- PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino has suggested that the brand’s next console could be a handheld hybrid.
- He said Sony wants to break the perception that “PlayStation equals the living room.”
- Nishino added that the next-generation console will offer “a seamless experience that can be enjoyed naturally beyond the living room.”
New comments from Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino appear to suggest that the next-generation PlayStation console could be a handheld.
During a recent Q&A session posted by Sony (via IGN), Nishino was asked how Sony plans to win back users who migrated to gaming PCs during the COVID period and whether the company sees potential for significant changes with the next-gen console.
Nishino responded by saying that PlayStation “has long been strongly associated with the idea of gaming in the living room.” However, in recent years, gamers have been using personal monitors in other places in their homes, so Sony is now selling peripherals such as monitors and speakers “to break the fixed perception that ‘PlayStation equals the living room’ and expand usage scenarios.”
That’s when Nishino hinted at the next-gen console, which we hope will be the PS6.
“For the next-generation platform, rather than simply serving as an alternative to PCs, our goal is to deliver value unique to PlayStation,” he said. “This includes not only technological advances but also an expansion of wearing styles, enabling a seamless experience that can be enjoyed naturally beyond the living room.”
It’s this comment in particular that suggests Sony is looking to change course and perhaps create a console similar to the Nintendo Switch 2.
The CEO made similar comments in a recent interview with Famitsu, during which he said Sony wants to take advantage of technology “that can be used in various ways and locations.”
Nishino confirmed that the company plans to continue focusing on consoles, saying, “My belief that a console is necessary to play games has not changed,” adding that Sony “wants to continue offering its own game consoles.”
He added that “pick up and play” is the most important quality of consoles today, which makes us think of the Switch 2.
Rumors about a PS6 handheld have been circulating for some time now. According to a reliable source, Moore’s Law is Dead, Sony will launch its next-generation PlayStation with three devices in 2027, including two consoles and a companion handheld.
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