The PlayStation Portal is getting a couple of modest features it should have had in the first place. Sony announced on its PlayStation Blog that a software update for its handheld remote player will allow users to connect their devices to public Wi-Fi networks that require sign-in, like free ones found at hotels and cafes.
Also in this update are new visual cues when you tap or swipe the emulated touchpad areas on the Portal’s screen and the option to see a battery percentage indicator in the top-right status bar. Up until now, the battery level was only indicated by some fairly vague bars, and the actual battery percentage number only shows when the Portal is fully turned off and charging.
Just as the PlayStation Portal is useless on its own (you also need your PlayStation 5 to Remote Play the games from), the new Wi-Fi sign-in won’t work without a second device. Sony indicates the Portal will generate an onscreen QR code to scan with your phone to sign in to those public networks. But hey, it’s better than being stuck at a Target while you wait for your prescription to be filled and not being able to get in a round of Helldivers 2.
The thought of playing an online shooter like that on public Wi-Fi may sound like a lag nightmare, but Sony’s blog post also shed some light on the games people are playing on the Portal — and it includes twitchy multiplayer games like Fortnite and Rocket League in addition to PlayStation first-party staples like God of War Ragnarök and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
The PlayStation Blog also vaguely alluded to the Portal being a surprise hit, though no sales numbers were indicated. This new public Wi-Fi feature update is likely in response to users taking their Portals outside of the home networks the handhelds were designed to be used on. Additionally, the blog post claims that Portal owners are often discovering Remote Play for the first time and that their overall PS5 game time increased within the first couple of months of Portal ownership.
That sounds to me like there’s some validity to the Portal’s unofficial moniker as the “ParentStation” / “DadStation” (since freeing up the family TV for the kids makes it easier to get back to a long-dormant PS5). It’s also just further proof that handhelds really are so hot right now — everybody wants them.