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PS3 sales up, says Sony

Console boosts Q3 results

Sony recorded a strong rise in PlayStation 3 hardware and software sales during its third 2009 fiscal quarter.

During the three-month period ended 31 December 2009, Sony shifted 6.5m PS3s – up from 4.5m units of the console during the same period in 2008.

Sony also saw a rise in PS3 software sales, from 40.8m units in Q3 2008 to 47.6m units during Q3 FY2009.

But Sony’s PlayStation Portable and PS2 didn’t fare quite as well.

Some 4.2m PSPs shipped during the quarter, down just under 1m units compared to sales during Q3 FY2008.

PS2 sales dropped from 2.5m units in Q3 FY2008 to 2.1m in Q3 FY2009. The console launched back in 2000 and, following yesterday's release of a report highlighting a drop in videogame sales across the UK during 2009, an analyst told Register Hardware that people have simply moved on from the elderly console.

Sony performed well overall during the quarter. It raked in a net profit of ¥79.1bn (£549m), compared to just ¥10.4bn (£72.2m) during the same period in 2008. Revenue rose 3.9 per cent to ¥2.24tr (£15.6bn). For the full financial year, which ends on 31 March, Sony narrowed its forecast loss to ¥70bn (£487m) from ¥95bn (£661m).

Vaio PCs, for example, “experienced increased unit sales in all regions”, Sony said, though specific sales figures for the firm’s PC line weren't disclosed.

However, Sony’s Consumer Products and Devices division, which includes Bravia TVs – PS3s fall under Sony’s Networked Products and Services arm — saw sales decrease by 10.7 per cent year-on-year to a total of ¥969.8bn (£6.7bn).

Sony blamed some of that drop on a decrease in Bravia LCD TV sales, which it claimed were “affected by intensified priced competition”. ®

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