PlayStation Portal users report unplayable levels of lag

The Nintendo Switch really set the cat among the pigeons when it made decent portable gaming possible, with many other brands having tried to copy that cash-cow move ever since. While the Steam Deck is undoubtedly one of the better received, brands like PlayStation have thrown their hat into the ring with the PS Portal… to mixed responses.

Having only just launched, it’s understandable that there will be bugs to iron out, unlike PS Plus which should be faultless by now. However, some users are reporting unplayable levels of lag, as seen via social media.

Allow Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to ease all your worries about the PS Portal, at least for now!

Twitter user @PowerstancePino shared a clip of how Horizon Forbidden West runs on the PS handheld, and, we’ve got to admit, it looks super laggy. When you’re just running around, lag, while annoying, isn’t too much of a hindrance. But when you’re in the middle of a fight, lag can be deadly for your character.

Here’s the main question now that these videos are circulating: isn’t this to be expected? Not just because the PS Portal is a new device, but also because wifi can be unreliable when attempting remote play. “I fear a lot of people who don't really understand what the PlayStation Portal is will have this sort of experience,” said @ItsMrProducts in response to the Twitter post. “Remote Play has always been shaky for me, despite having 140Mbps down, and 30Mbps up.”

With the Switch, you have the games with you, either via digital download or a card, but with remote play you’re streaming it to your device – much like when you stream PS games rather than take the time to download them fully, lag is going to happen because it’s an unstable medium. Even more so for such fresh-off-the-shelves tech.

Taking that into account though, with PS marketing this as an “immersive” experience, it doesn’t bode well if players can’t fully immerse themselves in the game because it plays like a PS1 title. Arguably, this is yet another blow for Sony, after PS Plus fans threaten to cancel their subscriptions after yet another bad batch of games. Thankfully, the lag isn't proving to be a problem for all users offering a glimpse of hope.