While console rivalries have been described as wars since the dawn of gaming, Sony isn't picking a fight with Nintendo or Valve with the release of the PlayStation Portal in two weeks. The upcoming handheld device is meant to be a companion to the PlayStation 5 rather than a rival to the Switch or Steam Deck.
Sony Interactive Entertainment's Senior Vice President Eric Lempel talked to the BBC about the upcoming handheld and clarified that it was designed for a specific audience. The Portal will not be going head-to-head with Nintendo or Valve's handhelds.
"It's a different proposition and really just something unique for the PlayStation audience," Lempel said of the Portal. The Portal isn't a standalone handheld device and requires players to own a PlayStation 5 to use it. The handheld accessory uses an internet connection instead of cables or Bluetooth to communicate with the PS5. The home console will send the game to the handheld via the internet.
Lempel also confirmed that the Portal isn't a device that can stream games directly from PlayStation's cloud gaming service. Many users have been disappointed that the handheld can't access cloud gaming directly, and are questioning the point of the gadget entirely.