PlayStation Boss Hints PS6 Will Include Portable Console

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino has given his strongest indication yet that the next-generation PlayStation console will feature a portable model.

Nishino affirms commitment to dedicated game consoles. In an interview with Famitsu marking the magazine’s 40th anniversary, Nishino was asked whether Sony’s PlayStation brand would continue to focus on consoles. He replied that his belief a console is necessary for playing games has not changed and that Sony wants to continue providing its own game consoles.

The comments come after his 2024 statement that hardware will not be disappearing anytime soon.

Pick-up-and-play quality drives future hardware plans. Nishino said he thinks pick up and play is the most important quality for consoles nowadays. He added that developing new game console experiences will involve leveraging technologies that can be used in various forms and locations.

This approach would enable Sony to create something exciting, according to Nishino.

PlayStation Portal cited as step toward multi-location play. Nishino noted that although the PlayStation brand is strongly associated with playing on the TV in the living room, the company is planning to release monitors and speakers so that people can play comfortably in other locations as well. He pointed to the development of the PlayStation Portal as part of this initiative.

The executive’s remarks suggest PlayStation may move toward more hybrid, Switch-like consoles to match modern on-the-go players.

History of PlayStation beyond the living room. Sony has taken the PlayStation brand away from the TV many times before. Examples include the portable screen for the PSone in the early 2000s, the Japan-only Pocketstation, the PSP and PS Vita handhelds, PlayStation VR, and the PS5 companion handheld PlayStation Portal.

Nishino’s latest comments build on that history while signaling a possible portable component for the PS6.