The PS5 is expected to make a big splash when it launches later this year, but it may not be the only game console Sony has up its sleeve for the next few years. According to a 2017 prediction that is currently being talked about again, the PlayStation 5 Portable could be available by 2023 as a portable gaming console to complement Sony's next-generation console.

A 2017 tweet by Bloomberg's Takashi Mochizuki citing a Goldman Sachs report began resurfacing this week (via Laptop Mag). The report predicts that the PlayStation 5 will arrive by 2020 (barring any last-minute delays), the PlayStation 5 Portable by 2023, and the PlayStation 6 by 2027.

The mention of the PS5 Portable is a bit curious and worth tolerating. Since this prediction was first announced, Sony has publicly stated that it will not be making any more portable game consoles in late 2019. However, with the continued success of the Nintendo Switch and the new Nintendo Switch Lite, Sony may change its mind to enter the still lucrative portable gaming market.

The Switch has sold over 55 million units worldwide as of May 2020 (via Nintendo Life) and has been a particularly hot ticket item in recent months as more people seek entertainment while cooped up at home. And given Sony's experience in portable console manufacturing, the PS5 Portable and PlayStation Vita 2 could be a good complement to the PS5 console: in particular, titles like "Spider-Man: Miles Morales" and "Horizon: Forbidden West" could complement the PS5 console if they could be streamed on the go. [The PlayStation Vita launched in 2012 and gained a cult following thanks to titles such as "Persona 4 Golden," "Gravity Rush," and "Uncharted: The GRAVITY RUSH" and "Uncharted - Atlantis in the Desert", among others. Sony's recent comments suggest that it has outgrown the portable, but given that the company plans to ship 10 million PS5s this year, the overall demand for PlayStation hardware may bring about a change of heart.