3 ms·

Sony selling at a loss was 2 years ago. I can't imagine that Sony is still taking a loss on the hardware considering how long it has been around and with the re

• wtallis 16y ago
  The removal of PS2 compatibility, economies of scale on BluRay lasers, and newer fabrication processes for the Cell have helped Sony a lot, but the most recent report I can find is from iSuppli at the end of 2009, saying that the 120GB PS3 was losing just under $40 when sold for $299, so the current $299 160GB is probably profitable by now, and the models with larger hard drives should be making a good amount of profit. Still, it's hard to say whether the hardware profits from the past year or two would cover Sony's share of the Cell fab upgrade costs (the Cell has been through two process shrinks), let alone make up for the steep losses incurred early in the product cycle. I suspect that the overall long-term profitability of the PS3 platform still depends heavily on their video game sales.
  • sliverstorm 16y ago
    You realize whether or not games are the main source of profit, if the console itself is profitable now they should be thanking the Air Force. Profit is profit, whether or not it's the kind you wanted.
    • wtallis 16y ago
      The first 336 PS3s in this installation were bought well before Sony reached the break-even point, and the PS3 Slim model that is now profitable has never officially allowed the use of Linux or other operating systems. (Sony didn't want to update the OtherOS hypervisor to support the new hardware in the Slim.)