PlayStation head Hideaki Nishino recently gave one of the most obvious hints yet: PS6 may be launching a handheld version. This news has actually been regarded as an "open secret" by many people. Many reliable sources have previously stated that Sony's next-generation console is expected to be launched in two forms: one is a traditional home console for TV use, and the other is a portable device that can be played anytime and anywhere.
In an interview with Japanese media Famitsu, Nishino Hideaki said that Sony needs to "adapt to changing lifestyles" and create a new game console experience by "leveraging technology that can be used in various forms and scenarios."
Although he did not directly mention the handheld console, it is difficult for people to understand his statement in other directions.
Later, he also talked about the upcoming PlayStation monitor and Pulse portable speaker, saying that these products will help players "game comfortably" outside of the living room.
At the same time, he also mentioned PS Portal, PlayStation’s streaming handheld device. The market performance of this product has exceeded many people's expectations, and it also proves that players really want to experience PS5 games in a more "portable" environment.
Not long ago, Sony also added a new low-power mode to the PS5. Some people in the industry speculate that this may be a "Trojan horse" testing method used to verify the operating performance of lower-performance hardware configurations and accumulate experience for future handheld devices.
It remains to be seen how much of an impact the current ongoing memory supply issues will ultimately have on PlayStation's next-generation hardware plans.
But judging from various signs at this stage, handheld consoles have clearly become an important part of Sony's future strategy. As market demands continue to change, more and more gamers want to be able to access and play their game library outside of the living room, and Sony clearly doesn't plan to miss out on this trend.