PS Portal now has cloud streaming amid Microsoft's heavy push in handheld gaming

Sony has just given PS Portal, its latest remote play device, a cloud streaming capability.

The Japanese tech giant announced a new system update for the device, which includes beta support for cloud streaming and better audio controls. The experience is now live for PS Plus Premium subscribers, and it lets you stream select PS5 games from the Game Catalog directly to the device without having a PS5 itself.

There are about 120 PS5 titles to choose from with streaming capabilities of up to 1080p and 60fps. It’s still limited to certain regions though, mostly in European countries, the US, Canada, and Japan. And, some features like party voice chat and game invites, 3D audio, and streaming support for games in older consoles are still unavailable for now.

“Since Cloud Streaming (Beta) on PS Portal is still an experimental offering, the features available during the beta period may change over time and may not reflect the final experience,” says Sony’s VP of product management, Hiromi Wakai.

Only last year, Sony launched the cloud streaming feature for PS5 users. It’s available to PS Plus Premium subscribers—the highest tier of them all—and lets you stream the games directly even if you don’t own them. And, it also supports 4K streaming.

Meanwhile, Microsoft, Sony’s rival in gaming, has also been heavy in its push for cloud streaming and handheld gaming.

At the Ignite annual event this week, the Redmond company has been running an advertisement for the Xbox-less Xbox experience. The focus is on the Xbox console, with the “This is an Xbox” sticker prominently displayed on different devices, including a laptop, a handheld, and even an Amazon Fire TV Stick.