"The question people quite rightly asked was if the PS3 was going to get through this early cycle," said Stringer. "I feel much more confident about that now."

Noting that the recent increase in PS3 sales was "the breakthrough we've been anticipating" and that the team at Sony has been "holding our breath," Stringer appeared satisfied with the console's performance, which can be linked to a series of recent price drops. He claimed Sony is on track to reach its planned 5% profit margin by March 2008, also buoyed by consumer electronics sales.

"The PlayStation 3 will come into its own because its [offerings] are infinitely more fun, demanding and exciting," he observed. "I'm glad that the last few weeks have generated excitement." Quoted analysts were guardedly optimistic about the platform's prospects.

In recent months, Sony has adjusted the price of PS3 models downward across numerous territories. The system recently outsold Wii in Japan on a monthly basis for the first time. Commented Stringer, "I'm happy the Wii seems to be running a bit short of hardware."