The last FF sold slightly more in the West than in Japan.  This was from a total of just over 5 million units.

FFX sold around 8 million units, with a substantial advantage to the West.  The Xbox 360 has a lead of around 7.5 million consoles over the PS3 in the West, a lead that is likely to remain, or alter slightly depending on price drop occurences for the Xbox 360 and the PS3 in North America.

There are a large number of people in the West and in Japan that will buy a console specifically for FFXIII.  In the West, due to the large number of exclusive, reasonably high quality JRPG's avaliable, the Xbox 360 is likely to perform well in hardware and software related sales of FFXIII. 

In Japan, the only possible boost will be to the PS3 due to the game's regional exclusivity, but over the last hour a couple of fundamental mistakes have been made alongside some of the assumptions regarding what FFXIII can do for the PS3 in Japan.  The PS3 will not see a PS1 or PS2-like FF-related boost in Japan.  Not only is Japan's relative importance to FF sales declining, but the Japanese hardcore market is declinging (quite rapidly according to last months Media Create aggregates). 

But more than anything, for the first time in three generations, the Playstation console is not Japan's console of choice.  MGS4 has shown us quite clearly that there is a very definite, and abrupt, limit on how far good exclusives can push a runner up console in Japan. 

It is probable that the worldwide hardware boost caused by FFXIII will be larger for the PS3 simply because the console has a Japanese exclusive.  However, what might have been a major worldwide boost over the Xbox 360 will now be mitigated almost to the point of irrelevance.  The Xbox 360 could have had a day and date arrival of FFXIII in Japan, and just like DMC4 and other multiplatform titles, it would have done nothing for the console in that region.

Today saw a MASSIVE blow to Sony.

this will be like GTA4 it will be a 50/50 (talking about consoles sold)but it will only help ps3 in japan

i will have to disagree with you.

i belive ps3 version will sell much better worldwide than 360 version. there hasnt been any release date yet. and from what i read they said 360 version is being developed.

ps3 version has obviously been lead developed from the begining since a long time ago and for a simultanious release its going to be at the end of 2009 now(i was hoping for early feb/march). worldwide install base for ps3 will be bigger than 360 by the end of 2009 easily so i predict ps3 sales far exceeding 360 sales on FF13.

FF13 will give a massive boost for ps3 in japan, but a smaller one for 360 in japan. il admit its been a shitty news but its done now its deffo coming out on 360.

The majority of MGS sales are also in the west. But where did it move more consoles? Japan.

That's only because the people in the West that wanted a PS3 for MGS4 already had the system including me

 well alot of people that wanted it already had it

that's what Tombi is saying though, as far as consoles sales go Japan will get the biggest effect from FFXIII's release

This the exact opposite of damage control. Exaggeration.

Starcraft, bring it in for a second. The last final fantasy has 2.5 mil in Japan, less than a mil in others, and 2 mil in America. So all of the Japanese sales will be on the PS3. Others will see PS3 ahead of 360 much like DMC 4 and GTA IV, and American sales will likely see a split in sales.

^it will sell a bit more on ps3,but american sales will favor the 360

But if thats what you're holding out for, the PS3 is in trouble. The MGS4 boost hasn't even lasted a month, and has amounted to at most 150k consoles shifted.

Even if FFXIII shifted twice that (and it won't due to Western multiplatform status), its not even close to what the PS3 needs to have anything even approaching a resurgence.