Sony returns to profit, but slipping PlayStation hardware revenues beg for the rumored Neo

Consumers have purchased more than 40 million PlayStation 4 consoles, and that has helped Sony return to an annual profit for the first time in three years.

The Japanese corporation made an operating income of $1.36 billion (147.8 billion yen) through the 12-month period ending March 31, according to Sony’s latest financial report. That’s up from a loss of $1.16 billion year-over-year. The company’s “Games & Network Services” division, which includes PlayStation, was one of the biggest driving forces behind this growth. With all of this momentum for the PlayStation 4, many gamers wonder why Sony would risk destabilizing its leadership position in the market by releasing the oft-rumored PlayStation 4 Neo. But Sony’s hardware revenue numbers are on the decline, and its fiscal Q4 was the slowest three-month period ever for PS4 shipments to retailers. Those factors likely have Sony looking for a way to boost revenues for a successful product that is dominating the console segment of the $99.6 billion gaming industry through the release of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and beyond.