Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced a new PlayStation Portal model for Japan: the PlayStation Portal Player in Midnight Black, a Japanese-language-only version of the handheld that launches on December 10 for 39,980 yen including tax. It comes with a one-month PlayStation Plus Premium membership in the box, it adds internal storage that Sony says is reserved for features it has not announced yet, and it arrives with a new name. The word "Remote" is gone.
From Remote Player to Player
When the PlayStation Portal launched in 2023, it did one job: it connected to a PS5 over Wi-Fi and streamed games that were installed on that console. Its full name, PlayStation Portal Remote Player, said exactly that. In 2025 Sony added cloud streaming, which let the Portal play supported PS5 games straight from Sony's servers through a PlayStation Plus Premium membership, with no console in the house at all.
Sony's announcement on the Japanese PlayStation Blog says the new model's name reflects that wider role. The product is now called the PlayStation Portal Player, and Sony's pitch for it leads with cloud play rather than Remote Play. Owners of a PS5 can still pair the handheld with their console exactly as before, but the box is clearly aimed at people who do not own one.
New storage, purpose unannounced
The most intriguing line in Sony's announcement is a short one. The new model adds internal storage to the device, and Sony says that storage is there to support future functionality. It did not say what that functionality is, and it said details will follow once they are decided.
That matters because the Portal has never really needed space of its own. Everything it shows is streamed, either from a PS5 or from the cloud, so there have been no games to install. Sony has given no hint at what the storage will be used for, and anything beyond that is guesswork for now. What is confirmed is that this Japanese model has hardware the device did not have before, and that Sony expects to use it.
Sony did not say whether the storage will come to other regions, or whether existing Portal owners will see any of the features it is meant for.
Same screen, same controls
Apart from the storage, the core hardware is unchanged. The Portal Player keeps the 8-inch LCD that runs at 1080p and 60fps, along with 3D Audio support and the DualSense features that made the original a comfortable way to play: haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, both of which work in supported PS5 games.
The network requirements are the same too. Sony asks for a broadband Wi-Fi connection of at least 5Mbps, and recommends 15Mbps. As with every Portal, the experience depends on the network: the device has no way to run games itself, so a weak connection still means a weak picture.
Japan only, and region-locked to Japanese accounts
This is a domestic model in every sense. The system language is Japanese only, and the device works only with PlayStation accounts whose country or region is set to Japan. It follows the same approach as the Japanese-language-only Midnight Black PS5 Digital Edition that Sony announced in October, which launches in Japan on November 19.
Pre-orders open on November 13 at 10am Japan time at PlayStation retailers and online stores across the country, ahead of the December 10 release. The 39,980 yen price includes tax.
A month of PS Plus Premium in the box
Because cloud streaming is now the headline feature, Sony is including one month of PlayStation Plus Premium with the device. Redeeming it gives immediate access to the cloud-streamable PS5 games in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Classics Catalog, which Sony says number in the hundreds, at no extra cost during that month. Sony's examples include Final Fantasy XVI, Rise of the Ronin and The Exit 8.
Premium members can also stream supported PS5 games they buy digitally, even if those games are not in the catalog, by purchasing them through the PlayStation App or the PlayStation Store in a web browser. Sony says thousands of PS5 games now support cloud streaming, from Monster Hunter Wilds and Ghost of Yōtei to free-to-play games such as Genshin Impact and NTE: Neverness to Everness.
Dragon Quest III and Dynasty Warriors: Origins join the catalog
Alongside the hardware, Sony announced two additions to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog in Japan. Square Enix's Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake joins this month, and Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors: Origins follows in December, so both should be available to stream during the free month that comes with the device.
The usual limits still apply. The Portal does not support games that need PlayStation VR or PlayStation VR2, or peripherals other than DualShock 4, DualSense and DualSense Edge controllers. Games that a PS5 itself streams through PlayStation Plus Premium cannot be played through Remote Play.
What comes next
For now the Midnight Black Portal Player is a Japan-only release. The parts worth watching are the new name, which is likely to follow the Portal everywhere if Sony's marketing has shifted to cloud play, and the internal storage, which Sony has promised to explain at a later date.
