Sony’s new PlayStation Portal handheld includes ‘additional’ internal storage

If you play PlayStation games, a future firmware update may enable offline media playback on PlayStation Portal devices.

Sony is releasing an updated PlayStation Portal Player exclusively in Japan on December 10th for 39,980 yen ($253). This new model, available in midnight black, features additional internal storage intended for undisclosed future functionalities. The device will be locked to Japanese language settings and require a Japanese PlayStation account. While the existing PlayStation Portal streams PS5 games from a console or the cloud, the extra storage in this Japan-only version might enable offline media playback or access to streaming applications like YouTube or Netflix, features not supported on the current model. Sony has also rebranded the device from PlayStation Portal Remote Player to PlayStation Portal Player.

The addition of internal storage, even for "future functionality," signals a potential shift in how Sony views the PlayStation Portal, moving it beyond a pure PS5 game streaming device. This could indicate a strategy to make the handheld more versatile, possibly competing with other portable entertainment devices by incorporating streaming apps or local media playback capabilities.

This Japan-exclusive release with enhanced storage suggests a testing ground for new features before a potential wider rollout. The restrictions to Japanese accounts and language might be to gauge market reception and technical feasibility in a controlled environment. It also raises questions about whether future global versions will receive the same enhanced hardware, or if these capabilities will be software-locked to specific regions initially.