Sony first announced the PlayStation portal in May during the latest PlayStation showcase, and a few months later, it confirmed the handheld would cost $200 and hit the market on November 15.
While initial reactions to the PlayStation Portal were mostly negative, with criticisms for its price and limited functionality, it appears the Japanese market has already taken a liking to the cloud-based handheld.
According to a report, the PlayStation Portal is already sold out at nearly every major Japanese retailer.
Why it matters: Sony has been working on the PlayStation Portal for many years, with the first patent of a streaming handheld being filed in 2015.
【完売】
本日予約解禁の『PlayStation Portal リモートプレーヤー』WEB上在庫完全に消えました。
（少量再販ありますが…）Amazon：完売
楽天ブックス：完売
ヨドバシ：完売
ビックカメラ：完売
ヤマダウェブコム：完売
ソフマップ：完売
ジョーシン：完売
ソニーストア：完売
エディオン：完売…— PS5在庫情報＆PS5入荷速報@プレステ5速報！ (@PS5sokuhouInfo) September 29, 2023
The report points to well-known retailers like Amazon, Rakuten Book, and Yodobashi.
Sony has also run out of stock in its official store. None of these stores are currently taking pre-orders for the PlayStation Portal, as the demand for the handheld appears to be extremely high ahead of its release next month.
The PlayStation Portal marks Sony’s return to the handled market after the PS Vita, although the former is not a dedicated gaming console. Nonetheless, PlayStation’s upcoming release appears to be doing well despite this contrast.
It has also been speculated that the handheld was subject to scalping, as some have pointed out that scalping continues to be a major issue in Japan. Similarly, a limited supply from Sony could be the major reason for these results.
Whatever the case may be, Japanese outlets reached maximum capacity one day after pre-orders went live.
Apart from Japan, the US market appears to be running out of PlayStation Portals. The handheld has reached the Amazon best-sellers in the PS5 category, currently being unavailable for more orders.
Since these outlets are no longer taking pre-orders, many PlayStation owners might miss out on the upcoming release. However, the pre-order numbers may encourage PlayStation to increase supply as the handheld approaches its release.
The PlayStation Portal can stream games directly from the PS5, allowing users to take massive AAA titles on the go. It supports 60FPS gameplay, though users should expect the traditional caveats that come with game streaming.
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