On Sony's turf, the PlayStation is king. Bigger than Will Smith and Julia Roberts, even.

　　The reason for the PlayStation's supremacy is seen in the annual financial figures released on Thursday by Sony Corp. Sony's record profit for the year ending March 31, 1998, of US$1.66 billion (on total revenues of US$51.3 billion) is attributed to record sales and revenues of PlayStation console units.

　　As for revenues driven by Sony's movie unit Sony Pictures, well, computer games are bigger than Hollywood. PlayStation sales accounted for 22 percent of Sony's overall revenues - a percentage greater than Sony's movie business (which had hits Men in Black and My Best Friend's Wedding come out during the fiscal year).

　　Since launching in December, 1994, 32.8 million PlayStation units have shipped worldwide. According to Sony, 137 million PlayStation games shipped in the past year.

　　There was even some gossip concerning a possible PlayStation price drop. While Sony has made no statement concerning a price drop, standard business practice often sees a price drop following a softening in retail sales or softening in sales expectations. Sony itself forecasts slightly reduced sales of PlayStation units in the coming fiscal year - from 19.3 to 18.3 million units.

　　Electronic Arts CFO Stan McKee indirectly hinted at the possibility of a PlayStation price drop. McKee was paraphrased in a Reuters dispatch of May 7 as saying that Sony could cut console prices in coming months, which, he says, would sustain sales for at least a couple of years. Electronic Arts is one of the biggest players in the development and publishing of PlayStation titles.

　　Thursday, a Sony spokesperson said, "We have no plans to make any price move at this time."