Tokyo: Sony Corp said yesterday its PS3 game console sales were on track to reach its target of 15 million units for the year to March 2011, with sales for the April-September first half likely just above forecast.

"As of the end of August, sales look a bit better than we expected," Kazuo Hirai, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, said.

Hirai, speaking to Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Tokyo Game Show, added that much still depended on the year-end shopping season.

His comments came days after research group NPD said retail sales of videogame equipment and software in the United States fell 10 per cent in August, as the industry continues a months-long slump.

Rival stand-off

Sony faces a stand-off with rival Microsoft in the coming months, as both bet on motion-gaming add-ons for their existing consoles in a bid to attract non-gamers and entice hardcore fans to buy new software.

Sony launched its Move motion controller for the PS3 on September 15 in Europe, ahead of Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing system, which hits store shelves on November 4.

Both companies are also encouraging console owners to sign up for network services, allowing upgrades and game downloads as well as communication with other gamers.

Hirai said 80 per cent of the 38 million PS3 units sold so far were linked up to Sony's PlayStation Network, and the company was targeting 100 per cent of the consoles.

He said there were no plans to consolidate PlayStation Network with the company's Qriocity network, an online movie service in the United States, set to be expanded to Europe.

Tokyo (Reuters) Sony's PlayStation 3 game console will work as a Blu-ray disc player for 3-D movies and music videos, not just 3-D games, with a software update download starting September 21.

The free-of-charge update for movies and other content had been promised for later this year. But the date is being moved up to ride on the momentum of 3-D popularity, Sony executive Hiroshi Kawano said at the Tokyo Game Show yesterday.

The annual event in this Tokyo suburb features game machines and the latest offerings from game-software makers. It opens over the weekend for the public. A preview event was held yesterday for reporters and officials.

"The appeal and impact of games will be definitely enhanced with 3-D technology," Kawano said during a presentation at the Sony booth. The 3-D capabilities for the PlayStation 3 will not be as thorough as they are for 3-D Blu-ray disc players.