While the PlayStation Portable was a commercial success that saw Sony make a strong entrance into the handheld gaming market, its successor, the PS Vita, failed to generate much excitement. Held back by a high price tag and a lack of must-have titles, Sony stopped producing major first-party releases for the Vita early in its lifespan, instead focusing on making games for the PlayStation 4. Considering how quickly Sony stopped seriously supporting Vita, some have assumed that the company is done with handheld gaming, but that may not be the case.

According to new Sony Interactive Entertainment chief John Kodera, PlayStation could once again release a handheld console at some point in the future. Kodera said that Sony is thinking about "many options" when it comes to portable gaming, and that it needs to explore what its customers want from a portable gaming device.

Kodera's comments don't necessarily indicate that a portable Sony console is in active development, but it's a possibility. In fact, Sony patented a design for a Nintendo Switch-like console that, like Nintendo's latest device, would be a console/handheld hybrid. Perhaps when Sony introduces the PlayStation 5, it will also introduce a portable version of the PS4 that would attempt to rival the Switch.

While Sony may one day return to portable gaming, maybe even with a Switch-like device, right now its presence in the handheld market is dwindling. Just last week, Sony announced that it will end the production of physical Vita cartridges this year, and one has to imagine that general support for the console will end at some point within the next couple of years as well.

After all, Sony has already announced plans to end PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection support for the PS Vita in March of next year. This could be a sign that support for the Vita's other online services could be ending not long after that as well, which would effectively kill the device.

Once support for the Vita ends, it will be interesting to see if Sony prepares a successor to take its place. For now, fans of handheld Sony consoles shouldn't get too excited, but they should rest easy knowing that there is at least a possibility that PlayStation will return to the portable market.

Source: Game Informer