Sony's Q1 financial results are out and the company is generally experiencing an upswing. They report sales of revenue of $ 17,300,000, operating income of $ 367 million and net income of $ 35 million. The company credits the numbers to a favorable foreign exchange rate, a rise in smartphone sales, and stellar performance of their financial division. Notably, the exchange rate has improved numbers for their television, film and TV, and music divisions.
However, Sony's gaming division is reporting lower numbers. They are reporting sales of $ 1,191,000, 15 % below what they achieved last year. They are also running an operating loss of $ 149 million.
Sony attributes lower sales numbers to decreased unit sales for the Playstation 3, Playstation 2 and Playstation Portable. They officially retired the Playstation 2 so that this quarter would still reflect sales for that console just for the month of March. Oddly enough, they have continued to hide Playstation Vita numbers behind the carryall term Playstation Portable, consolidating PSP and Vita sales numbers.
Regarding their operating loss, Sony explains that they are now taking a hit on the research and development needed for their upcoming console, the Playstation 4. Additionally, in the same quarter last year Sony won a court case connected to Blu-Ray royalties, adding to their income for that period.
The Playstation 4 has been well-received by gamers, particularly during a very succesful E3 presentation when they unveiled that they would not be adding any used games DRM or online connectivity requirements to their console.
Image is from The Last Of Us.
Source: NeoGAF
