PS Portal

The PlayStation Portal is almost upon us, sort of marking the return to the handheld gaming market for Sony. We were lucky enough to get our hands on a unit on the run-up to its November 15th release date to take our PlayStation 5 experience on the go. However, before we turn on this new device for the first time, we're here to walk you through the unboxing experience, and our initial impressions on that design.

Sony has kept things relatively simple here, with an interior cardboard box sliding out of its printed sleeve, and within that is your Portal with a wrapping around it, along with some instructions and a double-ended USB-C charging cable.

The first thing you'll be struck by with the Portal is its size. With a 8-inch LCD screen, the Portal has DualSense grips either side, entirely keeping the form and feel of the PS5 controller. Put this thing side by side with other handheld devices, it really shows how big it is — it's even a similar size to the Steam Deck. You can see some video comparison in our unboxing over on the Push Square YouTube channel.

Minus the touchpad, you can find all the buttons and features you would with a regular DualSense here with the mute and home button reallocated to the top left and right of the screen. Along the top of the screen are your speakers, and just slighty behind that the power, pairing, and volume buttons. Tucked behind the screen is your USB charging slot and the 3.5mm audio jack.

When considering the form-factor, the Portal can look a little odd at times, but more important than the look is the feel. Devices like the Nintendo Switch and even the Backbone One can be pretty uncomfortable after any serious amount of time. From our limited experience, the Portal will likely go down as one of the most comfortable handheld devices on the market.

For now, we can only comment on the design and feel of the console in-hand, so keep an eye on the site for our full review closer to the Portal's launch. Suffice to say, though, we were pleasantly surprised by the build quality and size of the Portal, and we can't wait to see it in action.

Are you thinking of picking up the PS Portal? Let us know down in the comments below.