Sony Interactive Entertainment is once again sounding less like a company tied to the living room TV and more like one preparing for a hybrid future. In a recent interview, SIE president Hideaki Nishino made it clear that Sony still believes in dedicated consoles, while also hinting that the next phase of PlayStation could be built around gaming ”anywhere” rather than only on the couch.
That is not a wild pivot so much as a continuation of a long experiment. Sony has spent decades trying to stretch PlayStation beyond the main screen, from the PSone’s portable display and PocketStation to PSP, PS Vita, PS VR, and PlayStation Portal. The difference now is that cloud streaming and hybrid hardware have become mainstream enough that the idea sounds less experimental and more overdue.
Nishino keeps the console-first message alive
Speaking to Famitsu for the magazine’s 40th anniversary, Nishino was asked whether Sony would continue to focus on making game consoles after his 2024 remarks that hardware is not going anywhere. His answer was unambiguous: the console still matters, and Sony intends to keep building its own gaming machines.
He also framed ”pick up and play” as the defining quality of a modern console. That sounds simple, but it hints at a broader shift in product thinking: the best device is not necessarily the one that sits under your TV, but the one that disappears into your routine.
PlayStation Portal points to a wider hardware strategy
Nishino said Sony wants to build new game experiences using technologies that work in different forms and places. In practice, that means more attention on portable and secondary devices, including monitors and speakers designed to let players keep going outside the traditional console setup. PlayStation Portal was presented as part of that effort.
Portal is also the clearest sign that Sony is taking cloud streaming seriously. Nishino said the service became available in November 2025, and by January 2026 usage had risen to 1.5 times the December 2025 level. That is a neat way of saying demand is growing fast enough for Sony to keep paying attention, especially as rivals keep nudging the market toward more flexible play.
PS6 rumors are getting louder
The real suspense is not whether Sony will keep making consoles. It is what form the next one will take. Current rumors point to either a Switch-like dockable design or a fully portable machine, both of which would fit Sony’s recent comments far better than a straight repeat of the PS5 playbook.
There is, of course, a catch: portability is rarely cheap. With Valve’s recently announced Steam Machine starting at $1,050, Sony may have to think carefully about pricing if it wants a next-gen device that can move between rooms, screens, and travel bags without landing in premium-luxury territory. The company has every reason to explore hybrid hardware; the harder question is whether it can do that without making the final bill hard to swallow.
Sony’s next move could hinge on price
If Sony does go down the portable or hybrid route, the launch timing may depend less on raw engineering and more on how much it can charge. A high-end PlayStation that chases flexibility would have to justify itself against cheaper consoles, handheld PCs, and cloud options that already exist. That is a difficult sales pitch, but also a familiar one for a company that likes to arrive late and then make everyone else look conservative.