Sony sold only 600,000 portables last quarter

The PlayStation maker is struggling in the transition between PS3 and PS4 with hardware sales falling and software sales rising. But the portables just aren't shifting outside of Japan. Estimates reckon they sold 150K PSPs and 450K Vita handhelds, leaving a mountain to climb to hit its reduced 5 million target for the year.

Sony has to hope the likes of Killzone and Tearaway sell hardware as well as software in the coming months, otherwise all the indie hits in the world won't save it. Some third party support would help but there is very little sign of activity beyond Ubisoft and Sega. Surprises have been hinted at, but with the core now looking next-gen, why invest in a machine that will over two years old come Christmas?

Overall, Sony made a small profit as the TV and mobile businesses turned around their fortunes. But the games section was weighed down by the switchover. Also, the next three quarters should all see a decent improvement in sales, but if things aren't smoking by Christmas, Sony has a major problem that not even the end of Capcom's Monster Hunter exclusive deal with Nintendo will help.

Also, the more bad news gamers read, the more convinced we all become that a price-cut is imminent, so no one is going to buy one before Gamescom (which, thankfully, is only a couple of weeks away). Even then, with forums littered with talk of over-priced memory cards, Sony has a lot of ill-will to overcome. At least the solutions are pretty clear.