Sony Corp News

Under Hirai, who became CEO in 2012, the company has cut thousands of jobs and withdrawn from or cut back in areas such as PCs and TVs.

WhatsApp is testing features that would allow businesses to chat with their clients on the app, according to the report.

Sony Corp aims to extend content for its dedicated virtual-reality (VR) headset into non-gaming areas such as TV and film, and has no plans to join the burgeoning market for smartphone-based headsets, its gaming division chief said.

China`s strict censorship rules are limiting Sony Corp`s sales of PlayStation 4 in the country even after a ban on foreign gaming consoles was lifted last year, the head of the Japanese company`s gaming division said.

Japan`s Sony Corp plans to raise nearly $4 billion via new shares and bonds to plough into image sensors as it reinvents itself as a niche component maker, pulling back from consumer goods like TVs that dragged it into losses.

Sony Corp said it plans to raise up to 440 billion yen (USD 3.6 billion) by issuing new shares and convertible bonds to invest in its fast-growing image sensors business.

Shares of Sony Corp rose 3 percent in early trade on Thursday after the company raised its earnings estimates for the fiscal year just ended, bolstered by higher-than-expected sales of video games and digital cameras.

Japanese consumer electronics maker Sony Corp on Wednesday raised its earnings estimates for the fiscal year that ended in March, citing higher-than-expected sales of camera sensors and videogames.

Japan`s Sony Corp halved its stake in camera and endoscope maker Olympus Corp to raise funds for a restructuring drive under which it is boosting investment in sensors and videogames while pulling back from unprofitable segments.

Sony Corp aims to boost its operating profit 25-fold within three years by focusing on its more profitable image sensors, videogame and entertainment businesses, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

Japan`s Sony Corp said its net annual loss will likely be smaller than previously forecast after cost cuts and strong sales of its image sensors and PlayStation video game consoles helped its third-quarter profit beat estimates.

Sony Corp plans to cut around 1,000 additional jobs in its struggling smartphone division as it tries to bring its electronics business back into the black, sources said on Wednesday.

Microsoft`s online network for its Xbox gaming console was restored to nearly full service Friday after an allegedly coordinated Christmas Day hack brought it and Sony`s PlayStation network down.

Microsoft Corp`s Xbox Live and Sony Corp`s PlayStation Networks experienced user connection problems on Christmas Day, for which a hacker group claimed responsibility.

Sony Corp is considering a sale of its Sony/ATV Music Publishing unit, which owns the rights to most of the Beatles` songs, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing the company`s leaked internal emails.

The United States said on Thursday a cyber attack on Sony Pictures blamed on North Korea was a serious national security matter and the Obama administration was considering a proportional response.

Japan`s Sony Corp is so far the only major TV maker selling quantum dot models.

Executives at Sony Corp`s Hollywood movie studio sought to reassure employees on Monday that the studio would recover from a massive cyber attack that exposed internal emails and sensitive employee data.

People close to the investigation have told Reuters that North Korea is a principal suspect in the cyber attack, yet a North Korean diplomat has denied that Pyongyang is involved.

Japan`s loss-making Sony Corp said it`s targeting a near 70 percent jump in revenue for its electronic devices division over the next three years, even as it warned further restructuring is in store for its TV and smartphone units.