The PlayStation Portal's online requirements can be a deal breaker for many, but if you're one of the fans who picked one up at launch, you've probably made your peace with it. Now, given how much of a talking point it was when it was revealed, players are shocked to discover a very prominent airplane mode feature on the Portal - a toggle that would make the console absolutely useless.

The strangest part is just how prominent the airplane mode button is. While it isn't too surprising to find it on the console, it's odd that PlayStation made it so in your face, when surely there's no point in using it. Like, if you're on an airplane, you're better off turning it off anyway. It's not like you can boot a game up for your flight - it's pointless.

If you are thinking you are worthless,
PS Portal has Airplane mode button pic.twitter.com/rHrdOnf8p3

— collie (@chronocollie) November 19, 2023

It's caught the attention of many fans now that the PlayStation Portal has started making it into our hands over the past few days. Some have offered theories, like the UI being based on other devices that have a greater need for airplane mode, but it's wild nonetheless. Like, c'mon, don't rub it in. We already know it's just a useless screen without an internet connection.

The more hopeful fans wonder if this is a sign that offline play will be possible one day, and the Portal's internet reliance won't last forever. However, it's hard to see how that would work, considering it's just meant to be a "portal" to your PS5. It doesn't have access to Sony's full library of games, just what you have on your home console. And unless we get a huge hardware upgrade, it doesn't seem likely that we'll be able to download these games to the Portal anytime soon.

Despite this pretty significant drawback, the PlayStation Portal has found a big enough user base. As we reported yesterday, the Portal is already being scaped for over $400 - despite its usual price being a much lower $199. Legitimate retailers appear to have mostly sold out for now, perhaps indicating that the demand was a little higher than Sony was expecting. More stock is on the way, so you shouldn't have to rely on scalpers to get one before the holidays, even if you might find yourself raising against other fans to nab one.

Posted: Nov 23, 2023 2:55 pm
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-portal-airplane-mode-always-online-useless/