@ darth it is helping a small bit, but most importantly is it stopping the PS3

I think darth makes a good point.

None of these games they've announced are going to sell well.
Nothing MS puts out in Japan sells decently (The main territory for such games), and their NA/EU userbase aren't the JRPG type. So their main intention with these announcements is just to take potshots at Sony's line-up and hope that it does enough damage.

With that said, these are some big blows, although people seem to be overreacting. SO4 still looks like a multiplatform release. If MS had a conference and it was exclusive (Timed or not), they surely would have mentioned it. The biggest announcement was timed exclusivity for Last Remnant, everything else we knew or at least speculated.

How can it not help 360? In Japan at least it will help their branding, but I hope you can agree that there are quite some RPG-lovers in the West that yet have to choose a HD console (like me).

Right now PS3 has only two exclusive major RPG's: FF13 and WKC. I think it's absolutely shameful for the successor of PS2. I think my decision is made (and I think a lot with me) that I have to skip FF this gen in order to play more other RPG's.

So surely it is helping the 360.

You are kidding me right.  Your basically saying that SO3 probably sold over 700K in Europe alone.  There is no way the game sold that much there.  If sales data of any JRPG other than FF and KH proves to you, JRPGs is more the most part a very niche genre there since Europe are more into their own RPG series i.e. Gothic series

If anyone says that Star Ocean is a small franchise, they are wrong.  It isn't a BIG series like FF and KH.  It's more like SO is a semi-big series. 

Well in EU KH 2 only sold 470k, which I am not too sure about, but they are very poor sales

@Benga Benga

But there are many JRPG lovers for whom the Final Fantasy console is the one they get

besides I am talking specifically of the Japan situation. Will the Wii not get JRPG's now?? When the Wii starts getting them its irrelevant what the 360 does.

These JRPG's aren't going to do anything for 360 in Japan......M$ is doing this just to Kill of n Halt the PS3....so no way am I gonna give them the pleasure of having my support.

SCEJ have A LOT to prove at E3.

Do you not understand THESE GAME WILL NOT make MONEY!

 Does it hurt the PS3.  I mean... hypothetically if it wasn't for 360 giving them massive money for timed exclusives... perhaps these developers might move over to the Wii?

Where there is a much bigger japanese userbase... then both HD consoles combined.

They don't need to make money. They already have do to the exclusivity deals.

Besides JRPGs don't really have as much costs as they are rarely cutting edge graphically. 

 I think it is certainly making people delay their PS3 purchase until FF XIII, but basically every jRPG fan is going to want to get FF XIII. As we know the name FF means great sales

@Kasz216

There IS a big userbase for Wii bigger than both combined

If these were on wii EACH ONE was million seller to a 2 million seller

If they were on PS3 EACH ONE was above 800K to 1.5 Million

Now that they are on 360 they won't pass 500K......if they're lucky they will do 600K at most. or completely BOMB like Blue Dragon.

These developers are locking out their old audience and not going for the console of choice in Japan! the Wii!