Sony has announced an unexpected update to the PlayStation Portal, bringing it closer to its competition. If you’re still not entirely sold on the niche remote-play device, that’s totally fair. But the PS Portal has come a long way since its debut, and this latest update makes it one of the best handheld options available in 2025.
PlayStation Portal Users Can Now Record Gameplay Footage
Sony rolled out the substantial update to the PlayStation Portal on April 9, featuring “UX Enhancements” and “Game Sorting.” However, the most game-changing addition to the portable device is the new “Capture Gameplay” feature. Players can now take screenshots and record videos while using the Cloud Streaming (beta) mode on the portable device.
As someone who likes to play most of my games remotely for work, this is a pretty big deal. With the “Create Button” now active during cloud streaming, you can instantly send screenshots to your PlayStation Plus cloud account. Paired with the PS App on mobile, you can access your gameplay instantly from anywhere.
How PS Portal Has Changed Since Launch
When the PlayStation Portal first launched in 2023, many players and critics scoffed at the premium “paperweight.” The biggest criticism was that the device needed to connect to a PlayStation 5 to be used. So, who in their right mind would buy this thing when it’s essentially just a Remote Play screen for your console? Again, that’s totally fair criticism.
However, things really turned around for the PS Portal in November 2024, when Sony added the Cloud Streaming Beta feature. This essentially unchained the remote device, as players no longer needed a PlayStation 5 console to use it. As long as you have a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription, you can cloud stream most games on the device with near-flawless performance.
As someone skeptical at first, I was blown away that I was able to play AAA Sony games like Ghost of Tsushima or the Last of Us while traveling – without my console even needing to be turned on. So with the latest update adding gameplay recording, the PlayStation Portal is legitimately one of the best handheld devices on the market right now. If nothing else, this latest April update shows that Sony is also willing to keep improving it, which puts it a step above competitor devices.
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