PlayStation Portal restock: two stores have it in stock (original) (raw)

PlayStation Portal remote player

PlayStation Portal in action (Image credit: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

There are not one but two PlayStation Portal restock alerts making news in May 2024. After months of trying to track the hard-to-find PS5 remote player, we’ve found that Best Buy and Walmart have the Sony accessory in stock.

The best part is that the PlayStation Portal at Best Buy and the PlayStation Portal at Walmart haven’t sold out yet. It’s been several days, and both stores continue to have plenty of stock of the Portal (and consumers are snapping them up). GameStop, Amazon and Target remain out of stock, as of today.

Note that The Shortcut will also be tracking the Sony PS5 Pro pre-orders when that comes out later this fall, especially if restocks are as limited as the PS5.

From our PlayStation Portal tracking research, we’ve found that Sony hasn’t been making enough of the portable console, not that it’s as popular as the PS5 system. So when it does come back in stock for the MSRP price of $199, it quickly sells out. Before May 2024, it seemed as if even Sony’s own store only it monthly, if at all.

Walmart, more than any other retailer in the US, has had the most PlayStation Portal restocks, according to The Shortcut’s restock data. In fact, we broke the **news the PlayStation Portal deal **at Walmart brought the PS Portal price down to 199,thesmallestdiscounteverforthe199, the smallest discount ever for the 199,thesmallestdiscounteverforthe199.99 console. It’s leading the way at least.

Only Best Buy and Target have had sporadic, region-dependent restocks of the PlayStation Portal. When the Sony PlayStation Portal is in stock at Target, only a few stores seem to have it available for purchase. So it has become difficult to send out a nationwide restock tracker alert to everyone without dashing hopes.

PlayStation Portal remote player

Like our PS5 restock coverage, we’re noticing that retailers in the US just aren’t very prepared to allow a massive number of people to buy this PlayStation 5 accessory. The same thing is happening to Sony’s PlayStation Earbuds for PS5, officiallycalled the PlayStation Pulse Explore buds. Very few consumers got Sony’s gear at launch.

Each Walmart PlayStation Portal restock, for example, fluctuates between 199and199 and 199and499 when thousands of people tried to find the Portal in stock based on our Twitter notice. While many people bought the PlayStation Portal for $199, others weren’t so lucky as third-party sellers swooped in to wreck havoc when certain areas of the US where out of stock. That only confused a lot of PlayStation gamers. Each store in the US that’s a part of The Shortcut’s fact-checked PlayStation Portal list has sold the handheld for MSRP to consumers multiple times in the last few months.

Our PlayStation Portal guide is based on our years of tracking down Sony products, with a proven track record throughout of PS5 restockcoverage. That propelled The Shortcut to offer expertise on tracking all sorts of hard-to-find technology. We’ll know when and where the PS Portal will be in stock throughout 2024.

Sony Project Q handheld price

Update: Walmart has the PlayStation Portal in stock right now. There were rumors that Walmart had been holding back on launching its inventory of the Sony handheld accessory. While this news hasn’t been officially announced, Walmart did this same exact thing when the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles were difficult to find in stock.

What’s interesting is that Walmart sometimes pulls its retail sales page for the Sony PlayStation Portal. That’s right, a landing page doesn’t even exist at times, according to The Shortcut’s tracking data (we saved the link for when it pops back up). If you see that page go down, know that it’s unlikely to be a mistake.

Target PS5 restock

Target has restocked the PlayStation Portal locally throughout the US at a handful of retail locations in 2024, but the flow of Sony’s portable accessory has slowed in April 2024. When it is in stock, it’s only a few units at select stores and nearly impossible to predict, as accurate as our PlayStation Portal Twitter tracker is. Your best bet is to check the online store each morning, especially between 7am to 8am ET.

Unlike Walmart, Target favors online purchases of rare products in the mornings, according to our PS5 restock experience. This avoids people from coming into physical Target store locations when hard-to-find products are not in stock.

The best advice we can give you about Target is what for the Matt Swider Twitter/X notification about when and where to find the PlayStation Portal in stock and, when checking out online for in-store pickup, try different store locations in your area. Oftentimes PlayStation consoles and PS5 accessories are sold out at your closest location, while bigger stores a but further away receive more inventory.

Sony Project Q specs

Amazon did launch a bunch of PlayStation Portal sales in early 2024. A lot of the people who got the PS Portal through our in-stock Twitter notice were seeing dates for delivery in May and June, so it may be some time before another restock.

Because of such long lag times on shipping dates at Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy remain your best bet if you want to buy the PlayStation Portal in the first half of 2024.

Best Buy has had the most frequent PlayStation Portal restocks of any US retailer, according to the exclusive tracking data of The Shortcut. Best Buy refreshes its daily deals at 1am ET since the retail giant is based in Central Time in the United States.

But, before today, inventory of the PlayStation Portal is always sold out before most people can buy it, and it’s often regional-based, so the add-to-cart button going live may mean nothing in your neck of the woods. What a tease.

As evidenced by our own failed attempt to buy the PlayStation Portal from Best Buy, you’ll want to make sure you’re logged in and ready for a 2FA code from the retailer. This is the stumbling block of many consumers who need to be quick in order to secure the handheld PS5 remote player.

But also note that Best Buy has had these overnight PlayStation Portal restocks, and in recent days, we have found little evidence of anyone who has successfully checked out with the PS5 remote player. In other words, the yellow add-to-cart button is lighting up and then it’s instantly out of stock. Temper your expectations at Best Buy.

PlayStation Portal costs $199 in the US. That’s been the price at Walmart, Target, Amazon, Sony and Best Buy, although third-party retailers are known for charging more money for the hard-to-find PS5 remote player. The good news is that following our expert advice on each PlayStation “portable” restock should be able to score you the hottest PS5 accessory before the holidays.

At $199, PlayStation Portal is the perfect price for a “big gift” for existing PS5 owners who want the next big technology from Sony. It plays PlayStation 5 games away from the primary television (but still requires a powered-on PS5 console and steady WiFi connection, so don’t expect it to work well outside the house) and costs the perfect amount for most American consumers. The PlayStation Portal is almost guaranteed to be something that techies don’t own yet, so it’s an easy product for parents to buy.

One word of caution for US consumers: some stores allow third-party resellers to profit off of consumers desperate to purchase the PlayStation Portal and may not know how much it actually costs. Its MSRP is $199, so avoid paying double that price from resellers who often re-list the PS Portal for double.

PlayStation Portal is often out of stock at US retailers because demand is strong and the price is reasonable for consumers looking to gift something to PS5 owners. It’s not as popular as the PS5 console was in 2020 and 2021, but Sony’s new handheld is seeing both consumers and resellers interested in scooping up the PS Portal.

While there wasn’t strong demand when pre-orders went live, we now see people coming around to the fact that PlayStation Portal is a good gift, even if reviews of it aren’t completely positive.