Sony is actually doing alright despite a lot of turmoil, and it's got the PlayStation 4 to thank. The company's gaming division increased sales by 12.1 percent over last year, thanks to improved PS4 console, peripheral and software sales. The division hit 288.6 billion yen in sales ($2.3 billion) and made around $160 million, even though shipments of older PS3 console were down. Sony recently said that the PS4 is outselling the Xbox One in most of Europe by nearly double, and has outsold its main rival considerably overall with 22.3 million consoles as of April.
It's imaging division is also helping it stave off disaster. Sony makes the sensors in most high-end smartphones, including models from Apple and Samsung. That division (Sony Devices) saw a 35.1 percent increase in sales to 237.9 billion yen ($2 billion), and the company recently said it would invest up to $3.6 billion to boost sensor production. Its camera (Imaging) division also saw a 5 percent increase in sales and made 21.3 billion yen in profit ($174 million) thanks to popular (and expensive) cameras like the Sony RX100 IV.
Unfortunately, Sony's Mobile division continues to be a black hole sucking profits. Sales dropped 16.3 percent over last year, though Sony claims that was partly due to "a strategic decision not to pursue scale in order to improve profitability." In other words, Sony's trying to focus on profitable high-end smartphones like the Xperia Z3+, but so far the strategy's not exactly working. Sony's Pictures division also dropped 11.9 percent thanks to lower licensing revenues, according to Sony.
Despite that, the company still made 82.44 billion yen in net income ($665 million), triple the profits of last year. That means that the turnaround under CEO Kaz Hirai is actually working, other than in mobile. We're not sure how much more patience Hirai has for that division, but if it doesn't turn around soon, it could end up on the chopping block like Vaio.
Source: Sony
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