Most readers of this site are aware of the PlayStation 3's lackluster sales so far. As of the end of August in the USA and Japan, Sony has sold 2.9 million of its latest generation console, compared to 6.7 million of its main rival Xbox 360s (which did have a one year head start) and 7.4 million units of the less powerful (and cheaper) Nintendo Wii. Many financial analysts and marketing firms, such as the Japanese company Enterbrain (the source for the preceding figures), believe that a price cut would help solidify the PS3's sales, and somewhat expected that announcement to come at the Tokyo Game Show.

Sadly, no such announcement was made. However, the recently appointed head of Sony's videogame division, Kazuo Hirai, did make another important announcement: Sony is re-committing itself to help third-party developers do whatever is necessary to make GOOD GAMES. We've seen in the past that it is the games that make the most difference in a consoles' sales performance. The previous incarnation of Microsoft's Xbox kept competitive because of a few key exclusive titles, most notably the Halo and Knights of the Old Republic series. The long run for Sony and the PS3 may depend on such titles.

Although the PS3 has been losing some exclusive titles to cross console availability (more often the Xbox 360 than the Wii), they still maintain several key franchises which have yet to cross the console gap on their initial release date, such as the Metal Gear Solid series, Final Fantasy XIII, Unreal Tournament 3, Star Ocean and etc. With Sony publicly re-committing itself to the third party developers, perhaps they will be able to retain the exclusive titles they still have, and perhaps add a franchise or two to the list.

In other business news, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that game review sites have become VERY important to developers. So much in fact that game makers such as Activision, Inc. and Take-Two Entertainment have made reviews part of their staff's bonuses!!! It's great to think that sites just like this one can have an effect in either recognizing great staffers or punishing those who fall short of mediocrity. Having recently played Halo 3 (yeah, I know only mere days before its release), I am recommending Bungie to give EVERYONE raises!

Information from the Wall Street Journal was used in this article.