Sony Is Starting to Talk About Its Next-Generation PlayStation Console Plans, Although in Vague Terms

As the PS5 nears its 5th birthday, Sony executives person begun to speech astir the next-generation of consoles, and answered successful vague presumption the question of whether 1 is already successful development.

In an investor-focused interrogation published connected Sony's firm website, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and president Hideaki Nishino was asked directly: with unreality gaming much of a viable enactment than ever before, bash we request a next-generation console? Is SIE processing one?

Nishino began by explaining wherefore console hardware is inactive needed contempt the emergence of unreality gaming:

“We person been successful unreality gaming for implicit the past 11 years. We deployed a unreality gaming work to enactment the PS3, PS4, and PS5 generations and we are truly arrogant astir the prime we person been delivering.

“Cloud streaming done PlayStation Plus Premium, and we person a unreality streaming beta connected the PlayStation Portal, is 1 specified mode we are doing this.

“However, the concern exemplary for unreality gaming indispensable beryllium sustainable for the longer word growth. Cloud gaming is progressing good from a method standpoint, arsenic we person demonstrated with these offerings. But end-to-end web stableness is not successful our control.

“Cloud gaming is progressively providing an further enactment for players to entree content. But our content is the bulk of players proceed to privation a play experience, the gaming done a section execution, without dependency connected web conditions. PS5 and PS5 Pro person validated this thesis, I believe.”

So, Sony remains committed to video crippled consoles, astatine slightest for now. But is simply a caller console, a PS6 perhaps, presently successful development?

Here’s Nishino again:

“Our console concern has evolved into a multi-faceted platform, and we present person a ample ecosystem of highly engaged players crossed some the PS5 and the PS4 generations. So naturally, therefore, determination is simply a immense involvement successful our next-generation console strategy.

“While we cannot stock further details astatine this stage, the aboriginal of the level is apical of mind. We are committed to exploring a caller and enhanced mode for players to prosecute with our contented and our services.”

The answer, then, is yes, Sony is processing a next-generation console, though that shouldn’t travel arsenic overmuch of a surprise. Console manufacturers often commencement enactment connected next-generation consoles soon aft they merchandise current-gen consoles. In fact, Sony started improvement of PS5 astir instantly aft PS4 came retired backmost successful November 2013. Following what’s gone before, possibly PS6 has already been successful the works for 5 years.

Nishino’s comments bash not archer america overmuch astir what to expect from Sony, but it’s worthy speculating based connected its caller moves and wherever the marketplace is going. While fans expect a accepted PS6, a location console that is much almighty than the PS5 successful each way, possibly Sony is besides considering pursuing Nintendo’s pb with a portable hybrid. If you look astatine the PlayStation Portal and however it has evolved, Sony is intelligibly steering successful that direction.

Indeed, Nishino was asked during the capitalist interrogation astir Sony's strategy astir the PlayStation Portal, and whether handhelds are a portion of its next-generation strategy, though helium failed to reply successful a meaningful way.

The ‘will determination beryllium a next-gen?’ question has been bubbling nether the aboveground ever since the current-gen kicked disconnected successful November 2020. With the PS5 present pushing past the halfway constituent of its beingness and Microsoft releasing Xbox-branded handhelds, change, clearly, is coming. What isn’t wide is precisely what that looks similar erstwhile some Sony and Microsoft yet propulsion the trigger.

In February, erstwhile Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios CEO Shawn Layden said Sony can't get distant with launching the PS6 arsenic an each digital, disc-less console. Layden told Kiwi Talkz that, portion Xbox has recovered occurrence successful that regard, PlayStation has specified a ample marketplace stock that it would beryllium shutting retired excessively galore radical by removing carnal and offline games from its library.

"I don't deliberation Sony tin get distant with it now," Layden said. "I deliberation Xbox has had much occurrence successful pursuing that strategy, but Xbox is truly astir palmy successful their concern successful a clutch of countries: the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. Coincidentally capable each English speaking countries.

"Sony, which is the fig 1 level successful astir apt 170 countries astir the world, has an work oregon a work to say, 'If we spell discless, however overmuch of my marketplace is not capable to marque that jump? Can users successful agrarian Italy get a decent transportation to bask games?'"

And successful September past year, it was reported that Intel mislaid the PS6 spot declaration to AMD successful 2022. The PS4 came retired November 2013, and the PS5 7 years later, successful November 2020. If this signifier repeats itself, the PS6 volition travel retired November 2027. One crippled that whitethorn beryllium acceptable to motorboat connected PS6 is Physint, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima’s long-awaited instrumentality to the “action espionage” genre. The Witcher 4 isn't owed retired until 2027 astatine the earliest, truthful possibly that's a next-generation game, too.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].