It's not playing games from the Cloud. The game is running on the PS5 and it streams to the device.

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/05/ps5s-streaming-handheld-ps-portal-is-proving-a-huge-hit

Back when the PS Portal was rumoured and subsequently announced, social media was filled with armchair executives deeming the device to be a disaster. As it turns out, Sony understands the market better than many people think, and its PS5 streaming handheld has become a lynchpin of its new-gen console’s overall experience. According to Circana statistics, the unit was once again the best-selling video game accessory in the United States for the month of April. It’s also the best-selling accessory of 2024 to date.

A great product at the mercy of your Internet connection

It’s worth noting that this data is determined by dollar sales, and with a $199.99 price point attached, the PS Portal does have an advantage over other items like the much cheaper DualSense. However, there are other pricey items in the same category, like the premium pro controller DualSense Edge or the various PlayStation branded headphones, all of which are being handily outsold by the portable platform.

Sony has reiterated on multiple occasions that the PS Portal has exceeded its expectations, and given this level of success, we’d expect future consoles to improve massively on the concept. Many feel the Japanese giant would be better served creating a dedicated handheld like the PS Vita, but if it can continue to iterate on its streaming solution, we think Remote Play can plug the gap without demanding additional development resources.

Seems to be a much bigger hit than anyone anticipated. I think a lot of it has to do with the price point. $200, the same price as a DualSense Edge and almost the same price as an Xbox Elite Controller. Meanwhile, the dedicated handhelds that come out like the Steam Deck cost more than double, and the performance isn't that great. Yes, the Portal relies on internet, but in this internet age we're in, where every time you log into your PC or console, you're using the internet anyway. So what do you think, SW? Is the PS Portal a winner? Will we see more iterations of it down the road from Sony? I think so. If they can improve the features, like having a direction connection to the PS6, that would be a big help. Or just improve the performance overall.

oh snap?

Japan > Australia for vacation

yup, TC should just take the L on this one.. isn't he an English teacher too??

Damn, this better be mostly games lol

With the exception of a couple people in this thread, most of the people here have never expressed interest in PSVR 2. I doubt lowering the price would somehow change that.

You sure make it sound that way lol

Are you happy that square can now finally recoup expenses and make profit on their game or do you think PS5 should hang on to it despite lackluster sales because it scores you feel good points

Makes sense, the vast majority of their single player game sales are on console. So there isn’t really much pressure to put it on PC Day 1. Instead, they know the PC people are used to waiting anyway, so they’ll play it eventually. And if they want to play it sooner? Get is on PS5!

Ouch, Cup just got rekt!