Sony has returned to profitability after the strong performance of its Playstation 4 games console has helped the company to return to grow in 2015.

It finished its second quarter, which ended on September 30th, with net income of 33.6bn yen (€254m) for the 12 week period.

This is up from a loss of 136bn yen (€1.03bn) in the corresponding quarter in 2014.

The company has posted annual losses in six of the last seven years, as it has struggled to keep pace in the changing technology sector.

Last year it was forced to write-down the value of its smartphone business - this was the company's only tech unit which made a loss during the most recent quarter as its Xperia smartphones and tablets have continued to struggle.

The two main areas of growth were gaming and its image sensor business.

Well into the current fourth-generation gaming cycle, the company appears to have emerged victorious in the latest round of the 'console wars' - with its platform comfortably outselling its closest rival, Microsoft's Xbox One.

Sony announced yesterday that it is in talks to take over Toshiba's sensor division - and that it plans to create a new spin-off image sensor business called Sony Semiconductor Corporation.

Apple uses Sony sensors in its iPhone, and Google, Samsung, Motorola and a number of Chinese phone manufacturers also use Sony technology.

Sony image sensors are also used by Nikon, and found in other high-end digital cameras.

The Japanese firm is one of the seven brands tied to the new Bond film - it will hope that this exposure will help the company to keep growing in 2015.