The PS5 will be turning three this year and, as is tradition, there is already plenty of talk about both its successor and a mid-generation refresh, colloquially known as the PS5 Pro. Many expect this could arrive at some point in 2023. But one leading tipster believes PlayStation fans could be treated to new gaming hardware even before the PS5 Pro.
In his latest live stream, Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming spilled the beans. In the stream, he mentioned, “There's also another piece of Sony hardware that will be released before the Pro I'm likely to talk about very soon. There's more hardware coming from Sony than what has been reported on." he went on to clarify via Twitter that despite the April 1st date, this was no April Fools' prank.
For those asking, the new Sony hardware I alluded to in yesterday's stream hasn't been reported on yet.April 2, 2023
In terms of what we can expect the announcement to be, there is little to go on.
Certainly, considering the expected release date of the PS5 Pro (itself still not officially confirmed to exist) this year, this latest piece of hardware must already be in the latter stages of development. This would suggest an incredibly busy 2023 for Sony’s gaming department with the Dualsense Edge and PSVR2 both already releasing this year.
A new handheld?
Henderson’s description that the hardware “hasn’t been reported on yet” would appear to discount the rumored PS5 with a detachable disc drive so perhaps it could be something completely out of the blue.
Early speculation and excitement on social media is that a new PSP or PS Vita could be on the way. If the success of the Nintendo Switch is anything to go by, Sony might be wise to try introducing a portable competitor with a bit more oomph under the hood to the market.
The PS Vita, launched in 2012, was Sony’s last serious attempt at a handheld and while it does have plenty of fans sales were not enough to escape it being discontinued in 2019.
In the face of the much cheaper Nintendo DS, the PSP and PS Vita struggled, despite boasting better performance. But nowadays, considering the Switch’s success at a $299 price point, the Vita's $249 launch price seems a bit more reasonable.
While this is all speculation for now, at Tom’s Guide we will of course keep our ears to the ground (and fingers crossed) to bring you any news as it happens.
