RESTOCK ALERT: The elusive PlayStation Portal Remote Player ($199.99) is up for grabs at Best Buy and PlayStation Direct as of April 26. It will also be available at Walmart for 24 hours starting Monday, April 29 at 12 p.m. ET (but for Walmart+ members only).
Sony’s PlayStation Portal Remote Player has been relatively difficult to buy, flitting in and out of stock at various retailers ever since its mid-November launch. But luck is currently on wannabe buyers’ sides: It’s back up for grabs at Best Buy and PlayStation Direct as of April 26.
Priced at $199.99, the Portal is a handheld PlayStation 5 accessory that lets players stream their games on the go via the console’s Remote Play feature; it looks like a DualSense controller that’s been spliced in half by an eight-inch LCD screen. Function-wise, it’s nothing revolutionary — you can do the exact same thing on a smartphone (for free!) — and its ability to work successfully largely depends on the strength of your internet connection. Still, Mashable’s Alex Perry was a reluctant fan.
“Portal’s excellent form factor, good display, and overall usefulness have outweighed its numerous problems for me,” Perry wrote in his review, hedging his recommendation with advice to wait for a discount. (Spoiler: That probably won’t be happening anytime soon, judging by its persistent hard-to-findness.)
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If the Portal happens to sell out at Best Buy and PlayStation Direct before you can add it to your cart, you’ll have another chance to buy it at Walmart in the near future. From Monday, April 29 at 12 p.m. ET to the same time the following day, the big-box store will be hosting an Early Access Event for Walmart+ members that features limited availability of exclusive and hard-to-buy items.
Mashable Deals
Most of said items will be snack- and drink-related, per a press release — think KeKe Palmer-autographed Chips Ahoy! bundles, a Dolly Parton baking mix collection, and mystery-flavored Flamin’ Hot Doritos — but a Portal restock will (very randomly) sneak in there, too.
We’ve reached out to a Walmart rep to confirm whether the event is open to both paid and trial members of its subscription service; we’ll update this story if/when we hear back.