The video game industry is in an interesting transitional period right now, with Microsoft's pivot to its business model and the seemingly diminishing returns on Sony's mid-range hardware upgrade spotting the changing tides. One of the more interesting rumors to emerge recently as hardware makers look for ways to have a stronger position in growth markets is the potential for Sony and Microsoft to enter the handheld gaming race. Sony already has the PlayStation Portalwhich just recently had features added in the form of cloud streaming, but a supposed new edition of the Portal could indicate that a new Sony handheld is more than just speculation.
Some alleged leaks of another colorway of the PlayStation Portal that will join the original model and the extremely limited 30th anniversary edition indicate that the Portal will finally arrive in a Midnight Black variant. A black PlayStation portal is something many have wanted for a long time, but its release may indicate more than just appeasing Sony fans. Rather, it could be Sony doing a bit of ad hoc market research to help evaluate the design of its new PlayStation handheld.
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PlayStation Portal “Midnight Black” Explained.
A recent rumor revealed by a well-known industry insider indicates the existence of a new PlayStation Portal model in black. Additionally, photos have been leaked that appear to corroborate this rumor, showing what appear to be official marketing materials from Sony and PlayStation advertising the new model as the “Midnight Black” edition of the Portal device. Although the existence of the “Midnight Black” PlayStation portal has not yet been officially confirmed by Sony, it coincides with other reliable leaks regarding the black colors of other PlayStation 5 hardware and accessories.
Shortly before the PlayStation Portal “Midnight Black” rumors began to circulate, another industry insider leaked the existence of a black version of Sony's DualSense Edge controller. Gamers can already order official PS5 faceplates directly from Sony in the “Midnight Black” colorway, which adds some credence to rumors of more hardware in the works with a similar design. While this information should be taken with a grain of salt until Sony confirms the existence of the products, there's still a legitimate chance that the Portal “Midnight Black” handheld and DualSense Edge controller turn out to be real.
The black PlayStation portal is just one of several recent rumors that point to Sony's future plans
Coupled with the massive PlayStation Portal firmware update on November 19, the release of a black portable PlayStation Portal could be a sign of Sony's re-entry into the portable console market. While neither device could ever achieve the same success as Nintendo's competing handhelds during the era, both the PSP and PlayStation Vita were successful devices that each had strong player bases, and other recent rumors have suggested that both Sony that Microsoft is looking to expand. in the portable game. It's a move that would make sense given Microsoft's new strategy of bringing its games to as many devices as possible and the record success of the Nintendo Switch.
Offering both a black and white option for the PlayStation Portal could very well be Sony's way of determining which color gamers prefer on a handheld device, using sales data to guide the design of a potential new PlayStation-branded handheld . The recent firmware update to the Portal, which allows players to stream PS Plus games from the cloud without needing a remote connection to a PS5, takes another step towards solidifying Sony's re-entry into the portable gaming space and of the popularity of both mobile and mobile devices. games and Nintendo Switch are factors that neither Sony nor Microsoft can afford to ignore.