Sony is releasing a Japan-only Sony PlayStation Portal with internal storage and a 1080p LCD screen. The device still centers on remote access to a PS5, but the extra storage changes a streaming-focused handheld that had been built around one job. In Japan, it will cost 39,980 yen, or about $252.
Sony and 39,980 yen
The new model keeps the same 1080p LCD screen as the global version, so buyers are not getting a display upgrade. They are getting a region-locked handheld in Midnight Black with built-in storage at the same 39,980 yen price Sony is charging in Japan.
That price matters because the PlayStation Portal originally reached the market as a streaming-only device for PS5 owners at $199.99. Sony later added cloud gaming support, which means the handheld is no longer limited to people who own a console.
PlayStation Portal storage
Sony says the device includes internal storage “with an eye towards future functionality.” That wording points to something more than a place to save a few settings or files, because the Portal is still built around remote play over the same Wi-Fi network as the console.
For now, the practical change is narrow. Japanese buyers get a Portal that looks and works like the original on the surface, but carries hardware that suggests Sony wants room to expand what the device can do later.
PS Plus Premium access
The cloud gaming addition also changes who can use the device, because any game with PS Plus cloud support is available to people with a PS Plus Premium subscription. That subscription costs $159.99 a year, so the Portal’s audience now includes more than just PS5 owners who want a remote-play screen.
The unresolved part is the storage itself. Sony has not said what future functionality the built-in memory will support, so buyers in Japan know the price and the hardware change, but not the feature set the company is preparing next.
