and AI-enhanced noise rejection capable of filtering background sounds. It also offers lossless audio and comes with a charging case.
Sony says its new Pulse Elite wireless headset and the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds will be the first audio devices from PlayStation to use custom-designed planar magnetic drivers “for an audiophile-level listening experience normally found in premium headphones for professional sound engineers.” Pulse Elite will be available for 149.99 USD | 149.99 EURO | 129.99 GBP | 18,980 YEN and Pulse Explore will be available for 199.99 USD | 219.99 EURO | 199.99 GBP | 29,980 YEN. Pre-order and launch details will also be provided soon.
The new wireless headset and wireless earbuds connect directly to the PlayStation Portal via a new technology called PlayStation Link. Sony says this technology enables low latency, lossless audio, and seamless switching between multiple PlayStation Link hosts (i.e. PS5 with USB adapter and PlayStation Portal).
“Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore can simultaneously connect to a PlayStation Link supported device (PS5, PC, Mac, or PlayStation Portal) and a Bluetooth supported device,” Nishino added. “For example, Pulse Explore can be connected to PS5 (via the USB adapter) using PlayStation Link and also to a mobile phone through Bluetooth at the same time. While playing on PS5, gamers can instantly answer a call and hear it through the same Pulse Explore earbuds.”
