The PlayStation Portal, the PS5’s remote play device, has an airplane mode. But we really wonder what it can be used for.
Since its official release a few weeks ago, PlayStation Portal has been talked about a lot. Uninteresting for some, at least intriguing for others: Sony’s “remote reading device”, to be associated with its PlayStation 5, is difficult to understand. To make matters worse, some features are missing (no video playback, no Bluetooth), while others are there without us understanding why. For example, it was discovered that PlayStation Portal has an airplane mode.
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The PlayStation Portal is a device that is part of the PS5 ecosystem. It takes the form of a screen onto which two halves of the DualSense controller are attached. And it has only one purpose: to allow access to the content of your PS5 remotely, from the moment it is connected to an internet network. Sony mainly emphasizes use at home, but the Remote Play functionality also works outside the home.
What does an airplane mode do in PlayStation Portal?
You will have understood, the PlayStation Portal absolutely needs Wi-Fi – and a PS5 connected to the internet – to work. You cannot install anything on it, whether it is a video game or an SVOD application. Airplane mode, which cuts connectivity, therefore makes it useless and amounts to completely turning off the very limited accessory (which is definitely not a portable console). By the way, no one trusts airplane Wi-Fi enough to play their PS5 during a flight.
We also wonder who will dare to take the PlayStation Portal with them for a little stroll. Not only is it quite imposing (an 8-inch screen is starting to be big) but Sony does not sell any official case to protect it during transport. Given its apparent fragility (the sticks, in particular, are very exposed), we are not encouraged to take it out of our house. Which makes airplane mode a little more superfluous (who uses airplane mode at home?).
For comparison, airplane mode on a smartphone is much more relevant: a phone can do other things when it is cut off from any connection. You can continue to listen to your music, if the songs have been downloaded beforehand. Same thing for playing a film or series, since some platforms have an offline mode. The PlayStation Portal does none of that.
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