The company reported quarterly profit that beat market estimates as the outfit cost cuts in its flagging mobile business amd made a pile on games to offset a fall in sales of the image sensors that had led the company's turnaround last year.

October-December operating profit rose 11 percent from a year earlier to 202.1 $1.68 billion, beating the average $1.44 billion forecast by Wall Street.

Cost cuts and strong sales of PlayStation 4 games and image sensors used in smartphones helped a turnaround at the Japanese manufacturer over the past year.

Sony said quarterly sales of devices, including image sensors, fell 13 percent from a year earlier. The segment, also hit by weak battery sales, booked a loss of $967 million compared with a profit in the previous year.

The company maintained its outlook for full-year operating profit to grow to $2.64 billion.