Sony has announced a new PS Portal firmware update will roll out worldwide starting today that adds a new graphical option to improve visuals, and a refinement of the cloud streaming experience.
Having downloaded the system patch, the PS Portal will have access to a new 1080p High Quality mode. This lets PS5 games look better on the handheld device, prioritising "a smooth and high-fidelity experience". Titles will run at a higher bitrate compared to the 1080p Standard mode to achieve the effect.
From the Quick Menu, you'll want to select the Max Resolution setting and then pick 1080p High Quality.

As for the cloud streaming feature on PS Portal, it too has been improved in this firmware update. From the PS Blog post, you can expect the following:
- Improved Product Detail Page
- When you select “Stream” on the product detail pages of game bundles, a new UI will show up, allowing you to select a specific game to play from that bundle.
- Game Invite
- If you’re actively streaming a supported title and receive game invites, you’ll now see a clear on-screen notification on PS Portal, ensuring you never miss an invitation while playing.
- Enhanced Trophy notifications
- Trophy notifications now clearly display the trophy name and associated image when unlocked. Platinum trophies will also feature their special animation, bringing greater visibility and celebration to your achievements.
- Improved Search screen
- The search interface has been refined for a smoother experience, such as the On Screen Keyboard display being available immediately when going into search.

Sony reveals it continues to see "strong momentum" for PS Portal. Over 50% of PS Portal users subscribe to PS Plus Premium to access the cloud streaming feature, and monthly users of it have grown 162% year-over-year in January.
Will you make use of the new 1080p High Quality mode on PS Portal? Tell us in the comments below.
[source blog.playstation.com]





Comments 62
This device has become a crazy win for Sony.
I don't feel I need a new Sony handheld, the portal is awesome.
Higher bitrate was needed though, excited to try this out later.
@chatbot I wonder if they'll do both a new PS Portal and the PS6 handheld, or if that's going to be confusing.
Feels like they'll occupy different needs though.
i`m really thinking of buying a portal recently
@get2sammyb My hope is the Portal has full compatibility with PS6. I feel like people would understandably throw a fit if they made you upgrade the Portal, too.
I wonder whether this eliminates the issues I had with remote play. Higher bitrate should help. For some reason, I had a much more stable resolution with streaming as opposed to remote play despite very strong wireless signal and a hardwired PS5.
PSVR2 & Portal will definitely be compatible with PS6 moving forward. I believe Sony made these devices premium and scalable for that reason.
Strange to me that it’s such a low percentage with Premium. Being able to stream all your games to Portal is pretty much essential. I’ve found local streaming from the console is inferior to cloud streaming also.
@Mio_Nakashima
As great as PSVR2 is (and it’s fantastic) I hope Sony release a 3 next gen. VR tech is just improving so fast compared to standard consoles - and VR2 wasn’t exactly using top components at release.
This thing just keeps getting better! Can't wait to see what they have in store for a revision as good as the portal is now!
Input delay and reliability of a stable screen, as well as issues connecting between 2.4ghz/5ghz made this a device that was really well built but not technically stable enough to keep unfortunately
Heavy days for Sony hardware user. Great job here.
Great news! I hope that audio latency is reduced. The significant delay between video and audio is the most annoying aspect for me.
I don’t have one of these (it’s worthless to me, why would I ever use this when my 77” 4K 144hz OLED and PS5 Pro are sitting right here), but I thought it was already a 1080p device?
@Balaam_ The image shows that there are three modes now: 720p, 1080p Standard (today’s standard) and 1080p High Quality.
Recently been cloud streaming Still Wakes the Deep and High on Life on the Portal with the current 1080p setting and that's enough for me with no lag.
Interesting. Gona dust it off boot up Avatar head straight for the foliage >
I like this thing. A lot. It’s perfect when the child is watching something and I want to get a few minutes of gaming in. I really wish the latency was better though. I have good WiFi in my house too. Playing CO33 was difficult hitting parrys and same w Nioh. But that’s pretty much my only gripe with it. It’s not unplayable by any means. It just plays ever so slightly different because of that vs console.
@SlimeRyu the band switching renders it broken. Have to split ssid on my router I'd like to know why no band select option on portal, very strange carry on got to be some reason?!
What time is the patch in UK?
Loving rhe updates for pro and portal that are coming. Just need to be able to stream my ps4 collection next and I will be super happy.
Really solid updates to an already brilliant device.
@Balaam_ It's an increased bitrate for a sharper final image still at 1080p
Sony is on a roll with these firmware updates! 💪🏼
@4fold VR2 holds its own even after competitors have released minuscule updates for their products. The sense controllers, sense haptics, headset rumble, eye tracking and foveated rendering are still ahead of the competition while remaining affordable to the average punter. The PS5 Pro significantly boosts the graphical output to PSVR2, so PS6 should take it into the next gen just fine.
Still a brick on an aeroplane....
Bring on the PS6 handheld!
Genuinely one of my favourite devices, such a solid bit of kit.
@4fold Hopefully they do carry on with PSVR as the devices may not be mass market, but they are still good to have around. I use mine far less then I should, but I also don't regret the purchase at all.
In a generation where people complain about innovation I find it crazy that they ignore PSVR, Dualsense, Portal and now PSSR as they just don't class them as proper innovation. Personally I feel like they have all elevated the brand a lot this gen.
I’ve been using mine a lot more recently. My only real gripe now is that PS4 games can’t be streamed. But streaming PS5 games is a charm. Sitting at the dentist a few weeks ago and it was a great little distraction.
@Balaam_ We know what you're really saying is why would anyone need one of these.
Obviously a TV setup is best but sometimes when the wife and kids want to watch a film or be in the same room together, the Portal allows me to continue to dabble in some games that aren't suitable for them.
Can’t wait for the OLED Portal
I hope that in enabling the high quality mode they made the connection algorithms more efficient, as, for reasons I can't really understand, my experience streaming from my PS5 has always been very poor. I've returned two devices since its release - but I'm willing to try again!
So this is just for cloud streaming, right? There is no improvements when using the PS5 to stream games.
@get2sammyb Its inevitable they do a full power PS6 handheld with a 120hz screen. I hope it has a dock too cause i have no need for a supper powerful PS6 i rather have a switch style system for my setup. My PC is full power. But it makes sense from a PlayStation plus premium marketing standpoint to have a portal option They need a $50 OLED option $249 for an OLED version especially now with the increased bit-rate.
@BloodyBlact If you have a Pro im sure the games will look even better that have PSSR 2.0. And the streaming bit-rate is already a lot higher streaming from the console.
@lazymike I got one off eBay for $80. Works flawlessly.
Next update: You can connect a DualSense via Bluetooth to your PS Portal and your PS Portal via a USB-C/HDMI cable to your TV, so you have a complete streaming solution for PS Plus Premium.
No, seriously: A PlayStation Remote Play app for smart TVs would be great!
I'm so happy that I didn't buy Space Marine ....
And yet I still have to completely log out of my partner's PSN session and do a full log in into my own, when I simply want to change the user account. How is this still an issue on the Portal when it's so simple on the PS5? Does Sony think each Portal has only one user? It's still a gimped experience.
I only ever really use mine on holidays but this is a nice update for a great bit of kit.
@Mio_Nakashima
The lenses and weight need to be improved before it can become more mainstream. The controllers are good but they need straps and to reduce the size of the halos. Other than that, sure it’s ahead, but people aren’t going to experience the transformative wonder of VR until they ease lens alignment and the form factor is improved.
I suspect they are readying portal to be compatible with PS6 in someway. It’s been a bigger hit than I think Sony were expecting
@lazymike I was very much on the fence about it but pulled the trigger last month on one. The cloud streaming is amazing, much better than I expected. You get used to the portal in your hand very quickly and feel very much like a PS5 controller. I do not regret my purchase.
@get2sammyb I totally agree, the best thing Sony has done all generation. I'm a fan of my day one purchase of Portal. I've been screaming about how much of an incredible value Sony's portal is. You can play your digital PS4 + PS5 games. It's going to be sad, when Sony kills it when the PS6 comes out, because god forbid you can use it on PS6. (I hope I'm wrong)
Cloud gaming its trash and always will be
Should have had a higher bitrate from the start. It released undercooked.
NVIDIA have been setting the standard for cloud streaming for years, such that their Ultimate tier is in a lot of cases better than playing natively on a PS5 Pro.
I wouldn't expect Sony to quite match that quality, but c'mon, launching 5 years behind the curve was not acceptable.
The Portal is a great device though. Desktop/home console graphics quality in a handheld, and with none of the weight, heat, battery and cost issues of a regular handheld.
The problem is that they've shot themselves in the foot with the leaks about an OLED model. Otherwise more people would be rushing out to get one.
6PM still no update 😬
I'm now looking into one because my PS5 is on the main TV and I don't get a edge in to play this would be awesome
I just read no update til tomorrow this side of the pond have to wait.
This is a welcome update with this and Switch 2 boost mode my hand held experience has got a hell of a lot better
@LiamCroft I am in the UK and run all updates and not seeing anything he option for this at all?
I’m not seeing this option in the UK on my portal and Ive downloaded all the updates
It's not good till we get dual screen support. Otherwise minor benefits but nothing exciting here.
Also 720/1080p streaming, Vita had remote play 540p/360p (it's not the resolution that matters it's the way they reworked the app for excuses for only streaming and not remote play resolution, only cloud resolution, why? This is inexcusable).
Without the need for streaming, why is Sony gating a feature Vita had in it's app, and Portal doesn't in it's base experience? You aren't changing the resolution for PS5 from 480p to 4K to effect the Portal. So where is the resolution features for the base experience you hypocrites?
Or can someone tell me how to change the resolution target (so it isn't an auto resolution bouncing excuse experience for the device) for PS Portal? If it is even an option? No one seems to mention it anywhere.
@4fold There maybe a time in future when VR becomes mainstream, only if it ever gets to the point where it's as easy as wearing a pair of sunglasses. For the time being it will definitely remain a niche for the hard core enthusiast.
@Javafriek just ended buying one this morning on my way to work, still had no chance to try it but it looks and feels amazing
@FishDude just bought one, for 80$ it was an amazing deal, i wasn`t this lucky unfortunately haha
Anyone else been using their steam deck as a portal alternative? I’ve been having fun and it works well, the steam deck has been using the high bandwidth 1080p for a while (to the deck screen of 720p), which looks great. However no cloud stream native I dont believe, so that’s a plus for the portal.
Recently I’ve been using streaming with game demos recently on my ps5 and they have improved things dramatically since a few years ago. The visuals look great, it’s smooth and loading doesn’t take too long. Give it a go!
@Propaperpusher
I think it depends on the ps6 controller. If it has new features Sony want to push in their games then they’ll release a new one, but if not then it’s in their financial interests to keep portals active as it leads to people playing more games and so spending more money.
I do most of my gaming on my Pro/PSVR2 in my den early in the morning before work but later in the day once everyone else is up and about I tend to game on the Portal in my living room.
Streaming works equally through my PS5 and over the internet. I tend to stream from my console but it’s nice to have the internet as an option when one of my kids and/or their friends is playing my console. Also it’s nice I can stream games I own but haven’t downloaded.
Got the download about 40 mins ago (I'm in the UK). I'm one of the 'other' Portal owners that doesn't have any PS+ sub at the minute. I would be convinced to get Premium once I can stream the majority of my PS4 digital games not just my PS5. I have a large PS4 backlog and my use case is generally sitting on the couch with the Portal, so Remote Play instead of streaming is a good option for me.
Anyway, the update for Remote Play seems to work very well, putting games on the new Max resolution setting.
I've had a quick check at a couple of games from different ends of the spectrum that I play: Sky Force Anniversary (PS4 game) and Immortals of Aveum. I chose the latter as it was one of the first games I almost completely played on the Portal, and recall having some stuttering and graphical issues. That got fixed in a previous update, but thought I'd see how shiny it looked now.
TBH, both games looked great and I noted the latency didn't go above 3 (pre-update it fluctuated around 2).
I'm half kicking myself for not getting PS+ Premium during the lunar year sale, as I am tempted to try streaming outside the house. Perhaps next time!
TLDR; I'm still happy with the Portal for how I use it
I was happy enough with the Portal when it first came out. But update after update and it gets better and better. Possibly Sony's best achievement this gen (or last)
"1080p High Quality mode"
Is that some kind of 5G flex I'm too Eastern European to understand?
Avatar is lookin bleedin whopper man 😙 I dunno any other dynamic landscape that tests the PSP resolve quite like it and higher bitrate responding quite well now. Probs in conjunction with the new pssr toggle so back exclusively on portal for the meantime 💥 free the TV up again
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