Sony has confirmed its portable gaming device PlayStation Portal will continue to expand its features gradually. One of its biggest updates released last month brings cloud streaming to the device.
Sony will make “incremental steps” to expand PS Portal’s capabilities
In a recent interview with GameFile, Sony Interactive Entertainment Vice President of Product Management Hiromi Wakai said the reasoning behind the gradual expansion of the PS Portal’s feature set was to ensure players got the best experience.
“PS Portal was a new type of product for us, so we wanted to be extra careful to ensure our users get the best possible user experience,” said Wakai. “We want to continue that approach with PS Portal, and make incremental steps based on community reception on the beta.”
The streaming device’s technical performance seems doubly important due to the player base of the device. According to Wakai, owners of the portable streaming device tend to play games more often than those who do not own the device.
“Players who own a PS Portal tend to spend more time playing games than those who don’t,” said Wakai. “Of course, it’s likely that users who purchase PS Portal were naturally more engaged in the first place, however, our data shows that PS Portal owners tend to spend more time playing games compared to non-owners.”
In the same interview, Sony’s data says that the device’s usage peaks around 9 p.m., an hour later than the PS5’s peak hour. They believe players are continuing their gaming session from the TV to the device rather than just shutting off the console and calling it a day.
The PS Portal launched a little over a year ago. While there was skepticism, the device has performed well. According to PlayStation boss Hideaki Nishino, the device’s sales have been a “huge success” for the gaming giant. When speaking with BBC, Nishino also said, “We’re always exploring various options for how players can play games.”
(Source: GameFile)