The Yoniq Portal handheld is exactly what it sounds like: a retro handheld device built inside a body shaped like an original PlayStation 2 controller, with a 4-5″ display splitting the two halves where a cable once ran. Yoniq brought it to Gamescom alongside two other devices, giving Western audiences their first real look at a company that, until very recently, had almost no public profile at all.
The company’s booth at Gamescom showed three handhelds in total. The Yoniq Duo is a dual-screen Android device. The Yoniq Lite is, by Yoniq’s own apparent admission, a clone of the white-labelled R36S that has flooded AliExpress and similar storefronts. The Portal is the one doing the talking.
A PS2 Controller You Can Actually Play On
The design leans hard into nostalgia. The Portal carries the iconic PS2 DPAD, large analogue sticks in the positions DualShock owners will recognise immediately, the familiar face buttons, and the clunky shoulder buttons that apparently retain the feel of the originals. Those analogue sticks sit in the classic symmetrical layout rather than the offset arrangement you find on modern Xbox-style handhelds, which will feel immediately natural to anyone who spent their teenage years on a PS2. There are also custom menu buttons positioned just below the start and select buttons, sitting close enough to your thumbs to be genuinely useful rather than decorative.
The display is angled slightly rather than sitting flat within the controller body, and around it you will find ports for charging, ROM loading, and volume control. The overall profile is compact and shaped for extended sessions, which the DualShock form factor has always suited well.
PantasOS and the Yoniq Portal Handheld’s Software Layer
The Portal is set to run PantasOS, which Yoniq describes as an ‘open gaming ecosystem designed to connect your devices, games, and experiences in one seamless platform’. According to Hot Hardware, early previews suggest PantasOS operates as a customised interface layer built over an Android core, aimed at centralising launcher tools, emulator management, and cloud syncing services. That positions it less as a ground-up operating system and more as a cohesive front-end sitting atop Android, similar in spirit to what several other handheld manufacturers have attempted, though the degree of polish will determine whether it adds genuine value or simply gets bypassed in favour of a standard Android launcher.
The Gamescom signage mentioned ‘cross-platform cloud connectivity’, which likely refers to syncing with PC and modern consoles in the way many Android and PC handhelds already handle. ‘AI performance scheduling’ appeared on the same sign, which seems to point toward automatic power and performance adjustments rather than anything more involved. ‘Professional gamepad adjustment’ was also listed, suggesting some form of controller customisation is planned.
No Price, No Specs, but a Countdown Is Running
As things stand, Yoniq has not announced specifications, pricing, or a confirmed release date for the Portal. A launch countdown on the Yoniq website currently points toward an early 2027 release, according to Hot Hardware, though the company’s own site remains under construction and the timer could yet prove to be a placeholder.
Yoniq told us their team ‘has previously been involved in the development and production of a large number of handheld gaming devices’ and that they have access to ‘some of the most experienced supply-chain and manufacturing resources in China’. That is an encouraging claim for a company that arrived with AI-generated marketing imagery and almost no track record in public view, though Yoniq acknowledged their marketing side is still catching up: ‘our marketing team is still being built and is not yet as mature as our product and engineering side.’
The Portal’s presence at Gamescom, a trade show that commands real budget and logistics, at least confirms Yoniq is serious about reaching a Western audience before launch. Whether the hardware lives up to the nostalgia it is banking on will become clearer as the countdown runs down toward early 2027.
