darkSpyro

I never realised this until just now. But ill start with superchargers portal. I was incredibly disappointed with this portal, it was without a doubt the worst yet. Just a flat black panel, no lights, it just seemed like a blatant piece of equipment thrown together to work as a reader.
In the first game, being the first game to demonstrate the toys to life idea, there was a sort of magic to the portal. Obviously its electronics but the idea of the portal, with the design, the lights, actually added to the gameplay. Heck it was even in cut scenes. Giving you more physical imagination that the characters were being transported in game via this portal.
When VV first got their hands on the franchise they changed it to the swap force portal, which by no means is awful, but compared to TFB's work on portals it really was a step down. Just a slimmed down portal.
Compared to when TFB got to make the next one, well the trap team portal is without a doubt my favourite. The speaker enhanced the villains gameplay, the lights around the side. The incredible 'how does it work' with the shattered glass thin portal.
What I was saying about how I never realised this until just now, is I have so many portals lying around, from Skylanders, infinity, lego. And most of them are unimportant. But when I was just looking at them all, and I realised how much the superchargers portal sucks, and how much I loved the trap team portal, I realised that the portal is a pretty important part to Skylanders. If you can use your imagination it really adds to the gameplay and its not just a piece of electronics.
It really seems like TFB recognise this and try hard with their portals, where as VV have dropped the ball, and just thrown out easy bits of plastic, that don't do a whole lot. Especially this time around.

Ever since the portal was revealed people agreed it's pretty bad and cheap looking, even if not everyone thinks it's the very worst.

Yeah, I dont think anyone likes the Superchargers portal, or the Budget Portal as I call it. But according to VV, "Those vehicles need a slick flat road to drive on! We gotta treat them like royalty before we throw them away in a few months! VROOM VROOM!"

Although I still like the Traptanium Portal, the SuperCharged Portal kinda grows on me.

If someone would show me the portal, without me knowing it has anything to do with Skylanders, I would never guess it right.
Though I have to disagree with you on the SF part. I think the portal looks good, it's a more modern version of the old one. The TT portal was also nice and still felt like the classic one.

Yep, pretty much agree.
My favorite is the Traptanium one and my least favorite is SuperChargers'.

It doesn't even light up even if it does have trasparent parts.
I mean... I didn't pretend it to light up according to the Skylanders you put on (too much efforts indeed and it's not like they already did it for four games straight) but I was at least expecting the flames to light up.
Nope.

Thanks Eon I can still use my Traptanium Portal.
That Hot Wheels track wannabe went right inside the "Shame Box", along with the doubles and the forced reposes.

As much as I hate the design, I have to say it WORKs better than any other portal. As cool as the TT portal is it was the worst one in terms of function (if you turn up the speaker in the setting giants figures will not read right, and even when they do they have to be placed up next to the wall.) Over all Yes its ugly as ... but I have never had a read problem like with the other portals.

I agree that the SuperChargers portal is the worst when it comes to the design. It's actually boring and looks like it belongs more to another game rather than Skylanders. It doesn't even light up. I actually thought mine was broken at first when I plugged it in, because I expected the flames to light up. You couldn't blame me, they're transparent and look like they should light up, but they don't. A huge step down compared to the beauty that was the Traptanium portal.

Actually I heard from my cousins that their SuperChargers Portal work worse than their Traptanium one.
They say it's hard for it to recognize characters (not vehicles) and that the figures often loose connection.

They are not the first ones I heard complaining about that but I do have to agree on the Traptanium Portal problems with the Giants and in general.

I hope this year's game won't come with a new Portal and that the Traptanium one will be the last "official" one because, let's face it, last year's Portal was created only to allow more space for figures and nothing else.

I think they should go a little Lego dimensiony . And release a kind of customisable portal kit in the next game lol.

Where the portal is just a flat clear crystal disc attached to a chord ( maybe a trap slot where the chord connects) ,but then you can surround/ encase it with a few options of portal covers,

-Classic SA/ Giants castle like

-SF podium type

- trap team clear crystal type

- maybe a tyre or something for SC lol

That's just what I want lol. Once TT is even cheaper, I'm gonna buy another one for the portal , and mod it to look like the classic castle like portal , but contain the clear crystal base.

Agreed with others. Traptanium portal past, SC portal worst. It did nothing to expand my "fantasy" as Guha loves to state.

I like how the SC and SF portals don't have edges - and that allows figures to hang off the edge when things get crowded. Me and my son always play together, so with two figures and a vehicle it gets pretty crowded - particularly if you try to keep Eon's Elite in the box.

However, the TT portal is still my favorite because of the speaker. It added so much to the trapping process, and was typically hilarious. I use that one so I don't have to change out the portal when changing games (Skylanders is the only TTL game I keep the portal plugged in full time, I have the cord run behind the entertainment center).

I praised them for giving us a portal with cable. The wireless ones ate up an uncoutable amount of batteries.

The Traptanium portal is the best - the only improvement I'd give it is if the could have made the LEDs glow through the base more, perhaps run some cheapo "Fiber Optic" strands along the 'cracks'.

SuperChargers, while a great size, is boring. Bleh.

I still want to rig one of those giant, oversized SWAPForce portals from the in-store displays to work on my Wii U.

I wonder if there'd be much of a market for a 'Deluxe' Portal. Big. Seaperate locations on the portal designed for Player 1, Player 2, Vehicle, Magic Item/Location Piece, Trap Slot, a speaker, lights... Imagine if the portal would work while not connected to a system, activating LightCore in figures that have it. Have the portal itself recognize figures and, when not in-game, placing a figure on the portal will have the Character's catchphrase come out of the speaker. Update with a new file onto a removable SD card (or have on-board memory and update via USB) for new figures.

I wager back and forth between the SF or TT but currently I think I prefer the TT portal. It has the awesome broken crystal effect to it.

Trap Team was the only game I didn't get but I can say the superchargers portal SUCKS

the first portal was magical, the second was okay. but the trap team portal is the best without doubt, and i must agree the superchargers portal sucks big time. vv really did cheap out on it.

Quote: defpally

I like how the SC and SF portals don't have edges - and that allows figures to hang off the edge when things get crowded. Me and my son always play together, so with two figures and a vehicle it gets pretty crowded - particularly if you try to keep Eon's Elite in the box.

However, the TT portal is still my favorite because of the speaker. It added so much to the trapping process, and was typically hilarious. I use that one so I don't have to change out the portal when changing games (Skylanders is the only TTL game I keep the portal plugged in full time, I have the cord run behind the entertainment center).

SF portal doesn't win mainly because of no edges...TT portal is simply too damn fun to watch with the color...and of course, the speaker. It's the one portal where u could play ALL of the games and not need to unplug it.

Also because there's a use to edges, as multitasking with it on a desk shows after nearly knocking down several figures shows.

I recently "discovered"PC USB Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Portal of Power, and it became my favorite portal. I use it to play Superchargers and Imaginators.