The generation of PlayStation 5 is far from over, but Sony has already started teasing their next-generation console. Not to worry, PS5 players, the console isn’t going away anytime soon, even after the PS6 releases, thanks to cross-gen facilities.
Xbox has also recently revealed their new handheld ROG Xbox Ally, with more rumors of a next-gen non-Microsoft Xbox hardware in development that aims to be closer to a Windows PC. However, with the vague PS6 tease, Sony might have just beaten Xbox at their own game.
Sony is already developing a next-generation console
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and president Hideaki Nishino commented on the development of a new next-generation PlayStation console in an investor-focused interview at Sony.
While Nishino didn’t outright say that it’s in development, he hinted at it cryptically since Sony’s focus on next-generation consoles has been their strategy over the years, which is a far cry from the route that Xbox is currently heading towards.
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 the PS4 generations. So naturally, therefore, there is a huge interest in our next-generation console strategy. 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 with our content and our services.
This all but confirms that the PlayStation 6 is indeed in development, and we’ll get more details on it as time goes on. Recently, there were rumors of a new Sony handheld device in development, similar to the 2004 PSP, but next-gen.
Nishino further explained the importance of consoles despite the rise in cloud gaming as of late. Their cloud streaming service, PlayStation Plus, and the handheld PlayStation Portal were also mentioned.
We have been in cloud gaming for over the last 11 years. We deployed a cloud gaming service to support the PS3, PS4, and PS5 generations and we are really proud about the quality we have been delivering. Cloud streaming through PlayStation Plus Premium, and we have a cloud streaming beta on the PlayStation Portal, is one such way we are doing this.
Fortunately, Nishino still understands that players yearn for an experience through local execution rather than streaming everything through cloud gaming on a network, further validating the development of next-generation consoles.
Cloud gaming is increasingly providing an additional option for players to access content. But our belief is the majority of players continue to want a play experience, the gaming through a local execution, without dependency on network conditions. PS5 and PS5 Pro have validated this thesis, I believe.
It’s definitely a relief that Sony still values next-generation consoles as the next step in gaming, rather than turning to cloud-based gaming or subscription services like Microsoft, as it allows for greater technological innovation.
In-house Xbox handhelds are reportedly cancelled
In a recent report by The Verge’s Tom Warren, he opened up about the latest Xbox handhelds, ROG Xbox Ally, and addressed the previous rumors about the cancellation of an in-house Xbox handheld.
Warren stated that insiders have broken the disappointing news of the Xbox handheld project being cancelled by Microsoft to divert more resources to the Xbox software, primarily the Game Pass subscription service.
This makes sense, given that Microsoft’s current strategy with Xbox is to focus more on the software rather than developing new hardware, leading to the collaboration between the Windows team and the gaming division at Xbox to develop the ROG Xbox Ally.
Since Xbox has already lost the next-generation hardware race to PlayStation, this may soon lead to Xbox completely dropping out of the console race and becoming strictly software-based. But we hope for otherwise, as a healthy competition is important for a market to grow.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
