Sony Back To Black, Thanks In Part To PlayStation 3

After a string of quarterly losses, Sony is now back in the black, thanks in part to a machine that at one time drained the barrel.

Sony's latest numbers show profits of 25.7 billion yen ($295.2 million) for the quarter spanning April through June, which is way up from the 37.1 billion yen ($426.7 million) loss posted this time last year. Overall earnings hit 1.66 trillion yen ($190.9 billion), which is up from 1.56 trillion yen ($179.4 billion) for the year prior. A good part of this rise can be attributed to Sony's Networked Product and Services Division (of which Sony Computer Entertainment is a part), as this portion of the company saw sales increase 32.4% in a year-over-year comparison. The division still suffered a loss of 3.8 billion yen ($43 million), but that's still an improvement of 32.9 billion yen ($378.5 million) in the year-over-year analysis. Sony blames this latest loss on "poor exchange rates due to a strong yen."

Sony stated that the division's improved performance was due to "decreased production costs and increased demand for the PlayStation 3," which has enjoyed numerous sales leaps since the console fell in price to $299 last fall. Sony also noted better sales of VAIO PCs. During the quarter in question, Sony sold 2.4 million PS3 units, which is 200,000 more than last year's same quarter; 1.2 million PSPs and 1.6 million PS2s were also sold. As for PS3 games, retailers sold 24.8 million PS3 titles, along with 9.2 million PSP games and 1.6 million PS2 games. And yes, Sony did indeed hit their goal of selling 13 million PS3s during the financial year that ended on March 31. The next prediction? 15 million for the current fiscal year. At the same time, they are predicting falling sales for both the PSP and PS2, which probably isn't surprising.

Now, will things like PlayStation Move and increased interest in 3D continue to help the PS3...?

Tags: sony, ps3 sales, sony financials

7/29/2010 9:01:02 PM Ben Dutka

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Comments (63 posts)

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godsman
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 9:25:58 PM
Reply

I think this September will be the only month they can't outdo 2009. That was when they had the pricecut and PS3 Slim with an explosion of sales. Unless PS Move saves the day in September. 2010 will definitely outsell 2009 as a whole though.

0 up, 1 down

Xombito
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 9:38:15 PM
Reply

I also read in a forum at another website that the PS3 is just a little 3 mil units behind the 360 now in worldwide sales. The inevidable is near.

7 up, 0 down

godsman
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 11:45:40 PM

I think you are talking about shipments. Xbox count their shipments as sales, so they "SOLD" 41 million. PS3 sales shipments are 38 million, with 36 million sold. I just saw that in VGchartz

0 up, 4 down

godsman
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 12:18:43 AM

Well to me, Microsoft's number is pretty accurate in terms of "shipments" 41 mil. They've been broadcasting in almost every event.

As for Sony, whenever Sony hits a milestone in sales, they would announce it and although Vgchartz is wrong, they would correct their numbers afterward. VGchartz is as accurate as Sony's last milestone.

I see Ben link Vgchartz in some of his articles so I believe that website is accurate to some degree.

0 up, 4 down

RadioHeader
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 4:18:16 AM

It's annoying that we've been brainwashed it thinking the only numbers we can trust (NPD) is the only region where M$ is strongest.

0 up, 0 down

REDZONE
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 8:36:18 AM

All shipments made by Sony and MS are sold to retailers.So the lead is actually around 3 mil.So Sony sold 38.1 mil to retailers and MS sold 41.7 to retailers,that is not sold to customers.VGCHARTZ "suppose" to only record sold to consumers,yet they have the PS3 at 36.1 mil sold to the consumer and Xbox360 41.4 sold to the consumer.So the Xbox is overtracked by quite a few,either that or only 0.5 mil Xbox360s are sitting on shelves around the world and 2 mil PS3s are doing the same thing which is impossible really.So they need to do some adjusting.Their shimpments sold to consumers are the same as MS shipments sold to retailers.

Last edited by REDZONE on 7/30/2010 8:37:29 AM

4 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 3:02:28 PM

Sony counts units *sold*, Microsoft counts units *shipped*. yes there are distinctions about whether a unit sold to a retailer is considered sold or shipped, but Sony only counts those units it has received payment for. Microsoft counts everything including the units it has stuffed into the channel that have yet to his distribution or retail, and so are as yet un-paid for.

5 up, 0 down

REDZONE
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 6:03:32 PM

That does make sense,and it also mean Sony technically has more customers than MS.That explains the reason why Sony sold more software than MS for a while and Sony has a higher attach rate.When you consider that 75% of the people buying the new Xbox slims,are owners who have RROD and are on their 3rd and 4th consoles,only makes it worse.

4 up, 0 down

frylock25
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 9:43:17 PM
Reply

im glad to hear that sony is doing better. i never doubted the ps3. one of my buddies waited to get his because he wasnt sure if it was gonna make it. i even talked my dad into getting a ps3 even though he hasnt turned it on in 3 months. at 55 hes a workaholic and doesnt have time for games. im thinkin of getting a ps2 for my daughter for her bday in 2 months. id also like to get a slim as my 80gig puts out to much heat.

Last edited by frylock25 on 7/29/2010 9:44:35 PM

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 10:41:15 PM

Get the man to get a netflix account and he will probably turn it on. My dad loves TV and Movies, he would game if he could be he doesn't have the reflexes.

2 up, 2 down

frylock25
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 5:17:26 AM

he bought his ps3 with the new 55" samsung 1080p tv he got. i had been telling him the ps3 invented blueray and i think he heard someone in best buy talkin about it.

i literally had to set everything up for my dad and his wife. they seem to be confused by the ps3. they had it hooked up but that was it. last time i was there both his controllers were dead because they hadnt been used in so long.

i have been thinkin about giving him a netflix disc and setting up my account on his ps3. teaching him to use the netflix account for some movies. i have been thinkin of getting him a move bundle with the eye controller and game. he is into sports and used to play them before his fake hip and 5 knee surgeries. im thinkin maybe some virtual sports will get him to turn it on. i could also teach him to video chat with the eye. i brought over little big planet a few times, which by the way looks AMAZING on that 55", and my dad and his wife just didnt under stand it. they have rented a few bluerays and use it to watch a dvd.

at least he bought the ps3 its a first step.

Last edited by frylock25 on 7/30/2010 5:25:47 AM

2 up, 0 down

Scarecrow
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 9:48:19 PM
Reply

GT5

Eventually, eventually.
360's barely walking this year. Only in the US and UK does it even have any life left

The world will push the ps3 ahead in a year or two.

12 up, 1 down

Highlander
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 11:34:50 PM

Considering how many Xbox360 units have actually died the PS3 has already pulled level and is accelerating away from the 360 - pure and simple.

12 up, 0 down

godsman
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 12:20:43 AM

@TheHighlander,

I haven't read many of your older posts, but it seems like everytime your post involves RROD, you get really tense. Did Microsoft scam you a couple Xbox's?

0 up, 6 down

fluffer nutter
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 12:42:51 AM

@godsman, how is TH's post tense? Surely, you didn't read his post correctly.

5 up, 0 down

WolfCrimson
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 4:48:16 AM

I'm pretty sure Highlander just hates evil, that's all.

3 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 9:45:51 AM

@Godsman,

No tension, no dead Xboxs hiding in my closet, just a fairly healthy dislike for Microsoft and a very healthy loathing for their business practices and an absolute hatred for the damage that they have done to my favorite entertainment industry. I've worked in business IT since the mid 80's, and started in PC and network support. I have literally watched Microsoft grown and morphed from the pre-Windows infancy to the corpulence, greed, gluttony and post Vista hypocrisy you see today. It would be wrong to say I hate Microsoft because with very few exceptions they're people like me just doing their job, and most of them do a pretty good job. But as with most corporations, it's not the individuals, it's the corporate entity and it's personality and actions that personify the corporation.

However, there is no tension here, I am just sick and tired of having the Microsoft 'rose tinted' view of the gaming world shoved down my figurative throat by the rather blind US media. The truth is the truth and PSN subscribers vs XBL subscribers have pointed to this for nearly 6 months now. The number of active PS3s vs the number of active 360s is pretty much equal, and the PS3 is pulling ahead. Yet to hear Microsoft or it's friends talking, the PS3 i still playing catch up to the might 360...

Whatever, but am I supposed to hide my dislike for a corporation that's been found guilty and punished for monopolistic and anti-competitive actions around the world? Sorry, that's not gonna happen.

Last edited by Highlander on 7/30/2010 9:46:43 AM

7 up, 1 down

RebelJD
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 9:51:13 PM
Reply

Sony is heating up to become what they once were respected for. A company with quality products with a strong supporting clientele.

3 up, 0 down

godsman
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 11:57:59 PM

Quality products indeed. Disappointing developers like Ubisoft that cut out contents of the game to be sold back to you. Like Capcom where they make all these DLC contents included on disc and charges you to unlock them. If I have a choice, I rather them release their games a year early and I download the DLC like normal people.

Developers should make DLC after the game like Uncharted 2. This is why Sony developers excel and continue to be respected as shown by the hardware and software sales.

3 up, 0 down

Tristan
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 9:54:11 PM
Reply

Hooray for Sony!

2 up, 0 down

maxpontiac
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 9:55:07 PM
Reply

I am glad to see the PS3 and Sony doing well. It's a shame that they have had such an uphill battle with the news media.

3 up, 0 down

ShadowRunner
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 9:57:35 PM
Reply

Ben, are there specific numbers for SCE alone?

0 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 11:57:32 PM

Not that I know of.

0 up, 0 down

carl0975
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 10:08:04 PM
Reply

I can't see the psp sales dropping too much, especially with games like the new GoW coming out

1 up, 0 down

godsman
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 12:01:22 AM

There's over 60 million PSP owners out there, I still don't understand how the PSP software sales get affected by piracy so much. There can't be more than half of sales were bootleggers, can they?

0 up, 0 down

kevinater321
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 8:57:15 AM

I'm willing to bet that only a small amount of that audience still plays there psp, and smaller still who pirate the games.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 9:51:10 AM

PSP Software sales outside the western nations (the US and UK in particular) are pretty healthy. In Japan, PSP software does great. It's only in the west that isn't the case. Perhaps it's just a coincidence but the rate of custom firmware use and torrent abuse in the west is far, far higher than in Japan. It always bugs me when folks describe the PSP as a failure. It's sold 60 million units, and can by no means be described as a failure. the only failure is the failure of western consumers to own software instead of pilfering it.

1 up, 0 down

Temjin001
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 10:09:28 PM
Reply

Hopefully, Sony will continue to escalate with PS3 sales. With PS3's proliferating homes at a faster rate, I hope to see companies, like Bioware, from keeping precious gems, like Mass Effect, exclusive to only one console.

3 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 10:43:23 PM

Wait, I didn't quite understand that sentence. I'll just assume it means you want ME on PS3. I can live without it, but it's kind of dumb for a company in Bioware's current position to have exclusives.

1 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 10:26:07 PM
Reply

I caught this report on MSNBC today, great news for the good guys. It might be ironic if I had any idea how Microsoft was doing, but I don't.

2 up, 0 down

Temjin001
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 10:42:34 PM

Really?
MS-NBC?

They didn't portray the news with a negative slant, or misdirection?

"The Xbox 360 continues to impress "industry insiders" with strong numbers as gamers eagerly anticipate the "most anticipated game of 2010," Halo: Reach."
"In other news, Sony finally posted a profit with their PS3 as it continues to fight an uphill battle towards success. With MS's newly revealed Kinect, it remains to be see how Sony will go forward. "Industry insiders" are skeptical."

Did it go something like that?
Hmmm.... Hmmmmmm?

=p

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 10:45:00 PM

Nope, thankfully they are something like a separate entity. Like how you can see the Family Guy characters ripping on Sarah Palin even though they are on the FOX network.

1 up, 0 down

mehrab2603
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 10:49:22 PM
Reply

if they think that psp sales will decrease,shouldn't they be considering a psp2

3 up, 0 down

ps3sownsxbox360
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 11:11:57 PM
Reply

xbox sucks if you agree put thumbs up

1 up, 13 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 11:57:48 PM

Please don't make comments like this.

16 up, 1 down

godsman
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 12:42:14 AM

How are you different from an Xbox troll?

13 up, 1 down

kraygen
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 11:21:18 PM
Reply

I think this will be the continuing story. Sony will continue to grow more and more and 360 and wii will continue to dwindle.

More and more ppl, even non-gamer consumers, are beginning to see the appeal of ps3. It's not just for gaming and the entire family can use it. I think parents are finally starting to realize that there is no reason to buy your child a $300 toy when you can spend the same on an entertainment computer system for everyone.

I can't wait to see next years numbers after this years big 3d and move push. I think it's becoming pretty obvious that the next few years will be very good for sony.

6 up, 0 down

amzngskillz
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 11:31:37 PM
Reply

Once Sony combines the psp with a telephone its game over. I will be first in line to buy that. I think the sales will go through the roof. Imagine how powerful that device will be if its done right.

0 up, 0 down

godsman
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 12:07:38 AM

I don't think it'll ever happen. Considering how expensive Sony ericsson phones are. It'll either become a super high tech phone, where the actual teenagers that purchase the games won't be able to afford the hardware. Or a PSP that is also "JUST" a phone, where you probably have little interest compared with the current smart phones out there.

0 up, 0 down

RobiinzZ
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 5:05:15 AM

I read before that sony erricson took a psp phone design to sony but they delined.

I dont think it will happen personally, the next psp may have 3g, but no phone caperbilities.

0 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 11:51:59 PM
Reply

Sweet justice! The Xbots can kiss their lead goodbye. It's only a matter of time before Sony dominates on the world stage. The only numbers Greentoad will be able to continue to tout are the US sales numbers. Hopefully that will change soon too.

7 up, 0 down

SvenMD
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 8:22:12 AM

I think you forgot to say, "MUUUWAAAHAHAHAHA" at the end of your statement.

2 up, 0 down

Robochic
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 12:18:01 AM
Reply

This is great news, PSPGO this week was 199 CDN from 249 with 3 games so tempted but then my ps3 pooped out so I am saving for a new one right now.

0 up, 0 down

CharlesD
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 12:28:17 AM

Sorry to hear that. My old one failed but I am happily enjoying my new PS3 Slim :)

As for sales I think that Move will sell more PS3's but Kincect, however useless it may be for gaming, will also boost sales way up. So I guess we'll have to wait and see.

0 up, 0 down

AcHiLLiA
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 2:10:40 AM
Reply

It sucks that my friend wont be able to experience 3D gaming in the future, he only has one good eye.

0 up, 0 down

___________
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 3:36:22 AM
Reply

sweet!
now lets not see a repeat, i dont want to see more great games like 8 days or the getaway 3 get canned.
no i wont get over it!
2 of my most anticipated games, and one of the industries most famous IPs put to bed!
i mean come on, how many IPs have tried to compete with GTA?
and how many of those were successful?
very, very, VERY! few games have danced with GTA and come up on top!
but somehow the getaway did it!
so sony has a IP EXCLUSIVE to them! one that could tango with the worlds BEST selling series! and they put it on hold.
doing that is like bungie showing of halo reach than not releasing it.
or activision showing of MW3 than not releasing it!
no, i dont think ill take that 100M+ dollar check.
WTF???????????????

0 up, 4 down

kraygen
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 5:04:36 AM

I've never heard of either of those games, were they on ps2?

0 up, 0 down

___________
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 9:51:06 AM

WHAT! how can you not know the getaway?
it was the only GTA rip off if you will that actually could compete with GTA one fantastic game it was!
8 days was a new IP being created at sonys London studio but they put that and the getaway 3 on permanent hold because they wanted to focus on eyepet.
weather we see them ever again or they stay on the editors floor is anyones guess, but 8 days was apparently 80% done and the getaway 3 was 40% done so sony would be stupid to not finish and release them!

0 up, 1 down

RobiinzZ
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 5:08:20 AM
Reply

Tbh, i think eventually the ps3 will take over the wii, not just 360.

Since the ps3 will easily last 10 years, i really dought the nintendo wii will.

And very slowly, as price's keep dropping and since it now has move, believe the ps3 will end this console gen in 1st place.

1 up, 0 down

kevinater321
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 9:00:02 AM

I wouldn't go that far. The wii is obviously not just a fad since they are still outselling the competition 4:1 every month.

1 up, 1 down

Karosso
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 9:52:40 AM

Actually, I can see that happening. Sony is the only company that keeps on producing and actually selling their last gen console way after their new one came out.
Both MS and Nintendo usually shoot their old horses when they get a new one.
Long Live the PS3!

3 up, 0 down

dante_zero
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 6:37:42 AM
Reply

i'm glad to see that the new merged Sony divisions are having great sucess especially the Networked Product and Services Division under the leadeship and guidance of Kaz Hirai. A lot of people in the relevant industrys have been trying to understand why Sonys various divisions werent sing from the same song sheet for so long and it's great to see that that they took it on board, implemented it and are now starting to bear fruits. Hopefully we gamers get to see more of this through things like device convergence as Sony is one of the few companys in the world that could pull it off.

0 up, 0 down

Jordahn
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 8:42:27 AM
Reply

:::claps hands:::

1 up, 0 down

A2K78
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 9:57:46 AM
Reply

While this is good news, you help but notice that their PS3(first-party) software have been largely unprofitable e.g. Killzone, Uncharted, to name a few. If anything God of War III and GT5 stand to be thier only profitable titles to date..

0 up, 5 down

RobiinzZ
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 10:10:44 AM

tbh i think its because we have too many good exclusives, i mean, i havn't got round to playing Heavy Rain or GOW 3 yet.

I mean, halo 3 sold like 8 million, but thats because thats all they have includin gears and forza and fable.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 10:21:26 AM

Unccharted not profitable? Are you sure? Are you referring to Drake's Fortune or Among Thieves. Uncharted 2 AT sold well enough to make a profit unless the budget was a travesty. Uncharted Drake's Fortune was more of a loss leader because it required the development of a lot of the components, technologies and techniques used in Uncharted 2, but it's sold well in the longer term, so it may too have broken even.

KZ2 simply didn't sell well enough though, no question there.

2 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 10:44:00 AM
Reply

For those comparing Sony and Microsoft and thinking that Microsoft is somehow the bigger or more powerful of the two. Consider this one fact;

Microsoft total revenue FY2010 : $62.5 billion
Sony total revenue FY2010 : $190.9 billion

Let's not forget that Sony has had a rough year...

Sony is a big business, gaming is a big business unit of theirs, but compared to the total business of the corporation, it's just a component part. The fact that Sony's major divisions all have some synergy with their gaming products is something that no one should take lightly. Even when the PS3 was not making a profit on it's own, it was helping top drive other parts of the Sony business, and so is partly responsible for maintaining a healthy revenue stream for Sony.

4 up, 2 down

Casual Friday
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 2:45:48 PM

@Highlander

Can you tell me where you got the Sony revenue numbers from?

The numbers I could find had Microsoft @ $62.5 billion in sales and $18.76 billion net profit.

For Sony, the only ones I could find had their sales near $79 billion and almost breaking even.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 3:27:29 PM

Hmmm... I have to check, I think there is a major math mistake in the article, and you are correct.

1.66 trillion yen translates to about $18.66 billion dollars. The article needs to change, and next time I use numbers to make a point I will seek a second source and check the currency conversion.

I would still point out that Sony is bigger, and that their division that includes gaming has nearly twice the revenue that Microsoft's equivalent division has.

Were it not for Microsoft's fairly obscene profits from windows and Office products, their results would be very different. Such is what happens when a monopoly exists.

Last edited by Highlander on 7/30/2010 3:33:29 PM

2 up, 0 down

tes37
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 5:24:20 PM

There is an article that ran about a month or more ago on this site and others that stated that Sony did post a large profit in the billions. The only division that suffered loss was the gaming, but other divisions within Sony did way better than break even.

1 up, 0 down

Cowsick
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 11:51:57 AM
Reply

Sony will keep fighting and they WILL win! Go Sony!

2 up, 0 down

tes37
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 4:21:35 PM
Reply

This is great news and long overdue. Finally, without me having to say a word, I get to watch the Sony haters eat their's.

1 up, 0 down

Markus_him19
Sunday, August 01, 2010 @ 5:00:05 AM
Reply

I have PS3, and now m going to get 360. m so happy. ;)

0 up, 0 down

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