Sony Lifts Forecast and Offers Assurances About Memory Supply

Group 1 - Sony Group Corp. reported a 22% improvement in profit during the holiday quarter, leading to an upward revision of its full-year outlook due to strong demand for entertainment offerings [1] - The company sold 8 million PlayStation 5 consoles and 97.2 million software units in the three months to December, although profitability in the games and networking division declined due to rising hardware costs [2] - Sony expects an operating profit of ¥1.54 trillion ($9.8 billion) for the fiscal year through March, an increase from the previous forecast of ¥1.43 trillion, with an operating income of ¥515 billion in the December quarter [3] Group 2 - The music-streaming business and related live events contributed positively to overall sales, while the image sensor division saw a 20% revenue increase, benefiting from strong iPhone 17 sales [4] - The consumer electronics outlook is challenged by an industry-wide memory shortage, with dynamic random access memory costs surging 90% since the end of 2025, impacting manufacturers [5] - Analysts noted that the positive results from Sony's music, gaming, and semiconductor divisions, along with the upward revision of the outlook, likely reassured investors amid concerns about rising costs [7]