If GTA IV was PS3 exclusive, PS3 would have killed 360 in the US for a few months and seriously cut into the 360's lead in the US. Since it's multiplatform, that won't be happening.

If GTA IV was a PS3 exclusive, the PS3 would have probably completely caught up with the 360 in the US by the end of the year. Not Gears, Halo, nothing has the same weight as GTA IV. It could have single handedly reverse every lead 360 had.

So yeah, losing GTA was much bigger. DQ IX is a big loss in Japan, but nowhere near as important.

MH 3 is a big loss for the PS3 but only because it needs JP hits. Monster Hunter console games aren't anywhere near DQ or FF levels. It would have probably sold decent and boosted PS3 for a few weeks but that's it. DQ IX would have launched a PS3 comeback in Japan, core PS2 players would have jumped to PS3 in droves.

@Played_Out:

Your wisdom is only surpassed by the coolness of your avatar.

If people think MH3 will outsell its PSP counterparts, they need a reality check.

If people think FF XIII will not outsell DQ IX worldwide, they need one as well.

I agree that PS3 would have closed the gap with 360 a lot faster than now if it had GTA exclusively, but if the PS3 had Wii's sales in Japan, what would have happened with Dragon Quest AND Final Fantasy it would have already closed the gap with 360.  Thing is everyone has a DS in Japan and Wii seems to get some good support. Far more people will leave FF asside, because it's the only game they want on that platform and don't want to spend so much money for 1 game.

With DQ AND FF AND MH all the other Japanese games would have been certain, creating an unbeatable system in Japan, which is still a very significant market. It also would have created a brilliant difference with 360. PS3 would have had, just like the PS2, western AND Japanese games. 

I think you'll be surprised on both statements. DQ on the DS will be HUGE. Not only in Japan, but in the west as well. Don't forget that DQ8 was the first one to have some success outside of Japan.
MH3 maybe won't sell as much as the PSP versions, but it will definitely sell a lot more than the PS2 versions. The series has seen an incredible increase in poularity, which can be measured by looking at the PSP sales on itself. Monster Hunter will be the 3rd most popular series in Japan.

monster hunter? 3rd most popular series in japan? your saying that you think its going be more popular than one of these three... final fantasy, dragon quest, and pokemon(which is the most popular game in japan not dragon quest)

Mh is a proven nothing on home consoles, paying for it would have been pointless on Sonys part.  Losing GTA they get two other exclusives from Rockstar, only time will tell if they choose right or wrong.

I'd much rather see them fund Level5s White Kight then pay for mediocracy like MH. 

i don't know, you claim they lost all their exclusives for japan, and then mention ff13. So long as they have that, they should do okay. Crisis Core is managing in japan. It's not as big as monster hunter, or DQ, but still big. And DQ10 hasn't found a home yet so it's har dto talk on that.

Hopefully Sony will throw in enough money to keep FF on their side. As far as I'm concerned, Japanese gaming is entering the dark ages, starting with DQ IX going to the DS - a downgrade from DQ VIII. Wii Fanboys like to talk about how worse graphics make better gameplay, but I have failed to see that happen. My days as a gamer may be coming to an end for a while, possibly after FF XIII and FF V XIII. I have a Wii and I'm thinking about selling it seeing that the Gamecube provides all the experience that the Wii is providing right now.

Depends on where DQ10 goes.

Right now i'd lean GTA which is big in two markets... vs

MH which may or may not be big on a console

and DQ which is on a handheld that most japanese people own anyway, rather then being on the Wii where people who don't want the Wii would buy it anyway.

Really i don't think any of these three hurt the PS3 that bad. What hurt the PS3 was the PS3 being the PS3.

Just gotta wait and see how all three do before you can guess. 

So this looks like this came true, Sony just lost DQ10 officially. It going to be harder to get a bigger userbase in Japan now.

Ah well maybe next console Sony...

GTA was never a Sony exclusive...