I think of lot of these WiiU comparisons are pretty strange considering that controller was the dedicated input for the WiiU whereas this is clearly an accessory for those want to game at home (or via wifi) at times when they can't use their TV. 

The issue is clearly the lack of Cloud functionality. Whether that changes in the future or not remains to be seen, but this would've been better served released when it could connect with Sony's cloud service from day 1. 

Until then, the device is incredibly niche. I think there's nothing wrong with a remote play dedicated device but I do believe that it being a remote play only device is not a strong sell. 

If it can eventually use the cloud, and if it could somehow function as a 2nd controller directly without the remote play aspect, then I think the Portal would be a much better device, and serve as a great accessory.

If I could cloud stream certain games from anywhere, that would make me very interested in the Portal. But right now, I'm not sure I see the need for it. 

I look forward to impressions once it's launched.

I'm not suggesting it'd be easy, like any chip it'd require up-front investment. Numerous consoles have had backwards compatibility, though admittedly you'd have an added layer of difficulty working with a mobile SOC.

What I'm suggesting wouldn't require any work on the pre-existing PS4 library though, they'd run natively (or I suppose, be emulated at such high efficiency that it could work on a modern mobile chip). 

I genuinely don't know if it's possible, if you are an expert & know for sure it's not doable with today's tech then I'll take your word for it.

Also I've not claimed that porting a game is free, but it's orders of magnitude cheaper than creating games from the ground up for a single platform.

Developers would do their maths & decide whether the juice would be worth the squeeze, and that itself would come down to how well the platform is doing. As with Ratchet, games will be getting scaled down to run on low end machines, including a considerably weaker steam deck, so much of the work will already be done. 

A PS Deck wouldn't require any platform specific software so wouldn't demand resources like the PSP or Vita. 

I think the point is that it "was" included and no one really cared for it, so how many people are going to care for a device that they have top pay 200 extra to use?. I think not many at that price.

It's true that you can use wired, though that's a pretty hard pill to swallow for a 2023 mobile device...

Earbuds are more important on something that's being marketed as a 2nd screen for obvious reasons, and being forced into old tech or earbuds that cost the same as the device it's supporting is nuts.

There was an outcry for Bluetooth connectivity for headphones on the switch for a reason.

And I don't buy the 'Sony is including hi-end tech in the earbuds' as justification. They're using an 8" 1080p, 60hz LCD screen (hardly cutting edge), which means they're happy to make big compromises to the visual experience, so why the insistence on this fancy lossless, latency-free audio?

Not to mention the on-board audio on this thing will likely be mediocre (due to the form-factor). Their dedication to 'techinal excellence' seems to be curiously selective...

It's all about the mula. 

And I don't buy the 'Sony is including hi-end tech in the earbuds' as justification. They're using an 8" 1080p, 60hz LCD screen (hardly cutting edge), which means they're happy to make big compromises to the visual experience, so why the insistence on this fancy lossless, latency-free audio?

Sony's choices as of late are weird and stupid. Make an add-on more expensive than the console. PSVR2. That's a SEGA-level boner choice. Release this dumbass thing but no Bluetooth so have to buy their headphones. Classic Sony bullshit. Their memory cards. Vita sold more than PSVR but they didn't make another Vita but did make another PSVR which is now failing. Sony's Elite controller is shit. Bad battery life. No hall effect. Still obsessed making everything white. Which gets dirty. Gross. If Valve can do it so can Sony. I rather have a Vita 2 than a Wii U 2.

Yes it's about the mula. That's what every company does. 

You're making a lot of assumptions though. We don't know what all the options are for the PlayStation Portal. We don't know whether there will be other headsets with PlayStation Link aside from these two.

The justification is to explain why the earbuds costs $200. It isn't "Sony is high tech", or that "Sony doesn't make compromises" or any other such garbage. It is just me explaining that the earbuds probably have the tech to be worth $200. 

As for the Portal, the DualSense alone costs $70. The backbone costs $100. Add in an 8" 1080p display with battery and wireless capabilities; I think $200 is a semi-reasonable price point

Without the ability to stream from the cloud, this seems like it's going to be a very niche device. The biggest benefit I see is the ability to play games while taking a dump.

I guess you can play in your bedroom or living room without buying an additional ps5. But, you still have to own at least one PS5 console, and you have to pay another $200 for this thing.

Anyway, it's hard to see this working out for me. Maybe it's good for crowded households where there's competition for use of the TV where the PS5 is hooked up.