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ArnoldRimmer on 19 May 2010
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Yes, I think there is some truth to that statement.
For example the currently best looking console games are all PS3 exclusives, even though the vast majority of PS3 titles are actually multiplatform titles.

I think the reason is that when developing multiplatform games, the game is being developed with the lowest common denominator in mind. (I hope you understand what I mean, it's a metaphor from my native language and I don't know if it a common metaphor in english as well)

For example: Size. If you develop a PS3 exclusive, you know that storage isn't a major concern. You have dozens of gigabytes available for storage on the Blu-Ray disk. If however you make a multiplatform title, you'll always keep in mind that in the end the whole game must fit into a few gigabytes because of the limited DVD storage capacity.
So when developing a multiplatform title, the developers most probably won't design a huge and highly detailed world that uses 40 Gigabytes, and then wonder how they can reduce it so that it fits into 6 gigabytes for the Xbox 360 version. No, they will design the world so that it fits into 6 gigabytes right away, and the PS3 version simply won't get any extra detail.

Another example: Storage transfer rate and access time. Most people would probably believe the the PS3 is the limiting factor here as it's Blu-Ray drive only has about half the transfer rate as the 360's DVD drive, but it's actually just the other way around. The problem is that games released for the Xbox 360 are forbidden to require a mandatory hard disk installation (because of the Arcade which doesn't have one). That may seem like a good thing for the customer at first sight, but it's a huge limitation for the game developer. When you develop a game for the 360, the game must be able to run from a DVD drive with relatively large access times and slow transfer rates. On the PS3 however, you are free to install critical data that requires fast access onto the hard disk drive if you want to.
And that's not just some theoretical problem, that was indeed a very realistic problem when GTA IV was developed for example. They had huge problems making GTA IV run smooth even on 360 Arcades.