Loss per PS3 cut to $18, says WSJ

By Patrick Garratt

Sony has reduced the amount it loses on each PS3 sold to $18, according to a Wall Street Journal article.

Sony has again significantly reduced the amount it costs to make a PS3, bringing the loss-per-console down to $18 from an estimated $37 per unit in December last year.

The company is now estimating it will actually turn a profit on the hardware in 2011.

“We think we’ve bottomed out and we can do fairly well going forward,” said Sony Chief Financial Officer Nobuyuki Oneda.

Sony’s drive for the black appears to be working, with the firm’s three months ending December 31 showing 146.1 billion yen group operating profit.

PS3 sales are on the up, and closing on 360’s: the Sony console now stands at 33.5 million worldwide, compared to Xbox 360’s 39 million.