PlayStation Portal finally adds cloud streaming - and here's why I'm not impressed

When Sony announced plans to release a new PlayStation Portal update that lets you cloud stream the PS5 games in your Library, my eyes lit up and thumbs starting twitching.

The new update removes the need for your PS5 to be in standby mode and connected to Wi-Fi, something that I've always found to be a little unreliable, and particularly problematic when you're not around to fix any connection issues.

Likewise, being able to stream games in your library without having to download them to your PS5 means you aren't limited by console storage issues.

In fact, you don't really need a PS5 console at all, which makes the PlayStation Portal an extremely attractive prospect for new customers thinking of picking up a handheld.

While it's a fantastic update in theory, there is one big catch that makes it hard to get too excited.

If you want to cloud stream the PS5 games from your library, then you'll need a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription.

That's £13.99 a month, £39.99 for 3-months and £119.99 for an annual subscription!

This is a high price to pay for a feature that probably should come as standard, adding on a fortune to the £200 customers have already spent on the PlayStation Portal console in the first place.

Of course, PS Plus Premium comes with additional benefits like a huge Game Catalog and Classic collection, but I would much rather forgo these benefits to enjoy the games I already own, and on a console I've already paid a lot of money for.

Although I think this new streaming feature should come as standard, I wouldn't be completely against paying a small subscription fee to access my games on the PlayStation Portal.

Until this happens, I won't be able to take advantage of the new update and my PlayStation Portal will almost certainly continue to gather dust.

Of course, it's not all bad news, because the new PlayStation Portal update makes other quality of life improvements to the user-experience.

This includes a completely redesigned user-interface, which adds three different tabs to the home screen. There's the Remote Play home screen for the traditional experience, the Cloud Streaming screen for the new update, and a search screen that speeds up the ability to find your games.

Other new features include 3D Audio Support for spatial sound, a passcode lock, and a new Network Status Screen.