I payed $60 out the gate, too!

This proves MS did it right: 

Timed Exclusives are worth it.

- You get the buzz and the sales

- The other guys get the sales scraps and the majority have moved on. 

ME2 is a 360/PC experience, cause thats what gamers remember it as.......cause thats where most of them played it. 

The PS3 version will be forgotten or remembered as an afterthought.

Timed exclusivity works, period.

Microsoft did nothing right. They have no more true core exclusives (outside of forza) after the Gears contract is up. With Mass Effect gone, there is a huge void in what their offerings hold. They better have a mind blowing E3 or else a lot of 360 owners will be buying PS3's in the states. Mark my words.

The thing is the PS1/PS2 really did dominate - they got exclusives by default and once the console was really dominant Sony could put a lot of pressure on developers.

This gen the rules are indeed different and I think that will continue.  One aspect this gen is the lack of a clear winner.  Sure the Wii sells the best and sells a lot of software, but it doesn't cover all demographics the way the PS1/PS2 did.  This leaves the gap which the PS3/360 are fighting over.

Going forward, I think having your own exclusives - vs third party exclusives - is going to become more important.

Looking at the effort / expense by MS just to get to 50 million, I feel that with their current model domination of the sort PS1/PS2 enjoyed is out of their reach.  I think Xbox brand will continue to grow but I believe a lack of extensive exclusives will hold the brand back.

Of course you have games to play - most games are multi-platform now and will be - which is also why I'm saying what I'm saying.

It's great as a gamer you don't care whether a game is on another platform - I don't either - but I was just speaking more thinking about MS and noting while their model is fine for a certain size of install base I don't think it will allow them to dominate.

Of course, with the way the market has gone this gen domination for any single console may well be off the cards now and decent marketshare is all that's left.  That would be interesting to see.

EDIT - to shorten the trail.

Gran Turismo (bigger than any in the PS1 gen), Crash Bandicoot (kinda 1st party back then)? Sure 3rd parties were important for PS1/2 but the GT IP is a massive reason for the newfound success of PS1 in Europe.

@resasonable  i wish more people had sense like you do.  What some people dont realize is money hatting timed exclusives only work in the short term. The days of having 3rd party exclusives are going away, they cost too much to produce and too much money is being left on the table. You HAVE to have good 1st party support to differiante yourself from the comp. Its the reason why Ninty is dominatiing this gen. They already had that formula, Sony is learing this, it seems that MS is the only one who refuses to accept this. (unless of course they really do put a focus on Kinect, which from a buisness standpoint, would be a great idea)

i'm playing Mass Effect 2 on my PS3 and i love this game! it is definately one of the greatest games of this generation so far.

and no, i don't care that it is a "late port" or that i have payed the full price for it, it doesn't take away from the quality of this game and it is worth every cent for this game and the overwhelming amount of content that has been included.

but after reading this thread, just let me say this:

shame on every "fan" who downplays this game now that it has become multiplat.

also look at Xbox sales if you will. 2,5 millions after a year. There are people who claimed "flop" for other games with that kind of sales. i am not calling it a flop, but i say a game this great it would have deserved twice that.

But that is all beside the point. i just hate these petty arguments, no matter from what side. this game deserves love, not bickering.

Well said!

So are we finally talking ME2 again?

u dont get it.....business they scored a home run, getting more then 2 million sold for 360 and Sony getting the scraps

us gamers will remember it as a pc/360 game cause thats where it was relevant. ps3 ME2 buyers are basically the guys getting the sloppy seconds.

lol you must really think most gamers are irrational, impulsive idiots if you think a dry season leads millions to buy the competition. Every heard of multiplats..........u know.......90% of a consoles library...........where 360 usually gets the superior version, whether it be the game itself or LIVE making the game superior. 

P.S.......most core gamers allready made their console choice. Its all about winning over casuals at this point.