Sony CEO claims next-gen hardware is 'necessary'

Sony president and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, who replaced Kazuo 'Kaz' Hirai' back in April, has confirmed the company plans on releasing next-gen hardware. 

Speaking to the Financial Times (via Gematsu), the chief exec claimed it's absolutely "necessary to have a next-generation hardware." Although he stopped short of christening that device the PlayStation 5, it's highly unlikely the company would ditch the globally recognized brand at this point.

While some might suggest Sony's decision to work on new hardware is fairly predictable, Yoshida's comments are notable because he was responding to a question about how the firm intends to address the burgeoning mobile games marketing and shifting consumer habits.

Incidentally, they also come a day after Microsoft unveiled its work-in-progress streaming technology, Project xCloud, which is designed to let people stream and play games on any device of their choosing -- be it tablet, smartphone, or console. 

Meanwhile, Sony's other main competitor Nintendo is continuing its push into the world of mobile games, having brought a number of major franchises like Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, and Super Mario to smartphones over the past two years (though the results have been mixed).