Cloud Streaming for the Sony PlayStation Portal portable gaming device has officially launched this month after a year in beta testing. PlayStation Plus Premium members can now play “a massively expanded selection of PS5 Games” on the wireless handheld unit without the need to connect to the PS5 console through Remote Play. Sony has retooled the home screen, adding three tabs dedicated to the different modes: Remote Play, Cloud Streaming and Search. Cloud Streaming “makes it easier to enjoy PS5 games on the go” anywhere with a high-speed Wi-Fi connection, playing even when the PS5 console at home is powered off or is in use by another account, according to Sony.

GameSpot says that as of this week there are 2,845 games that support PS Portal Cloud Streaming, including “several of Sony’s biggest first-party titles.” PS Portal Premium players can also draw from games from the PS Plus Game Catalog as well as the Classics Catalog. Beginning this week, gamers can also stream compatible games from their PS5 libraries from the Portal.

“Remote Play requires a PS5 console paired to a PS Portal so that installed games can be streamed directly from the system onto the handheld,” GameSpot explains, noting “this mode doesn’t require a PS Plus Premium membership, but Cloud Streaming does.”

PS Plus Premium membership costs $18 per month, with discounts for paying quarterly or annually.

Along with the refreshed homepage, the new PS Plus also features 3D audio when using a compatible audio device (like the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds or Pulse Elite wireless headset) with supported games. Also added are passcode lock and an in-game store that lets players purchase add-on items and in-game currencies without leaving their game session, among other features, as detailed in a PlayStation blog post.

“Slowly but surely, Sony has been transforming the initially limited PlayStation Portal into a viable handheld for PS5 gamers, albeit only those with a solid Internet connection,” writes Engadget, adding that “Sony seems intent on the PlayStation Portal plugging the gap between now and the PS6, which could reportedly arrive in the next two years alongside a powerful complementary handheld device that might beat out the ROG Xbox Ally X in the specs department.”

A new “native PlayStation handheld remains the dream,” Engadget says, adding that in the meantime, the Portal has gotten “a lot more appealing.”

Related:
PlayStation Portal: Official ‘Cloud Streaming for PS5 Games’ Trailer