Sony Corp. has unveiled new mobile devices that also function as displays for PlayStation games, as it adds features to win sales in a market dominated by Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.
The marquee Xperia Z3 smartphone is waterproof and comes with a battery that can stay charged for two full days of active use, Sony said on its website.
The company also announced the Z3 Compact smartphone with a 4.6-inch screen and an 8-inch tablet computer.
Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai has been pushing his One Sony plan to better integrate the company's electronics and entertainment assets to revive earnings. The PlayStation 4 has been one of the few bright spots for Sony, outselling Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox One, amid a decade of television losses and lackluster demand for Xperia smartphones, which barely crack the top 10 globally in shipments.
"Allowing its latest smartphone and tablet remote access to its PS4 and games played on its PlayStation network is another huge step in the right direction," Amir Anvarzadeh, a manager of Japanese equity sales at BGC Partners Inc. in Singapore, said. "The Japanese consumer electronics giant is moving away from the past strategic mistakes of focusing on market share gains."
Sony is forecasting its sixth annual loss in seven years and Hirai cut the company's full-year smartphone sales projection to 43 million units from an earlier forecast of 50 million.
