Sony Corp. chose the late Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" as the background music in commercials for the new PlayStation 4 scheduled to go on sale in the United States on Friday.

Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai, who has made the video-game console the centerpiece of his corporate turnaround strategy, needs the launch to go off without a hitch.

Robust PS4 sales would provide much-needed momentum after Hirai posted a surprise second-quarter loss last month. If enough people buy the device, and a $50-a-year PlayStation Plus service, Sony stands to generate billions of dollars from sales of movies, TV shows and music, as well as games. Hirai has a one-week jump on Microsoft Corp., which starts selling its pricier Xbox One on Nov. 22.