Why the PS3 will stay in 3rd the rest of the way

[davygee]

As I see it.  The PS3 has been selling as many units as the 360 did in it's first 11 months.  Add to this the FACT that the PS3 has only been on the market in Europe for 7 months and has had competition from both the Wii and the 360, when the 360 had no direct competition.

Also, you mention the lack of 3rd party titles for the PS3.  I agree, but you also have to admit that many announced 3rd party titles are now multiplatform for both the 360 and PS3.

The one advantage the 360 has over the PS3 in multiplatform titles is the general fact that 360 versions of the games are generally better, but this will stop sooner rather than later.  Delayed versions of Oblivion and Rainbow Six Vegas are generally received as better on the PS3 and the soon to be released COD4 is rumoured to be better on the PS3 than 360.  Seeing as the PS3 is 12 months behind the 360 in development terms, we will start to see better multiplatform games appearing next year.

Also, one thing that you fail to mention is 1st party games and exclusives.  It is a generally known FACT that Microsoft have to pay for their exclusives...see $50m for exclusive extra content for GTA4 whereas Sony have MGS4 and FFXIII in their bag "at the moment" without the need for cash.  Also the PS3's in house development teams as well as dedicated exclusive development teams seem to easily out number Microsoft's.  Look at the release of Bungie and the demise of the exclusive PGR deal with Bizzare.  I do understand that MS has been trying to free up cash and maybe they'd rather go down the exclusive route than forking out hundreds of millions on studios (See RARE)....but exclusivity deals will cost them dearly.  If Rockstar took $50m for an extra level in GTA4, then imagine how much Konami and Square would ask them for rights to MGS4 and FFXIII?

By looking at this information, I can see nothing other than the 360 coming 3rd this generation.  They currently own NA and are fighting evenly with Nintendo and Sony for Europe (although it's really in the UK that the 360 is popular, not the other Euro countries).  And Japan is a joke....!!!