According to a recent leak, Sony may be working on some new PlayStation hardware. Information is limited, but the new PlayStation product will likely release before the PlayStation 5 Pro, which is expected to launch relatively soon.
Sony launched the PlayStation 5 worldwide on November 12, 2020, two days after Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S consoles. Despite its short supply due to a global semiconductor shortage, the PS5 saw the most successful launch of any games console. The console sold 30 million units as of February 2023, beating the combined sales of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S by around 11.5 million. Many expect the upcoming PS5 Pro console to launch this year or the next, with a recent report indicating that Sony might have something to show off in the next few months.
About 14 minutes and 50 seconds into his stream on April 1, game journalist and industry insider Tom Henderson also revealed that Sony is working on a new piece of hardware. He couldn't go into detail but confirmed that the product in question is not the PlayStation 5 Pro and will release before it. Henderson also indicated that the unannounced product will be quite a surprise, saying, "When this new hardware does get announced, it's going to be very interesting to see what the competition thinks of it." However, he couldn't provide any more information other than saying that the new hardware hadn't been reported on by other sources yet.
It's hard to guess what this new PlayStation hardware might be, though some speculate it could be the PlayStation Vita 2 or a similar handheld system. Whispers of a new Sony handheld pop up from time to time. The most recent of these rumors comes from a post on the GamingLeaksAndRumors subreddit and claims that employees from electronics manufacturer Asus are aware of Sony working on a new handheld console. If these rumors are true, it is possible that Sony might be hoping to compete with the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch. However, one should be careful about putting too much stock into Reddit hearsay.
The Internet was also recently abuzz with rumors of a possible PlayStation 5 Slim, but those were quickly debunked, and Henderson's statements suggest the new product isn't something people expect. The recent release of the PlayStation VR2 also seems to rule out anything related to virtual reality, though that's not impossible. Sony may also be working on a new controller or some other peripheral. Ultimately, however, there's insufficient information to make any reasonable prediction.