Newsletter 
Summary: Sony’s PlayStation Portal is getting a new software update today, and it brings in several new features for the cloud streaming beta. This includes the ability to finally capture gameplay and sort games in the catalog.
Sony’s PlayStation Portal remote player is gaining some new and exciting features today as part of an update to the cloud streaming beta. When the PlayStation Portal first launched, it was nothing more than a specialized device for PS5 Remote Play. For those who were already huge fans of the PS5, this was an exciting device, even if it wasn’t a new version of Sony’s PSP or PS Vita like most were hoping for.
Due to its only function being a remote player, however, the device was immediately dismissed by many. The thing is, it ended up being pretty good, and it was a success for Sony. In the beginning, it was even hard for Sony to keep it in stock. The PlayStation Portal got even better when Sony announced its cloud streaming beta feature.
Since the release of that feature, you’ve been able to forgo the remote play function and stream games directly from the cloud. You need a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription, of course, but it opens up the device’s capabilities. Today, that feature is getting some enhancements that should make PS Portal fans jump for joy.
PlayStation Portal cloud streaming beta update adds gameplay capture and more
The cloud streaming beta was already a pretty neat addition to the PlayStation Portal, but it was missing a few things. First, you’ll now be able to sort games in the game catalog using a new dedicated sort button. This will show up in the left-hand corner of the UI, and has the standard sorting options like you see on PS5. This includes sorting games from A-Z, Z-A, release date from old to new, and then from new to old.
This should make it a little bit easier to find a game to play. Your only option right now is simply to scroll through the entire list until you find what you want. That being said, the update seems to be rolling out little by little. I don’t have the updated version on my own PlayStation Portal yet. Sony says it’s coming later today. So, if you have a PlayStation Portal, keep an eye out for the update.
Gameplay capture is another new feature coming. Once the update is live, you’ll be able to press the create button on the left of the Portal controls to capture your gameplay sessions. This includes pressing once to bring up the create menu, holding for a screenshot, and double-tapping to start and stop video recording. As with capturing on PS5, all captures on PlayStation Portal will be uploaded to the cloud. You can then access these from your PlayStation app for 14 days.
It’s now possible to pause gameplay, but not for long
Two really useful features that Sony is adding are the ability to wait in a queue and the ability to pause gameplay. For the latter, the cloud streaming session can pause in one of two ways. If you press the power button, the Portal goes into rest mode and the session pauses. The session can also pause if you open the quick menu. The downside is that the session only stays active while paused for 15 seconds.
If you pause your game because you need to stop and do something that will take longer than 15 seconds, know your session will close out. So in this case, it’s probably a good idea to just set the Portal down without pausing. The good news is, there’s also now an inactivity notification if your session is inactive for more than 10 minutes. Once you hit that mark, a notification pops up, and you have 60 seconds to resume.
The queue is the other neat feature users might find interesting. Now, if you try to launch a game but the servers are full, a queue will start, acting as a waiting area for you. There’s even a little timer that tells you how long the wait is. Also, when it’s your turn, the game starts automatically.