PlayStation 3 sales add to positive Sony results

Sales of the PlayStation 3 games console contributed to “positive” third-quarter results for electronics giant Sony. The Japanese company reported a 31.2% increase in games sales, leading to the games division’s first profit since 2005.

Strong sales in the household electronics business – which includes its Sony Bravia LCD televisions – helped boost overall revenue by 25.2%.

But its pictures unit saw a 24.6% year-on-year fall in sales, which Sony blamed on “a decrease in revenues in both the theatrical and television markets”, and the financial services division – Sony Life – posted a 21.4% drop in revenue.

Sony BMG, its music arm, and mobile handset manufacturer Sony Ericsson both reported a fall in income but analysts were buoyed by the progress made by the games business.