Sony hopes games will boost PS3

Sony Corp. expects at least 380 new PlayStation 3 games to hit the market this fiscal year and says that should rev up demand for the console that has so far lost out to Nintendo Co.’s wildly popular Wii. There are now about 150 games available for the PS3, including online titles.

Nintendo’s Wii game console has been outselling the PS3 by 3 to 1 in Japan and more than 2 to 1 in the U.S. this year, according to game magazine publisher Enterbrain and research firm NPD.

A lack of attractive games has been widely cited as a reason for the PS3’s relatively weak performance, in addition to the fact that it is twice as expensive as the Wii.

“PlayStation 3 going forward will be vital to our future and we’ll succeed,” said Howard Stringer, chief executive of the Tokyo-based electronics and entertainment conglomerate.

Sony aims to double its PS3 shipments to 11 million units in the current fiscal year, which ends in March.