However, cloud streaming for Portal is in beta, so it is missing several features. Users won't be able to play “streaming games purchased on the PS Store”, only those included in the subscription-dependent premium catalogue, and this is limited to PS5 titles – PS3 and PS4 games are obviously excluded, which is a bit of a bummer. Seems strange.
Game trials are also shut down, as well as some system features, such as party voice chat, 3D audio support, or “in-game commerce”. That last thing is probably a good thing to leave aside for now – the last thing anyone wants is a dropped connection potentially messing up DLC transactions involving real money.
Sony says games can be streamed at 1080p Full HD quality at 60fps, with save data also able to be transferred to the cloud. However “up to” is key – you'll need a minimum of 5Mbps up/download speeds to establish a cloud gaming session, 720p quality requires a minimum of 7Mbps, and 1080p requires 13Mbps. Realistically, based on Portal's own performance on similar game streaming services and even in-home networks, even higher speeds are expected to be required for a viable experience.
End of the console era?
What is particularly interesting here is the timing. The portal as launched was essentially an evolution of remote play The feature is something Sony has been offering in various incarnations for decades – the PSP used an early version of the technology to connect to the PS3 in 2006, followed by the PS Vita with the PS3 and PS4.
Nowadays, almost any device with a screen, an internet connection and a paired controller can use Remote Play to stream a mirror of your PS5 – the Portal was just a dedicated bit of kit to do this. The introduction of cloud gaming may make Portal a little more feature-rich, but it may also point to a growing trend among console manufacturers to leave consoles behind entirely.
Take Sony's arch gaming rival Microsoft – this is the current marketing push Is it almost anything “is an Xbox”. A large part of this relies on accessing Xbox services “with the help of cloud gaming”, turning any device with a screen, an Internet connection, and a paired controller (sound familiar?) into an Xbox.
Meanwhile, Nintendo has allowed some games to launch Change As for cloud titles only, and although this is usually limited to titles that are generally too demanding or too large for the Switch to run natively (such as Resident Evil Village Or Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy), this shows that even the notoriously conservative Japanese company is at least not averse to experimenting with games that exist only in the ether.