Summary
ThePS5 Prowas finally released last week and unlike the base version of the console, demand for PlayStation’s mid-gen refreshisn’t so in demand that it has sold out everywhere immediately. Perhaps evidence that the console improves how your games will look on thePlayStation Portalwill convince a few more of you to drop $700 on the newest version of the PS5.
PlayStation released the Portal in 2023 and despite being quite heavily criticized, it sold out everywhere almost immediately which is something the Pro cann’t claim. You might have assumed since all the Portal does is let you play your PS5 games handheld and remotely on its small 1080p screen, it wouldn’t make a difference whether it’s tethered to a regular PS5 or a PS5 Pro. Games potentially looking better on the device is certainly nothing that occurred to me.
Turns outthe 55 games that have been given a visual boostby the PS5 Pro look a little bit better on the Portal too, provided the Portal is playing those games remotely via a Pro, of course. Nick Marseil shared the Portal runningFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthremotely from their PS5 Pro, noting visual improvements, a more stable framerate, and even better latency, and some Pro and Portal owners in the replies have backed them up.
Some Of The PS5 Pro’s Enhancements Can Be Extended To The Portal
It’s Not Just A Placebo Effect
Others are a little skeptical, however, claiming that it’s likely just a placebo effect. Turns out it might be a little of both. The tech experts at Digital Foundry have confirmed that since all the Portal does is receive and then decode whatever it’s being sent by the console it’s connected to, then yes, there almost certainly are some visual improvements. While the resolution won’t be as good, the visual enhancements provided via the Pro’s ray tracing and PSSR technology will be visible when playing on the Portal.
What wasn’t confirmed by Digital Foundry in the video above since it was recorded slightly before the Pro was released was whether the Portal really does have lower latency when working with a Pro. While the higher image quality will be a given, improved latency will have required additional work on PlayStation’s end. It’s possible that the difference in latency Portal users have noticed while playing on the handheld device via a PS5 Pro is the real deal, but it’s also possible that part of the improvements they’re seeing is a placebo effect.
PlayStation 5 Pro
With the PlayStation®5 Pro console, the world’s greatest game creators can enhance their games with incredible features like advanced ray tracing, super sharp image clarity for your 4K TV, and high frame rate gameplay*. That means you get to play PS5® games with the most impressive visuals ever possible on a PlayStation® console.
PlayStation Portal
The PlayStation Portal is a handheld companion to Sony’s PlayStation 5 console. Based around the features of a DualSense controller and Remote Play, it features an eight-inch LCD screen at 1080p resolution capable of 60fps, a headphone jack for wired audio.
