The teasing for the next iteration of PlayStation home consoles has already begun.

Speaking with Nikkei, Sony Computer Entertainment Executive Vice President Masayasu Ito teased a “next generation” for the PlayStation:

“I think there will be a PlayStation 5. However, I don’t know what form it will take. It could be a physical unit, or it could be in the cloud.”

But he clarified the overall mentality at Sony PlayStation:

“Even if the form factor changes, PlayStation 5 games will be made. This is what we want.”

So there you have it.

Sony is definitely adept at making good hardware, so it would make sense for them to stick it out in the home console market until the bitter end. Full cloud gaming seems inevitable, but the question is whether or not companies and/or gamers will adapt well.

[Editor’s note: I have my doubts as to whether cloud-based gaming can take off within the next decade. How much of the world is really ready to rely that heavily on an internet connection? At least one more console generation will be designed as a smart terminal. After that, who knows? The timeline ultimately depends on telecommunications infrastructure.]

Image source: David Hansson