Sony talks PS6 and next gen plans with hint at new portable console

Sony has discussed its next generation plans for PS6, which seems to include some kind of handheld.

There’s still a sense the PlayStation 5 generation has barely begun, due to the lack of exclusive games and the amount of people still playing on last gen hardware, but Sony has its eyes firmly set on the next generation.

As such, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s new president and CEO, Hideaki Nishino, was asked various questions about the future of PlayStation during a recent business presentation, a transcript of which was released this week.

As part of this presentation, Nishino was asked specifically about the advancements in cloud gaming, and whether it could make a new home console redundant.

After highlighting how Sony has experimented with cloud gaming since the PlayStation 3 generation, Nishino explained how he believes the majority of players still want to play games through ‘local execution’ due to the instability of online connections.

‘The business model for cloud gaming must be sustainable for the longer term gross,’ Nishino said. ‘Cloud gaming is progressing well from a technical standpoint, we have demonstrated with these offerings, but end-to-end network stability is not in our control. And the higher cost per playtime compared to the traditional console model remains a challenge.

‘Cloud gaming is increasingly providing additional options 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 local network conditions. And PS5 and PS5 Pro have validated this thesis, I believe.’

On the subject of the next generation, Sony didn’t share any details about its next console but stated that it is ‘top of mind’ at the company.

‘Our console business has evolved into a multi-faceted platform, and we now have a large ecosystem of highly engaged players across both the PS5 and PS4 generations, so naturally therefore, there’s a huge interest in our next generation console strategy,’ Nishino added. ‘While we cannot share further details at this stage, the future of the platform is top of mind.

‘We are committed to exploring a new and enhanced way for players to engage in our content and services.’

Later in the Q&A, Nishino was asked about Sony’s strategy around the PlayStation Portal, and if handhelds are part of its next generation plans – something which has been rumoured over the past year.

While he largely dodges the latter part of the question, Nishino states that they ‘remain committed’ to the handheld space and ‘exploring’ other new ways for players to ‘access our content and services’.

‘The PlayStation Portal is part of our strategy to offer more flexible playstyles,’ he said. ‘When we invested in the PlayStation Portal, we wanted to ensure that any handheld device we create would be able to provide players with the full PlayStation experience that they have come to expect through our consoles.

‘We want to ensure games look good when played on handhelds. The smartphone is too small [a] screen for high fidelity, so I wanted to approach portable gaming via streaming, which led to the PlayStation Portal.

‘Currently, the Portal owners spend 30% more time playing and later into the evening. It’s showing the impact the Portal has had on the play patterns. Sales are progressing steadily and more importantly, it has unlocked additional engagement across our player base, so we remain committed to exploring new ways for players to access our content and services.’

While nothing is known about the PlayStation 6, rumours suggest it could launch with two variants, namely a home console and portable device. Just recently, known leaker Kepler claimed the portable will have AI upscaling and a third of the overall memory bandwidth of the PlayStation 5.

It’s claimed the portable will also have 16GB of RAM, along with a 4MB L2 cache (a second tier of memory) and 16MB of MALL (memory attached last level).

Sony previously talked about its next generation plans last year, where it suggested that the console will improve ‘other elements’ beyond graphics.

‘Technology is constantly evolving, so I think there’s still more we can do,’ Nishino said. ‘With the PlayStation 5, we’ve shortened loading times by switching from the hard disc drive (HDD) used in the PlayStation 4 era to a solid-state drive (SSD).

‘The sound can now be heard more three-dimensionally through the PS5 controller’s speakers, enhancing the sense of immersion. Visual accuracy is important, but we will also be updating other elements.’

The big question is what Sony can do to convince PlayStation 5 players to jump ship to the next generation, which could arrive as early as 2027.

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