Sony Corp is in talks to sell its poorly performing personal computer business to investment fund Japan Industrial Partners for up to 50 billion yen ($490 million), the Nikkei daily reported.

Under the plan being discussed, Sony would sell its PC business to a new company to be established by the fund and have a small stake in the new firm, the Nikkei reported.

The sale of the PC business would result in disposal losses that would push Sony into a net loss for the first time in two years for the year ending March 31, the Nikkei said.

Japanese broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday that Chinese technology company Lenovo Group was in talks about a possible joint venture to take over Sony's loss-making Vaio PC business overseas.

Sony said the NHK report was inaccurate but acknowledged that it was looking at various possibilities for Vaio. Lenovo declined to comment.

Sony has said it plans to revise the product and manufacturing strategy for the Vaio unit as smartphones and tablets chip away at it PC business.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bangalore; Editing by Ted Kerr)

(Source : Reuters)