Sony has followed the announcement of its miniaturized first-generation PlayStation with comments about the Japanese giant's fifth-generation console. In an interview (paywalled), new Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida told the Financial Times “it’s necessary to have a next-generation hardware.”

However, while Yoshida did confirm the next-gen console, he refused to explicitly name it the "PlayStation 5." According to industry analysts, Sony will want to capitalize on the potential of esports by ensuring that its next machine is powerful enough to host top-level esports events.

The FT report claims people with knowledge of Sony’s future plans believe the new console will “not represent a major departure from the PS4, and that the fundamental architecture would be similar.”

The report quotes Ibbotson Associates Japan analyst Kazunori Ito, who said, "Sony would likely seek to use this successful PS4 platform as long as possible." The PlayStation 4 has sold more than 80 million units worldwide since going on sale in 2013.

For more, read the Financial Times’ report here, with a more expansive interview with Yoshida about Sony's future here. As ever, don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments.

In other news, Phil Knight has donated $1 billion worth of Nike shares to his charity. Read more here.