Sony Inks Exclusive Rockstar Deal for PlayStation 3

Sony Inks Exclusive Rockstar Deal for PlayStation 3
Barry Levine, newsfactor.com
Mon Jul 30, 3:02 PM ET

Game titles drive console sales, and exclusive titles can of course turbocharge those sales. That's why the PlayStation 3 community is buzzing about a new deal in which the PlayStation 3 will have an exclusive to the "next great franchise" from the hit-making studios of Rockstar Games.

Rockstar is the company behind the blockbuster hit Grand Theft Auto (GTA), among other titles. Sony is promoting the fact that the collaboration with Rockstar will emphasize the PS3's uniqueness. "Rockstar really wanted to make a game that you can truly only do on PS3, harnessing the power of Cell and Blu-ray disc," wrote Sony's Michael Shorrock on the PlayStation blog. This deal will do that, he added.

The companies said they wouldn't talk about the details of the arrangement other than to say it is not referring to upcoming title LA Noire. That Rockstar game is a "next generation crime thriller" developed by the Australia-based studio Team Bondi, and is said to "blend cinema and gaming."

'Take Advantage' of PS3

Online reaction by the PS3 user community was generally positive. "Now this is the kind of stuff we want to hear," said a user called Slick, on the PlayStation blog. Another user going by the moniker of Kamahl even went so far as to proclaim "there's no bad game by Rockstar."

"GTA4 looks amazing," noted Slick, "but I will always be left wondering how it could have been had it [been] made from the ground up to take advantage of the PS3's capabilities."

Exclusive titles that capitalize on the PS3's technology could help the PS3 in its struggle to rise from its third-place position among current-generation game consoles.

According to numbers released recently by The NPD Group, the PS3 sold about 98,000 units in June, a rise of more than 20 percent over May. But the second-place Xbox 360 from Microsoft sold 198,400, which was a 28 percent jump, and top-rated Nintendo's Wii increased 13 percent to 381,000 units.

None in NPD's Top 10

Of the top 10 game titles for all consoles in the NPD report, none were for the PS3. Six were for Nintendo machines (four for the Wii, two for the DS), three were for the Xbox 360, and one, Guitar Hero 2, was for the PlayStation 2.

In fact, according to a new survey released last week by Nielsen, the previous-generation PS2 is the most popular game console in terms of actual game time spent by players. But among current-generation consoles, the Wii has taken over not only the top hardware sales position but also the top position for number of exclusive game titles.

A report released earlier this month by Gaming Target said that there were now more Wii-exclusive games in development than for any other console, a position that the Xbox 360 had held since such tracking began in late 2006. According to the report, the Wii has 113 exclusives, the Xbox 360 has 96, and the PS3 -- before this Rockstar deal -- only 47.

Alright, that cinches it: I'm gonna go for the PS3 over the Wii.


Freakin' 360 isn't even worth thinking about anymore.

Yizzzzah. This totally seals the deal for me. I have always been a PS guy, have 1 and 2. A part of me was thinking about going 360 from a graphic standpoint and also I think the DVD buying community will go HD-DVD rather than Blu Ray. But I do hear more bad than good about 360.

The fact that the best games are now going to be on PS3 sells it for me. Granted, it will be a while before I can afford it. Probably a year or so. That shit's expensive.

-HECK!

True that. I'm waiting for my Chinese New Year bonus next year. Then I'll be grabbing it. Hopefully by that time there'll be some Platinum series games out. I particularly would cop Spider-Man 3, Grand Turrismo... and hopefully GTA4 if it's cheap by that point. Lots of sweet looking games.

360's dead. Microsoft have lost out this time around, they should just discontinue it now and cut their losses.

I've got PSX and PS2 too, but I rarely play either now. PSX I haven't touched in years. I do have a few PSX games on my PSP though.

The Wii's pretty dope... and cheaper... I still want to get it, but I've made my mind up that I'm definitely getting the PS3 first.

I sold my PS2 about a month ago... finally. My cousins husband bought it, and all the games. I don't miss it, actually. I used to love playing games. Hell, I used to LOVE being online. Now, I get online when I'm bored. Still, it sounds like a sweet thing that they are putting out. Heck, you get that and I'm going to have to come over and check it out.