Sony Updates PlayStation Portal to Work Without a PS5

Sony has pushed a massive PlayStation Portal update that makes the handheld accessible to players without a PlayStation 5 console. Rather than streaming games exclusively from the player's PS5, the Portal is now also compatible with PlayStation Plus Premium, Sony's subscription-based Game Catalog membership. This means that as long as players pay $18 per month, the PlayStation Portal functions as a standalone device—even if it technically isn't one.

The game-changing software update began to roll out Tuesday night in the United States and Wednesday in Europe and Japan, according to an announcement on Sony's PlayStation Blog. (PlayStation Plus Premium is exclusive to those few regions.) Along with improvements to the system's audio output controls and PlayStation Link settings came "Cloud Streaming (Beta)," an experimental feature that allows PlayStation Plus Premium players to stream PS5 and PS4 titles directly from Sony's servers. The list ...