For me, third-party games have always been at least on par with first-party games in terms of how much enjoyment they bring. They just lacked the incredible exposure and reach that first-party developers had. In the old days, manufacturers always put their own products front and center.

Now, with the internet and so much gaming media coverage, third-party games get almost as much exposure as first-party games. That's a good thing for people who care more about games than about making lists of exclusives.

The PS1 is an example of a console that really sold well because of third-party content. FF7 alone would have given it a massive boost.

Even going back to the NES, the fact that they forced developers to skip Sega had a lot of impact on their controlling North America.

As far as console go, they're perfect for gamers who want a low barrier to entry. The PC, as much as some of us love it as a gaming device, is not the best solution for millions of people.

Each has its part to play in the console wars. 1st party content makes people buy the console, but 3rd party usually ensures that people from all types of gaming tastes will continue to buy the console.

Both first and third party games matter obviously...

? Because they're Nintendo and their 1st party content always sells better than 3rd party content on their consoles. Generally, 3rd parties make sure people keep buying your console. Which is why the Wii U is selling so poorly. No 3rd party support= no console sales=less software sales. Mario Kart 8 has only sold 1/5 of what Mario Kart Wii sold. Nintendo's 1st party contnet always sells amazing, nobody is saying that it doesn't, but without Capcom, Square, and other 3rd parties to support consoles like the 3DS, Nintendo's install base will remain low/shrink.

They do matter, but you can't solely rely on 1st party software to push console sales, like in the case for the Wii U

I don't think they matter as much as they used to.

I mean take a look at PS4, the market leader for consoles.

Of the top 20 best-selling games, two are exclusive to PS4 (technically they're PS3 ports, but you get the idea). The rest are Call of Duty, GTA, FIFA, etc. Sony and Microsoft understand this, and have made concessions to third-parties accordingly.

Personally, I think that's a big mistake, but it seems to be working out well for both companies.

While they do matter, it's important to remember that PS2 was basically thirdy-party powered.

It sold 160M units. If it was been significantly being used as a DVD player, it would have sold less software. It's tie ratio is basically the same of the OG Xbox and higher than the GC. Going by brute numbers, it sold 1.6B games, more than any console ever. This is a pretty weak argument.

I agree that exclusives matter, that being said i did not bought a PS1 for Crash or Spyro it was for Dino Crysis and Tomb Raider 4.

Bold claims. Now prove that theory.