Will Sony follow the hybrid console next gen with PS5?

Definitely no. Vita is dead. Nintendo owns the handheld market. It'd be suicide to compete with them. The whole beauty of the Switch is that it has no competition. Why would Sony want to jump in there when they can continue to dominate in the home console market?

Because they jumped in that rodeo with Nintendo many times now. Motion controls, handhelds - for example. It turns out many times Nintendo is met with success Sony follows with taking lots of notes, and the Switch is no exception. The PS5 wouldn't be purely a handheld system - it would be met with the unprecedented power of what a next-gen console can provide, only this time it's not only capable on the nicest TV screens available but also on a slick small screen playable anywhere. Just because Nintendo does not have any current competition here doesn't mean there aren't any imminent challengers approaching.

Good god, I hope not. Sony has a hilarious inability to do handhelds right, but they are the masters in the console space. They should focus on what they do well, and let Nintendo focus on what they do well.

No chance. Sony wants to beat Microsoft in the power front.

We all know pretty well at this point they have a tendency to try to dig up the same treasure that Nintendo already dug up only to realize there's no resources left for them to thrive...maybe they've learned their lessons at this point, or maybe not. They've definitely been spicing up envious commentary over the Switch's success, so I guess it could be completely up in the air if they're evening considering such a route.

If they ever did go the hybrid route, they would have to advertise it as a console first and foremost for this reason. I think Sony secretly wants to dominate the entire industry, but Microsoft and Nintendo both having polarizing opposite philosophies make it extremely difficult for Sony to dominate on both sides.

@jaydan: Yeah I can agree with that! I don't want them to do a hybrid type console but.

@jaydan: 4k TVs will be the norm whenever ps5 releases. People will want a 4k 60fps machine. If only the Vita had a dock like Switch, it would have done better. I can see them possibly releasing a new Vita like system, but they aren't going to abandon the home console market... And no, the Switch is not a home console. It's a handheld with a dock. I can actually see MS doing a handheld using a downgraded surface-like tablet.(Actually, they have that now sort of lol)

@jaydan: The big problem with the hypothesis is, a hybrid by definition is limited by the mobile form factor- and therefore, you can't have a console that goes toe to toe with Xbox 4, and be a hybrid (unless you want it to have a battery life of 24 seconds, followed by spontaneous combustion).

Sony can try to (misguidedly) follow Nintendo into the hybrid arena if they want, but they'd be giving up the fight with MS and all for an attempt to win in a market they have historically had their worst failures in. Not worth it imo

Really? I thought the PSP was pretty cool. The Vita was a pretty decent bit of kit too... Sony just screwed it over.

No, the actual hardware is fine, it's everything else they fail at.

With Vita, I agree. But PSP was pretty decent all-round I thought.

Let's just say in the time between now and next-gen came around, such a hypothesis came true? That is: a powerful machine still capable of competing with Xbox, a powerful handheld with respectable battery life? Maybe it all sounds unreasonable now as far as technology advances go, but that's not to say such things will never be capable.

If Sony hypothetically created just the machine that delivered on all those specs, would you still resent it or is it just too good to be true at our current state?

I mean, the laws of physics mean it can't happen lol.

If they could do it, I think they should. I prefer mobility.

I don't think laws of physics has anything to prevent such plausibility from happening. It's just that, our current technological states don't currently offer such possibilities. I look at how far electronic devices in general (not just gaming machines) have come along in such short periods of time. Things are continually getting smaller yet more powerful. There are no signs of such innovations and advancements to cap off. Maybe there's no way anything like that can happen next gen, or even a few gens - but there will come a point where we'll look at something like the Switch and realize how far things have come along.

@joshrmeyer: Pretty much. Vita was a train wreck and PS4 is awesome.

Let Sony stick with what they are good at... which means stay far away from handhelds.

@jaydan: It's true that mobile devices have made impressive advancements, but it's still just not possible to fit Xbox One X power into a tablet form factor. And it won't be in 2020, either.

Sony needs to keep a clear vision for its console product line - someone needs to push technical and graphical advancements, and things like VR as well. Nintendo Switch is doing well, which we should all be happy about. But it's a uniquely Nintendo product that takes advantage of the fact that Nintendo has less use for high-powered systems than the competitors do. Their strength in the handheld space is icing on the cake.

a hybrid... so next gen their graphics will actually be worse??

lol...yea i am sure cows would love that. a great way to own lems... with a weak ass system lol

nah.... sony has to release two pieces of hardware... a hybird and a real console.....

will the hybrid be a success like the switch?? ummm in japan it will do great against switch...but europe and usa??? they need to get ass creed, battlefront, call of duty on there. so....they are gonna need much more power.... tegra x2? x3? what do you need to run battlefield 5? and red dead redemption 2 on portable?

then after they get the power..... they need to convince europe and usa to buy downgrade portable versions of call of duty and battlefield.... then sony has to release uncharted and last of us on it....support it with exclusives.... idk.... seems very risky on sony's part. good luck!

Well it would be nice to see how it looks when Sony actually cares and pushes an handheld, but I don't think we'll see that happen. They would be insane to directly go against Nintendo who is having such a great run ATM

The PS4 is even more successful and sony didn't need a hybrid.

Agree.

PSP had great support though, but mostly because of third party.

Sony is the opposite from nintendo when it comes to handhelds. One does support right and one does hardware right.

I think by now all 3 Sony, MS and Nintendo have learned to stick to what they're good at.

Nintendo is good at portability and Great 1st party games for the whole family.

Sony is Great at giving you descent HW with Great 1st Party, single player Story driven games as well as a plethora of Japanese games.

MS is Great at giving us high powered console HW with good 1st Party multiplayer games and a great on line service.

@jaydan: the battery life? I'd say 30 minutes and then what about actually support? Remember Sony failed to even support Vita

My heart says yes, but my head says no.

Committing your flagship product line to combat mobile is too dicey for Sony.

I think no and I hope not!

I really, really hope not.

No. Sony has a good thing going with the PS4, people just want more of that from them with PS5.

Leave the portable/hybrid consoles to the people who are actually good at making them.

The consensus over this question I'm picking up:

• Sony has attempted and failed the handheld market a number of times, it would be bad to try it again.
• Sony is in a fierce competitive battle as is with Microsoft and they have an edge right now that they can't just drop by focusing on any other spot in the industry. It would make their business a scattered model to the point that they are left open for Microsoft to throw harder punches.
• In an unrealistic world, a hybrid PS5 console that's as powerful as anything as power goes for next-gen, is just a great dream; in a realistic world, we are no where close to that kind of technological advancement that will enable Sony to make a handheld device even remotely as powerful as their power model is currently going. It would mean taking a step back just to appease the hybrid gods but it will devastate the leverage they currently have when going against Microsoft.

I hope not with the PS5.

The success of the Switch? It's not been out that long and Nintendo fan boys have had to wait forever for a new console...... let's see how it does in the long term......

I doubt it. They would dig the rest of their grave with it.

Basically all Sony has going for it is exclusives - and they'd sell a lot less of them in handheld format. We all know the Switch is just another Nintendo handheld - the only difference being the TV adapter is available from the start this time.

I hope not. Vita remote play with PS4 can be great, but for PS5 every penny Sony puts into R&D of hybrid tech takes away from its ability to compete in the power department, leaving M$ all alone at the top of the power scale. It would be a dumb move. I hope they put every ounce of effort towards being at the top of the spec wars.

Probably not. I see them investing more in VR, and other technologies.

PSP and PS Vita were great, the problem was Sony.

If they want to still compete with Xbox in the spec wars then no.

PSP is the best portable system ever. Especially if we're talking games.

Not only that, but the damn thing would cost as much as a mid range gaming laptop. IE: $900-1000.