Quick Summary
The CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment dismissed ideas that the company could adopt a cloud gaming first strategy in future.
He revealed, instead, that Sony will continue to release "new and enhanced" hardware – although didn't mention the PS6 by name.
Sony isn't ready to ditch its traditional console strategy yet, even though rival Xbox is making further strides into new form factors and cloud gaming. It might even have confirmed PlayStation 6 in all but name.
Speaking during a business segment meeting last week, the CEO and president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Hideaki Nishino revealed that the company is working on "the future of the [PlayStation] platform" and that it is exploring a "new and enhanced way for players to engage with our content and services".
That won't be a rival to Xbox Cloud Gaming and is likely to be a traditional next-generation console instead: "Cloud gaming is increasingly providing an additional option for players to access content, but our belief is that the majority of players continue to want to experience gaming through local execution without dependency on network conditions," he added (via VGC).
Nishino pointed towards the cost of cloud delivery as a mitigating factor. He explained that "cost per playtime" for cloud gaming is higher than "the traditional console model".
And so the next big release from Sony after the PS5 Pro should be the PS6. However, that doesn't mean it won't spread it wings further when it comes to future games releases and form factors.
Will we get a new PlayStation handheld?
It has often been touted that Sony is working on an all-new handheld console – something more like the PS Vita than PS Portal. So that could emerge before the PS6 – especially as some analysts suggest it'll be 2028 before a next-gen Sony could release.
And Xbox has also unveiled its first foray into the world of handhelds recently, in partnership with Asus for the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X.
However, before either of the prospective Sony machines happen, the company will be releasing even more of its first-party games across multiple platforms, including PC. And that means they'll be playable on all manner of existing handhelds anyway.
Whether than includes the Xbox Ally X remains to be seen.
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