Sony has reported this week that the company, for the fiscal year ended March 31st, had a loss of $1.04 billion USD, the first time the company has reported a loss since 1995. Perhaps even more notably, the company said it expects a bigger loss in upcoming quarters as sales slide and the Yen grows stronger against the US Dollar.
Revenue for the period also fell 13 percent to $81 billion USD, with the company blaming a number of factors including “the slowdown of the global economy, the appreciation of the yen and the decline in the Japanese stock market.”
The “PlayStation” division saw the biggest slowdown in sales year-on-year, mainly due to the strengthening Yen and a large decrease in sale of the aging PlayStation 2. Revenue in the division fell to $10.7 billion USD. Operating profit losses were cut in half however, to $597 million USD, thanks mostly to large reductions in the cost of manufacturing the PlayStation 3 gaming console.
Over 10 million PS3 units were sold for the year, along with 14 million PSPs and 8 million PS2 units. Software sales exploded for the PS3, up almost 100 percent to 103.7 million units. PSP software sales saw a decline of 10 percent.
For the Q4 2008, Sony reported that the Yen was 13 percent more expensive versus the USD and 30 percent more expensive versus the Euro compared to the fiscal year before it. For the upcoming year, Sony is predicting a $1.26 billion USD loss.
Result for: psps
After it announced in mid-January that Skype would be heading to European PSPs, Sony has confirmed that the wireless communication package Go!Messenger will also hit European PSPs by the end of the week.
The package, jointly developed by Sony and BT lets users “send voice, video and instant messages to other Go!Messenger users from any wireless Internet connection, and will work over wireless Internet - including that provided by the 2,500-plus BT Openzone hotspots around UK city centers.”
The service is free in theory but you will need to purchase the PSP Go!Cam, which is a mic and video camera, if you want to use the package.
“Enabling more than 8.5 Million PSP users across the SCEE region to communicate with each other, through Video or Voice chat, truly confirms the always evolving nature and potential of PSP,” said PSP European marketing manager Stephane Hareau.
Result for: psps
Sony Japan has announced that Japanese PSP gamers will be able to use Skype services beginning in two weeks, March 18th.
The company also said that the software will be included in the upcoming Firmware update for the system and that Sony will be “releasing official microphones to coincide with the communications service.”
The service was originally supposed to hit Japanese PSPs in early January but was hit with delays due to Sony hardware failing to meet Skype specifications.
Also unveiled were new LE PSP bundles made specifically for Japan. “The PSP Matte Bronze Value Pack will go on sale April 24, priced JPY 23,800, and will come with the handheld, a pouch, hand strap, cloth, 32MB Memory Stick Duo and D Terminal AV cable.”
