- PlayStation boss Hideaki Nishino says ‘pick up and play’ is the most important quality for consoles these days
- He says Sony wants to take advantage of technology “that can be used in various forms and in different places.”
- CEO comments suggest Sony is looking to join the handheld market
A new PlayStation handheld could be on the table after comments from Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino suggesting the company wants to create new hardware similar to the Nintendo Switch 2.
In an interview with Famitsu (translated by IGN), Nishino was asked if PlayStation plans to continue its focus on consoles, following a comment he made in 2024 about how hardware wouldn’t disappear anytime soon.
The CEO confirmed that this would be the case, saying: “My belief that a console is necessary for playing games has not changed,” adding that Sony “wants to continue to supply its own game consoles.”
But what kind of consoles? Nishino went on to mention that “pick up and play” is the most important quality for consoles these days, which immediately brings to mind the Switch 2 or PlayStation Portal.
Nishino went on to say that developing new consoles would mean Sony would “exploit technologies that can be used in various forms and in various places” and that this would allow Sony “to create something exciting.”
“For example, although the PlayStation brand is strongly associated with gaming on the TV in the living room, we plan to launch monitors and speakers so people can play comfortably in other places as well,” Nishino said. “We developed the PlayStation Portal as part of this initiative.”
PlayStation Portal is a remote player that allows PS5 users to play their PS5 games through their portable device, a challenge that Sony has taken on to create a new type of gaming experience, according to Nishino.
“We were thinking, ‘Let’s try this, let’s try that,’ and I would like us to continue product development while exploring various ideas in that way,” he said.
Although the PlayStation Portal is a portable console, its focus is on streaming and cloud gaming, unlike the PSP and PS Vita.
While the PSP took off and became Sony’s biggest handheld ever, selling 70 million units, the PS Vita didn’t fare very well, moving around 15-16 million units before it was discontinued in 2019.
If Sony plans to join the handheld market, competition will be tough against the Switch 2, which officially sold nearly 6 million units in its first year of release.
Rumors have been circulating about a PS6 handheld for some time. According to an insider and reliable leaker, Moore’s Law is Dead, Sony will launch its next-generation PlayStation with three devices in 2027, including two consoles and a companion handheld.
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
The best game consoles
