Today I am going to present this community with a incredible mind fuck. Which I certainly didn't see coming, and I suspect none of you will see coming either. You see today I set my self the goal of doing some hardcore number crunching, because I wanted to know factually which console manufacturer has the better stable of first party developers between Microsoft and Sony. To do this I decided to go with the most rigorous and restrictive definition possible. Firstly the developer has to be owned by the manufacturer currently. Secondly I would only consider the games they made for the current generaton console. Thirdly the games must be made entirely in house. No partnerships, licensing out, or publishing. Fourthly the only measure acceptable was a cummulative rating from GameRankings. Why them you say, because I don't think it matters which I use, and that site is easier to use. Finally I wouldn't include expansion packs, pseudo games, or free ware.

I can sense that by this point some of you are already postulating an objection based on my criteria. My answer to that is simple enough. These are simply the only criteria needed to answer the question. Which is who has the better stable right now. Anything else would be superfluous, contrived, and ripe for abuse. That wasn't my goal I wanted an answer, and I didn't care which answer I actually got. So no I have no agenda in this, and no I am not manipulating data. If you find some flaw, or think you found a flaw. It was most assuredly not my intention, and before you say hey you forgot this game. Have the consideration to check out the game for yourself. I have explained what disqualifies a game, and it shouldn't need to be explained twice. I am not infallible, and probably have missed a few titles on both sides, or included titles I probably shouldn't have. I would like to know which ones, but yes there are bad answers. Bungie doesn't work for Microsoft anymore, and Sony doesn't own Quantic Dream.

I was able to compile a list of seventy four titles that meet these criteria. Fifty one for Sony and twenty three for Microsoft. A warning in advance at this time I am going to dump the data rather then sort the data. There will not be a point for point correlation between the block of listed games, and the following block of scores that I am going to list. This is a consequence of how the work was done, and not a error. Each score reflects a game in the list. I fully intend to make a more rational presentation later, and intend to sort the games by studio. I just don't have the amount of time that would take right now.

Sony

Piyotama, LocoRoco Cocoraccho, The Eye of Judgment, Echocrome, Siren Blood Curse, The Last Guy, Kung Fu Rider, Ape Escape Fury Fury, Echochrome 2 Bleach Soul Resurreccion, Gran Turismo HD, Gran Turismo 5, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Uncharted 1, Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3, Jak and Daxter Collection, SOCOM 4, Infamous, Infamous 2, NBA 07, NBA 08, NBA 09, MLB 07, MLB O8, MLB 10, MLB 11, MLB 12, God of War 2, God of War 3, Festival of Blood, Motorstorm, Motorstorm Pacific Rift, Motorstorm Apocalypse, Motorstorm RC, Killzone 2, Killzone 3, TV Superstars, Formula 1 Championship Edition, High Velocity Bowling, Wipeout HD, Wipeout Fury, AquaVita, Sing Star, Eye Pet, Eye Pet and Friends, Eye Pet Move edition. LittleBigPlanet, LittleBigPlanet 2, Sackboys Prehistoric moves.

69.62, 75.1, 74.94, 82.19, 77.34, 78.64, 41.53, 46.06, 81.25, 62.38, 85, 79.82, 84.39, 89.70, 96.46, 91.96, 81.65, 70.5, 86.31, 84.44, 65.16, 66.38, 63.65, 78.78, 86.50, 89.60, 90.53, 90.03, 86.42, 70.94, 92.62, 92.01, 79.89, 82.74, 82.78, 78.41, 82.50, 90.32, 86.51, 56.67, 76.29, 87.52, 90.80, 75, 82.69, 73.23, 74.79, 66, 94.67, 92.20, 67.50.

Average score 79%

Microsoft

Halo Reach, Halo Anniversary, Forza 2, Forza 3, Forza 4, The Maw, Splosion Man, Comic Jumper, Ms. Splosion Man, The Gunstringer, Kinect Adventures, Fable 2, Fable 3, Fable Heroes, Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, Viva Pinata, Jetpac Refueled, Viva Pinata Trouble in Paradise, Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts, Kinect Sports, Kinect Sports Season 2, Kinect Joy Ride.

91.71, 81.80, 89.85, 92.13, 90.50, 76.06, 85.55, 84.56, 73.35, 79.76, 65.96, 88.27, 80.51, 53.73, 80.77, 81.51, 85.39, 82.25, 72, 80.64, 75.59, 67.48, 56.69.

Average score 78.9%

Perhaps the one answer that none of us would expect, but probably should expect. The software is reflecting the hardware. Which begs the question is this a cause, or is this the effect. Is the software reflecting the parallel in the sell through of the hardware, or is the hardware reflecting the parity of the software. Is this a correlation that has always existed throughout the generation, or is it just a strange hapenstance. This has me even wondering if this average would be indicative of the industry as a whole. Would this be the average of the whole of console gaming software. Thoughts anyone?

What do you mean by the software is reflecting the hardware? What's the mindfuck?

Your Sony list is confusing. Is it supposed to be just PS3? What's your opinion on HD collections? GOW 2 was PS2, plus you don't have little Big Planet.

Weird ass criteria. Also, "factually which console manufacturer had the better stable of first party developers". Uh-oh.

+1 for using GameRankings instead of Metacritic, though.

@Troll_Whisperer

Studio superiority is a pillar that fanatics like to lash themselves too. When all things are equal, but in reality yeah it is equal too. Neither manufacturer has a better stable of studios then the other as far as quality is concerned. Basically it is propaganda masquerading as fact, and I personally doubt that most who say it have bothered to even question whether it is true or not. It might not fuck with your head, but I think the majority of users on these forums will be somewhat shocked. As for the parity in hardware performance and software quality. Well it is the chicken and the egg. Are the consoles about even, because the software is about ever, or is the software about even, because the hardware is about even.

@pezus

The odds of a virtual parity in two different aspects seems highly remote. It is far more likely that there is a causal relationship. Even if that relationship isn't apparent. What is funny is that the PS3, and the 360 are often called the HD twins, and it is looking like they are identical twins.

@JoeTheBro

Good catch I put the scores up for Little Big Planet, but I forgot to put the games up there. I will edit them in. As for HD collections I think there is one collection up there, but other collections were farmed out to third party developers, and thus not done by one of Sony's first party studios. As for God of War 2 it could be an error in the sources I used. Then again it could have been offered up as some form of digital download at some point. As for your first question it is games released on the PS3 developed by Sony studios. Nothing to say they can't recycle games for a new commercial release. Microsoft has some of those, but they farmed those out to third parties. Which is why the original two Banjo games aren't on the list.

@DepthAlly

Thank you for the typo catch. Another thing to be edited. Speaking to the criteria it isn't that weird. I decided it just made more sense fundamentally to judge the horses in the barn. Rather then weigh the crap piled up behind the barn.

it looks like Sony has quality & quantity imo

What in the world are "pseudo games"?

Like a few people already beat me to saying....So Sony not only takes a slight 0.4% win, but also has ~30 more titles on that list.

So they not only tie/slightly win in quality, but DOMINATE in quanitity.

So you're saying that they both have similar HW sales because their 1st party games have the same average score.

By that logic, if console X had one single 1st party game with a score of 80 and console Y had 1,000 titles with an average of 80, they both deserve the same sales. That doesn't make much sense to me.

Also, I don't think the fact that the scores are similar is a mindfuck. You seem to assume that one of them is expected to have a much better score. Who were you expecting to have better scores?

RolStoppable said:

pezus said:

Like Rol said, the scores are the same but what about the number of titles lol? Sony have 220% more of them.

120 % more.

Actually, 51 is 220% of 23 if my brain is correct which I think it is.