PlayStation Portal Gets Cloud Game Streaming Beta Updates, Including Gameplay Capture Support

Sony is rolling out a new update for PlayStation Portal users who are using its Cloud Streaming Beta. Some user experience and general functionality updates are getting added to the remote play system's cloud capabilities later today.

Sorting is a notable addition, as the update will allow players to sort games in the Cloud Streaming Beta catalog. Categories include Name, Release Date, and which titles were most recently added to PlayStation Plus.

Capturing gameplay will also be possible during a Cloud Streaming session. The usual create menu options apply, whether you're pulling up the menu, snapping a screenshot, or recording a video clip. In the PlayStation blog for the update, Sony said video clips up to 1920x1080 resolution and up to three minutes in duration are supported.

Additionally, gameplay will now pause when you open the PS Portal quick menu, go into the rest mode using the power button, or if a system error message is displayed. The rest mode pause will only last for 15 seconds, though; if the Portal remains in rest mode for over 15 seconds, the cloud streaming session will disconnect. Pause also won't be supported in online multiplayer.

Other updates include a queue for when the streaming server fills up, a notification of inactivity, and some user feedback tools. PlayStation said it will continue to add new features based on feedback.

The Cloud Streaming Beta is currently available to PlayStation Plus Premium members, and allows them to play select PS5 games from the PS Plus Catalog through cloud streaming on the PS Portal. While the Portal usually pulls from a PlayStation 5, an update last year made the Portal more of a standalone cloud streaming device, and it looks like Sony plans to continue tinkering with the feature over time.

As cloud streaming continues to gain a foothold in the modern gaming ecosystem, it'll be interesting seeing how Sony's offering evolves alongside its PlayStation Portal device. At the very least, it's nice to be able to snap several dozen screenshots while streaming to your Portal.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.