With Grand Theft Auto VI just weeks away, gamers have been scrambling to get their hands on one PlayStation 5. However, due to external factors such as the ongoing Lack of RAMPrices for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro have increased over the past few years and have worsened over the past few months. Adding insult to injury, Sony announced this as well it terminates physical disc production for new players from January 2028.
GTA VI is a digital-only release though, so it might not be a problem for some gamers – especially if you’re someone who doesn’t mind an all-digital future or one streamed directly over Wi-Fi. If you don’t mind a few concessions, I would recommend the PlayStation Portal.
Yes, it’s true that Portal wasn’t very impressive at launch. But the system has since received substantial software updates and now allows you to PlayStation Plus Game library without the expensive PlayStation 5. At $249.99 – and even with an extra $159.99 for a 12-month PlayStation Plus Premium subscription to expand your cloud streaming library – the Portal is still less expensive than the PS5, the Steam Deck OLEDand the Steam engines and up-front costs. It is quickly becoming the only affordable way to play PS5 games in this increasingly volatile and hostile video game market.
Low-cost PS5 GAMING
2.5
Fair
What Our Ratings Mean
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- 4.5 – Distinguished: Best in class, acts as a benchmark against which competitors are measured
- 4.0 – Excellent: A performance, feature or value leader in its class, with some shortcomings
- 3.5 – Good: Does what the product is supposed to do, and does it better than many competitors
- 3.0 – Average: Does what the product is supposed to do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 – Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 – Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 – Bad: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 – Bad: Don’t even think about buying this product
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Sony PlayStation Portal
PS5: The latest victim of the RAM crisis
You may have noticed that the PS5 (along with almost everything else tech-related) has been slowly rose in price. At first, you can point to the Trump administration’s tariffs, which have greatly affected China, India, Vietnam, and other Asian markets that host much of the world’s electronics manufacturing. TThe Supreme Court has since invalidated Trump’s sweeping tariffsbut that didn’t stop the president from adding another 10% to the one already in place, with another US law.
But the latest case of sticker shock comes from a different source: artificial intelligence. Although AI apps don’t require a lot of memory, the data centers that host them need power massive amounts of it. According to TrendForcea Taiwan-based industry analysis and consulting firm focused on the semiconductor industry, AI-centric memory is projected to account for an incredible 70% of global memory hardware production.
To meet the new, ravenous demands of data centers, major memory chip makers are shifting their manufacturing capacity to stacked design high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and server-grade DDR5, further cutting supply for consumer-grade devices. That doesn’t just affect desktop and laptop computers; it also affects consoles, including the PS5.
Google’s AI datacenters require a lot of RAM (Credit: Google)
Fast forward to April 2nd, and Sony has raised the prices of the PS5, PS5 Pro, and Portal, citing “continued pressure in the global economic landscape.” Despite a price increase from $199.99 to $249.99, Portal remains the only low-cost way to play PS5 games.
Can the PlayStation Portal replace a PS5?
Excited, I revisited the portal. When it launched, it was simply a remote player, meant for streaming PS5 games rather than playing them natively. The device was limited, to say the least. However, a major update in November 2025 added cloud streaminginstantly makes the once mediocre portal a way to sidestep the ongoing RAMaggedon. After all, streaming doesn’t require as much RAM as rendering polygons.
When I paired the portal with a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription, it introduced me to around 600 titles, including a wide network of PS5 (and PS4!) games that support cloud streaming. The deep library of great and indie games made the subscription more than worth the investment. By playing PS5 games on the portal, you can save $191, $241 or $491, respectively, by avoiding the PS5 (digital), PS5 (standard) or PS5 Pro. I already own a PS5, but I would go this route if I didn’t.
After all, streaming doesn’t require as much RAM as rendering polygons.
The PlayStation Plus library is pretty robust, letting me enjoy first-party releases like Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part 2, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, as well as notable third-party titles including Blue Prince, Cyberpunk 2077, Persona 5 Royal, and Silent Hill 2. So, I got a taste of a lot of different video games.
It’s not just the cost and the library that I enjoy; the portal felt good in my hand. The Portal is basically a PlayStation controller with a tablet screen mounted in the center. I played games on it just like I do on my PS5, with a very low learning curve. Admittedly, it was a bit awkward to play first-person shooters due to the portal’s width and weight, but I’d rather keep my money in my pocket.
Recommended by our editors
The Portal + PlayStation Plus combo also comes with other deals. For starters, there is no way to add another controller for local co-op. Additionally, not every PS5 title is available to stream in the cloud via PlayStation Plus. For example, at the time of this writing, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Tekken 8 are not part of the package. Still, the Portal is much easier to recommend buying than the more expensive Sony systems, especially the $899.99 PS5 Pro. With the hundreds you save, you can buy digital titles that are not part of PlayStation Plus and stream them to your portal.
That’s what makes the portal so important right now. As long as your internet connection is stable, you can enjoy PS5 games at full 1080p resolution at 60Hz.
The Sony PlayStation Portal costs just $249 (Credit: Sony)
Save your money, get a portal
I try to own media whenever I can, whether that means buying a Blu-ray of an obscure anime or skipping a digital release in favor of a physical one. The way the gaming landscape is going today, that may not be an option in a few years. I’ve made (some) peace with the unfortunate reality of the situation amid the RAM crisis and the PS5’s related price hike.
Despite my monetary and existential issues, there’s no denying the convenience of the PlayStation Portal-PlayStation Plus combination in 2026. As someone who reviews gaming handhelds, PlayStation Portal has proven that, with the right updates, a less-than-stellar system can mature into an excellent handheld experience, and most importantly, one that’s affordable. So, before you sink way too much money into buying a six-year-old system that’s constantly gone up in price instead of down, check out the PlayStation Portal. You might be surprised how many games you can get for just $249.99. You also have to buy a copy of GTA 6, of course, but that’s still a lot less than $1,200.
About Our Expert
Zackery Cuevas
Writer, Hardware
Experience
I am a PCMag reviewer and ISF-certified TV calibrator focused on computer accessories, laptops, gaming monitors and video games. I’ve been writing, playing and complaining about games for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until recently that I was able to voice my opinion directly to a larger audience. My work has appeared on iMore, Windows Central, Android Central, and TWICE, and I have a diverse portfolio of editorial work under my belt from my time at Scholastic and Oxford University Press. I also have several book author credits under my belt – I contributed to the sci-fi anthology Under New Suns, and I even wrote a Peppa Pig book.
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