The PlayStation Portal has been out for a while at this point, and while some people may still be left longing for a proper standalone PlayStation console in 2024, the closest we have is the Portal. Sony has now announced some good news for any user of the remote play device – a software update is on the way.
Officially dubbed the ‘PlayStation Portal remote player’, this device is designed to bring the console gaming experience to you on the go via your PS5’s remote play functionality. A new software update is rolling out tomorrow, June 19th, bringing further sign-in screen support, new visual feedback, and UI tweaks.
What does the new update bring?
As we can see from the official PlayStation blog post, there are three key changes coming to the PS Portal. These are listed as follows:
- Sign-in screen support for select public Wi-Fi networks
- New visual feedback for touchpad areas
- Display battery level in percentage
New sign-in screen is the biggest change
Perhaps the biggest change is the new sign-in screen, which is designed to interact with public Wi-Fi networks. The image below demonstrates how this will look. Since the Portal is designed for gaming on the go, Sony has made it easier to interact with public networks that have extra steps to secure a connection. The new sign-in screen features a QR code to scan with your smartphone or tablet, securing a connection on the Portal without any extra hassle.
As for the other two changes, we can gloss over these pretty quickly. The ‘new visual feedback’ refers to enhanced feedback for the touchpad. The 8-inch screen on the PS Portal features some touchpad areas which now display additional effects, showing exactly where your touch is being registered. Finally, the battery level can now be displayed in a percentage – pretty self-explanatory, and much more precise than the 3-bar system.
