What should Sony do for the next Playstation?

[Kyuu]

TheRealSamusAran said:

Kyuu said:

It's been pretty obvious since SteamDeck's announcement that a handheld "Playstation Deck" was on the way. Will be interesting to see how it sells compared to SteamDeck and a potential SteamDeck 2.

If the Steam Deck is the measure stick for a Sony handheld, then it already failed. The SD is a success in its own niche, but Sony should be going after Nintendo, which eclipsed the whole PC handheld market to date in 2 months.

Switch 2 is in a different stratosphere, and they're not the same thing. A PS6 handheld would be a mere "configuration" in the vein of SteamDeck or PS4/5 Pro. No need for it to sell gangbusters in order to be seen as a success.

What Sony need is sustain its playerbase and increase revenues and profitability. If the handheld can contribute to that task, then its existence is more than justified. Because again it's just one configuration constituting a bigger platform. Unlike the Vita, there simply is no real downsides to it given the state of the industry.

Between A) going hybrid purely, B) sticking with traditional home consoles, and C) going for a home console + handheld combo, the 3rd option is the right call for Sony. A Playstation hybrid that replaces their home consoles (which is the only way to have a true "Switch competitor") would be a terrible decision, because Sony's traditional home consoles remain super popular. PS5 is no Wii U.

Last edited by Kyuu - on 30 August 2025