Sony profits soar despite PS3 losses -- PS2 hot as ever

Sony is reporting that its overall net profits more than doubled during the past quarter, bolstered by the success of films such as Spider-Man 3, and snappy sales of its traditional electronics. Things in the company's PS3 camp, however, still looked a little bleaker than the Japanese giant had probably hoped for. Losses for the game system rose from 26.8 billion yen to 29.2 billion yen, with 710,000 units sold worldwide -- not real impressive when compared to competitor Nintendo's Wii sales of 3.43 million. In a somewhat ironic aside, Nielsen GamePlay Metrics, a division of Nielsen Co. which tracks video game activity, says that the most played game system last month was Sony's seven-year-old PS2. The report shows the aging system leading other consoles with 42 percent of use, followed by the original Xbox at 17 percent, and Xbox 360 at 8 percent. The Wii and PS3 fall at 4 and 1.5 percent, respectively. Should be food for thought for everyone at Sony who doesn't think backwards compatibility is a big deal.

[JIN KAZAMA]

i thought Sony wasn gonna go bankrupt. NOT!!
I remember all the xbots saying, "Sony cant afford these losses." Amateurs!

[ASSASSYN 36o]

? Sony makes more than just games and systems. Why would they ever go bankrupt.

[BIadestarX]

Ofcourse they can afford it.

http://kotaku.com/gaming/so...

[neogeo]

and many of you believed it.

shame shame.

[persian_prince]

xbox or ps2...i dont see why ppl buy last gen systems. I personally would save up for 360/ps3 if i was a consumer who racked up those sales figures..that is, if price is the issue. If the goal of buying a last gen console is for some of those favorite titles...I would still save up for a 360/ps3 and play those games on the new systems (which makes the backwards compatibility an issue, but im sure all the good games are on the backwards lists anyways?)

[eLiNeS]

how much the PS2 sales are hurting the PS3 sales? Could Sony be off thin ice right about now if they had stopped making games for the PS2 so the sells would drop for the PS2 and move to the PS3? I guess will never know. The PS2 is selling really well still, they should just sell the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player and stick to making games for the PS2.

[360Crusader]

I dont really get it either. And its not like a rich company like Sony would die due too one failure. The same goes for Microsoft.

[RussianSniper]

Exactly, this is sony's plan.

Profits are earned long term, something Microsoft can't realize.

In 8 years you'll see the PS3 cheap as ever with great capabilities that even kids can buy, PS3 is made for long term, just as the PS2 was.

[persian_prince]

Its easy for us to sit here and say X, Y, Z is wrong with such and such company...or company A doesnt know this or that...but think about it, they have whole teams of harvard, stanford, princeton, tokyo etc etc grads and hardened biz execs and employees that run the company...if theres something to be seen, they see and know about it...obivously every business makes its mistakes cause these teams dont know absolutely everything..and thats where the success of a company comes from; the ones that make the fewest mistakes (keyword, fewest...they all screw up sometime) wins.
the point is, dont waste your energy typing up a stupid reply saying that a company doesnt "realize" something. If you say that MS (or any company in that case) doesnt realize the concept of long-term issues,then how do you think these people become billionaires if they dont see such a simple concept that only you churned and tossed up as wisdom?

[360Crusader]

If you think Microsoft cant see long term profits then you really are a blind sony fan boy. They didnt make all that money for being idiots.
And who cares what happen 8 years from now please try to be serious.

Edit: Below me yeah real funny any console can still be around for 8 years so please dont go there just keep making games and that that.

[quiddd]

I guess you're hopin to check out of this lifetime in 8 years

[RussianSniper]

If you watched Microsoft's E3 conference, they focused on this Holiday only.

Never showed a game for 2008, they think they're going to win this console war this holiday like the PS2 did last generation.

Very closed minded, and they actually think they'll go positive with the release of Halo 3....LOL

"Halo 3 limited edition Console!"(Crickets)

[Bathyj]

These articles always try to make out like Sony never expected the PS3 to cost them money. As if this was terrible news and just came out of nowhere. Please. Its all part of the grander scheme people and we all know it. Playstation 3 might have cost money for now, but the Playstation arm of Sony is still tens of billions ahead. You dont sell nearly 250 million units of hardware and dominate the console industry for 12 years(an industry they grew into one of the biggest) and not make some money. I think we'll see a Playstation 4 and even a 5. PS4 wont have so many doubters so that almost insures a PS5. (Getting a little far ahead there, but you can bet Sony are already thinking it too.)

[Shaka2K6]

' ' xbox or ps2...i dont see why ppl buy last gen systems. ' '

Beacuase they are cheap and have tons of games to choose from.

BTW i was always saying this Sony are smart they know what they are doing unlike their competitors they think long term thats why they always win they have a plan they always get the last and best laugh.

[Maddens Raiders]

SNE should've invaded Iraq. Everything in the Middle East would be all good now.

j/k

[Hypnotic]

I don't know why Sony even bothered with making the PS3. The PS2 is still bringing in the money!

[cloud360]

bladestar your a xbox fanboy maybe. but your linkls are 1 & a half years old