Sony lowers sales forecast of PS Vita, revenues fall in Q2

PlayStation Vita and PlayStation Portable handheld devices are expected to sell a combined 2 million less units, down to 10 million, by March 31, 2013, according to a revised sales forecast announced today by Sony.

Earlier in August Sony forecasted 12 million handheld hardware units to sell in FY12, by comparison.

Sony's sales and operating income for PlayStation declined in the second quarter of FY12, the company states. The company's game division reports a 14 percent year-on-year drop in revenue from ¥176 billion to ¥148.2 billion, or roughly $1.85 billion. Operating income also fell year-on-year from ¥3 billion to ¥2.3 billion, or roughly $29 million.

The company attributes this to a decline in hardware sales, with both PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 consoles selling a combined 3.5 million units in the last quarter. This is a drop from 4.9 million units sold during the same time last year. PS Vita and PSP sold a combined 1.6 million units, decreasing from last year's 1.7 million units.

PlayStation software increased in sales, however. PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 titles sold 41.4 million units throughout this quarter, compared to 40.2 million sold last year. PS Vita and PSP titles were up from last year's 8.2 million sales, selling 8.7 million units in this quarter.

Sales forecasts for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 consoles are unchanged, however, with 16 million units expected to sell this fiscal year. Packaged software sales are expected to rest at 196.7 million units.