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Sony's new PlayStation Portal Player adds storage for unannounced features

The Japan-only model drops “Remote” from its name and goes on sale Dec. 10 for ¥39,980, the same price as the current Portal.

Priya Shah

Priya Shah

— 3 min read
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Black PlayStation Portal handheld in front of a glowing ring and floating game tiles, under the words MORE STORAGE
Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation Portal Player key art). Illustration: EngineerPal.

Sony is releasing a new version of its PlayStation Portal handheld in Japan with extra internal storage set aside for features it hasn't announced yet, the company said in a PlayStation Blog Japan post on Monday (Nov. 9).

The Midnight Black model goes on sale in Japan on Dec. 10 for ¥39,980 (about $253), the same price as the current Portal there. Pre-orders open on Nov. 13 at 10 a.m. Japan time, which is 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 12. Each unit comes with a one-month PlayStation Plus Premium voucher.

PlayStation Japan's announcement of the PlayStation Portal Player, with Sony's promo video. Post: @PlayStation_jp on X

"With an eye toward future functionality, the new model adds internal storage," Takuro Fushimi, a senior product manager at Sony Interactive Entertainment, wrote in the post (translated from Japanese). "We will share details about this functionality once they are finalized." Sony didn't say how much storage it added or what it will be used for.

The storage is the only hardware change Sony has announced. The handheld keeps the same 8-inch 1080p LCD running at up to 60fps, along with 3D Audio, haptic feedback, and the DualSense controller's adaptive triggers. The Midnight Black color isn't new either. Sony has sold a Midnight Black Portal in the US since February 2025.

Black PlayStation Portal handheld on a blue background beneath the PlayStation Portal Player wordmark in English and Japanese
The PlayStation Portal Player keeps the Midnight Black finish and 8-inch screen. Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment (still from PlayStation Japan's promo video)

A new name, too

Sony is also renaming the device. The "PlayStation Portal Remote Player" becomes the "PlayStation Portal Player," a change the company says reflects how the Portal is now used. It launched in 2023 as a remote play device for streaming games from a PS5 over home Wi-Fi. In 2025, Sony added cloud streaming, so PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers can stream supported PS5 games from Sony's servers without owning a console.

The current Portal has about 6GB of internal storage, according to dataminers cited by VGC, and players can't use any of it. The device's custom Android-based software uses that space. The Portal also can't run streaming apps like YouTube, Netflix, or Disney Plus.

The Verge noted that the name change, combined with the extra storage, "seems to suggest" this model might get streaming apps. The storage could also let owners sync media for offline playback, the outlet said. The Portal isn't powerful enough to run PlayStation games locally, the outlet added. Polygon pointed out that it's still unclear whether the future features are tied to the PS5 or to a presumed PlayStation 6.

Table comparing the current PlayStation Portal Remote Player with the new Japan-only PlayStation Portal Player on price, display, storage and region
Sony hasn't said how much storage the new model has. Chart: EngineerPal; data: PlayStation Blog Japan, The Verge, VGC

The new model is locked to Japan. It only supports Japanese as the device language and only works with PlayStation accounts registered in Japan. Sony hasn't announced plans to sell it elsewhere. In the US, the existing Portal sells for $249.99, according to PCMag.

It's the second Japan-only Midnight Black hardware launch from Sony this fall. A Japan-only Midnight Black PS5 goes on sale on Nov. 19, VGC reported.

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