Update: We now know the PlayStation Portal remote player will launch in select markets on November 15, 2023 and is now available in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Sony says that starting on September 29, 2023 PlayStation Portal remote player can also be pre-ordered from other select retailers in these countries, as well as Canada and Japan.
Today Sony took to its official PlayStation Blog to detail the new PlayStation handheld – as we expected, the PlayStation Portal remote player is less a console and more, well, a portal player (more on this below). Alongside details on the PS5 companion player, it also introduced the new Pulse Elite wireless headset and Pulse Explore wireless earbuds – the latest additions to its official audio lineup. Head below for more details on everything.
New PlayStation 5 handheld remote player
Sony first teased its remote streaming handheld back during the big summer showcase before Microsoft spilled the beans on what we now know as the official $200 price tag and the 2023 launch date. As expected, the officially dubbed PlayStation Portal remote player ”brings the PS5 experience to the palm of your hand” and “is the perfect device for gamers in households where they might need to share their living room TV or simply want to play PS5 games in another room of the house.” It connects to your PS5 over Wi-Fi, allowing owners of both systems to effectively stream PS5 titles to the handheld display “so you’ll be able to swiftly jump from playing on your PS5 to your PlayStation Portal.”
PlayStation Portal can play supported games that are installed on your PS5 console and use the Dualsense controller…PS VR2 games, which require the headset, and games that are streamed through PlayStation Plus Premium’s cloud streaming, are not supported.
Delivering key features from the DualSense controller lineup, ”including adaptive triggers and haptic feedback,” it boasts a 1080p 8-inch LCD screen that runs at 60 frames per second alongside a 3.5mm audio jack for wired audio.
No details on pre-orders for the new PlayStation handheld yet, but PlayStation Portal remote player will launch later this year at $199.99.
Brand new Pulse headsets
Now on to the new Pulse headsets. The new Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore are the very first PlayStation audio devices to “use custom-designed planar magnetic drivers for an audiophile-level listening experience normally found in premium headphones for professional sound engineers.” Sony says it is pleased to be “one of the first companies to provide wireless earbuds to the mass consumer market using planar magnetic driver technology.”
- Pulse Elite is our new wireless headset that offers lossless audio and comes with a retractable boom mic and AI-enhanced noise rejection capable of filtering background sounds. A charging hanger is also included with the product for a convenient charging and storage option.
- Pulse Explore is our first set of wireless earbuds, providing a premium portable audio experience with dual microphones and AI-enhanced noise rejection capable of filtering background sounds. It also offers lossless audio and comes with a charging case.
They connect to PS5 using new wireless audio technology known as PlayStation Link – this “innovation delivers low latency, lossless audio and easy switching between multiple PlayStation Link hosts such as PS5 with the USB adapter and PlayStation Portal” by way of the new and required USB adapter. The PlayStation Link USB adapter will also be sold separately “as a standalone item, and can be used on PC and Mac, so players can connect Pulse Elite or Pulse Explore to experience the same lossless and low latency audio.”
Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore can simultaneously connect to a PlayStation Link supported device (PS5, PC, Mac, or PlayStation Portal) and a Bluetooth supported device. For example, Pulse Explore can be connected to PS5 (via the USB adapter) using PlayStation Link and also to a mobile phone through Bluetooth at the same time. While playing on PS5, gamers can instantly answer a call and hear it through the same Pulse Explore earbuds.
Pre-order and launch dates are still to come, but pricing works out as follows for the new PlayStation headsets: Pulse Elite will be available for $149.99 and Pulse Explore will be available for $199.99.
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