PlayStation Portal battery life: here's how long Sony's PS5 handheld lasts
The PlayStation Portal battery life rivals that of the PS5 DualSense controller
The PlayStation Portal launched on November 15, 2023, and we now know how long the handheld console’s battery life lasts.
Unfortunately, as has become a common trend among PS5 products, the PlayStation Portal battery life won’t break any records. Considering this is essentially an 8-inch screen wedged between a PS5 DualSense controller, you might expect it to offer several hours of playtime, especially as it’s just streaming a video and not playing games natively.
However, after rumors suggested the PlayStation Portal's battery life would be around three to four hours, it turns out it’s closer to the PS5 controller’s battery life.
As with the DualSense controller, different games and settings will impact your total playtime. Games that feature haptic feedback and use the adaptive triggers generously will wear the battery down quicker, as will setting your screen and speaker to higher values.
How long does the PlayStation Portal battery last?
According to a hands-on by CNET, the PlayStation Portal battery life is expected to last between seven to nine hours. A Sony spokesperson said it will be akin to the DualSense controller, which on average lasts around at least six to eight hours in our experience before needing to be charged.
That’s not a terrible outcome considering the PlayStation Portal has to power an 8-inch LCD screen and the fancy tech inside the DualSense. But when you consider that this is just a device used for Remote Play streaming and isn’t natively powering games like a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch (there’s no Bluetooth either), it’s a little disappointing that it doesn’t last longer.
How to improve PlayStation Portal battery life
One of the easiest ways to improve the PlayStation Portal battery life is to reduce the screen brightness and use a wireless headset like the PS5 Pulse Elite wireless headset or PlayStation Earbuds.
The biggest selling point of the PlayStation Portal is that it works with the DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, and you’ll want to make the same battery-saving adjustments that you can on the PS5.
Make sure to configure the following to squeeze out a little more battery life:
Vibration Intensity – lowering the vibration intensity is a great way of getting more charge out of each play session.
Trigger Effect Intensity – similar to vibration intensity, consider lowering the trigger effect intensity.
PlayStation Portal battery life vs Nintendo Switch
The PlayStation Portal isn’t a native handheld gaming device like the Nintendo Switch, but its battery life is comparable. The Nintendo Switch (2019) and Nintendo Switch OLED last around 4.5 to nine hours, depending on the game you’re playing.
Remember, the PlayStation Portal’s battery will drain faster if you have the screen on max brightness, use the built-in speakers, and have the DualSense features on their highest settings.
PlayStation Portal battery life vs Steam Deck
The PlayStation Portal's battery life easily surpasses Valve’s original Steam Deck but the new Steam Deck OLED is more comparable. The Steam Deck gives you an average of two hours if you keep the default settings, but you can squeeze as much as eight hours of gameplay out of a single charge if you play less graphically intensive games and reduce the performance.
The PlayStation Portal will generally last around six hours at minimum, as it’s essentially just a streaming device and isn’t powering any games natively. Hopefully, if Sony releases a PSP 2 that will run games locally, it will feature a significantly better battery life.
Last updated: August 5, 2024