Virtua Fighter 5 smacks PS3, heads to 360
Exclusive content has been slowly moving away from the PS3. Mostly, they've been fairly minor, like Koei titles. However, an arguably bigger title is making the jump to the Xbox 360.
Sega has announced that Virtua Fighter 5 -- a former PS3 exclusive -- has moved over to the Xbox 360. Sega also offered a few more bits of information; The PS3 will still be getting a timed -- albeit short -- exclusive with the PS3 launch in Europe. The Xbox 360 version will be hitting Europe and North America in Summer 2007.
The exodus of PS3 exclusivity should start worrying Sony. Microsoft has been doing a better job of tying down exclusive content and Sony doesn't want to wage the console war utilizing in-house studios exclusively. It could be the already declining interest in the PS3 and questionable production capabilities that are convincing companies to move the the already established Xbox 360 platform.
[Thanks to all who sent this in]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Darc Requiem @ Dec 21st 2006 1:02PM
Wow. No wonder Kutaragi got demoted. The PS3 seems to be losing exclusives left and right. I wonder if the 360 version will lack on-line play as well?
nabisco @ Dec 21st 2006 1:02PM
Wait for Optimus Prime to come in here with some ignorant comment about this doesn't matter and how Sony will be #1.
Munch @ Dec 21st 2006 1:03PM
This is good news for me as VF5 was the only game I was considering getting a PS3 for. Now if only my 360 would stop red lighting on me!
RolexDPracer @ Dec 21st 2006 1:04PM
Hot damn!!! Dead or Alive is a pretty looking game, but VF has far more depth. Another reason to love my 360, and hold off on a PS3.
Fred T @ Dec 21st 2006 1:04PM
What MS wanted and needed was VF5 as an exclusive in JAPAN; its not even coming out there.
By the time Summer '07 comes out, the Halo 3 and GT4 hype machine will be rollin'.. are you going to care about an offline fighter that was released months ago.
CrapCorn @ Dec 21st 2006 1:04PM
LMAO! LMAO!
That's really all there is to say about it.
dl @ Dec 21st 2006 1:06PM
hell yeah, I hope they include Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution on the disc too.
B33 @ Dec 21st 2006 1:06PM
Timed exclusives seem to be getting more popular now. Just look at Bioshock and Splinter Cell. Both are timed exclusives for the Xbox 360. And Sega usually never delivers exclusives... Not much of a surprise...
I think that many companies, who are on the edge, are moving away from exclusives since they tend to cut down on profits... I'm thinking that early titles will be mainly multiplatform, while later titles will start to remain exclusive to a specific console.
John @ Dec 21st 2006 1:08PM
I genuinely think the price is too high! People dont want to know that a PS3 costs less than a 360 with wifi, hddvd and a rechargable battery pack. They just go in and see that the 360 costs $400 and the ps3 costs $600 and they both do roughly the same thing (ie HD gaming)
Sony need to match the 360's price, and until they do the ps3's will sit on the shelves gathering dust
That said, once they do the sales WILL pick up and Sony will do as well as MS, or maybe better!
:)
John @ Dec 21st 2006 1:10PM
crap wrong post!
but still a valid point! anyways when developers see that people are buying the 360 over the ps3 then of course they will develop for the 360!
:)
Corosato @ Dec 21st 2006 1:11PM
Not saying this is another nail is sony's coffin, but this has to hurt. If the trend keeps up and it gets down 99% of the exclusives being produced in house, Sony is in big trouble. Love it or hate it Halo 3 by itself will generate more console sales than just about every Sony owned IP combined.
zero2dash @ Dec 21st 2006 1:13PM
In the words of the masterful Beck:
Hell yes now I'm moving this way, I'm doing this thing
(Please enjoy)
Hell yes now I'm turning it on, I'm working my legs
Hell yes now I'm calling you out, I'm switching my plates
(Please enjoy)
Hell yes now I'm cleaning the floor, my beat is correct
Throw in online play! Please for the love of god! I'm glad as hell the game is coming as is, but PLEASE put in online play!!!
John @ Dec 21st 2006 1:17PM
"that are convincing companies to move the the already established Xbox 360 platform."
Talk about poor grammar
lol
RoroCo @ Dec 21st 2006 1:17PM
Waiting for the Sony fanboys to say this game sucked anyways and as long as they keep Tekken they will be happy...
Steve @ Dec 21st 2006 1:21PM
Ouch, that's got to hurt Sony, especially with reports of PS3's not exactly flying off store shelves starting to float about. That's definitely NOT the time to be saying that one of the big 2007 exclusive titles isn't going to be quite so exclusive after all. It's also potentially a major blow for the consoles European launch as this was going to be one of THE big titles for the hardcore gamers that'd be looking to pick up a system ASAP.
I think what we're seeing here is conformation of what's been said all along, there really isn't a great deal of difference in outright performance between the PS3 and the 360. Certainly it seems to be fairly easy to port PS3 to the 360 if there's only a few months delay, although I can't think of a major title that's gone the other way off the top of my head (anyone?).
One thing though, am I right in thinking that VF5 isn't going to be on-line for the PS3? If so, I wonder if that 4 month gap (or however long it ends up being) would be enough for MS to throw a basket of money at Sega to incorporate Live multiplayer in time for a summer release? That would be a major kick in the unmentionables for Sony and would more than justify the delay for the 360 version.
Regula Oblique @ Dec 21st 2006 1:21PM
Well thats kind of a silly comment corosato, halo had to start from some where too, and just because its halo doesnt mean sony wont have its own big in house title, I already know of 2 that could be major, I fell into the halo hype train when prt 2 came out on the xbox and really dont know why. From the looks of it in my opinion I doubt halo 3 will even do good as 2 sold, but we'll wait in see.
Kris @ Dec 21st 2006 1:30PM
As M$ have stated before, every game released on 360 has to have Live funtionality. Yes this may only be in the form of leaderboards but M$ and Sega would be stupid not to have online multiplayer for VF5.
microdot @ Dec 21st 2006 1:32PM
"anyways when developers see that people are buying the 360 over the ps3 then of course they will develop for the 360!"
then its too bad they arent really buying the 360 either, isnt it? what then? the world gets sub par performance and 1990 graphics with a wii?
call me when the ps3 loses something important. lair, final fantasy, motorstorm, metal gear solid, white knight story, devil may cry, etc, etc, etc. until then, its just more fanboyism hype and propaganda bs from simple minded crybabies.
"ZOMG! A GAME WE DIDNT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT BEFORE, AND KNOCKED EVERY CHANCE WE GOT, IZ COMING TO THE 360 SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER THE PS3!!!1!one!"
John @ Dec 21st 2006 1:32PM
"that are convincing companies to move the the already established Xbox 360 platform."
Talk about poor grammar
lol
Alejandro @ Dec 21st 2006 1:33PM
It's official now, Sony is losing the console war.
Jonah Falcon @ Dec 21st 2006 1:37PM
The reason is simple: remember Capcom's statement - in order for a game to turn a profit, they must sell 500,000 copies.
I'm not sure the PS3 has reached that figure in terms of unit sales yet, and even if it has, you need a near IMPOSSIBLE 1:1 game-to-unit ratio. Sega is looking at how games like Dead Rising sells 1M copies, Gears of War 2M copies, etc, and is thinking "SURE THING!"
Fernando Rocker @ Dec 21st 2006 1:37PM
Devil May Cry is a Sony exclusive... but... naaa... I prefer my Wi60
matthew @ Dec 21st 2006 1:38PM
John, the problem with your argument is *every single one of those things is optional in the 360*. You don't need ANY of those things to tap the 360's maximum gaming potential. I bought the wifi adapter because my girlfriend is a anti-wire nazi, but I don't think I'll ever get the HDDVD player or the recharge kit (which is only like $30 anyway). I just don't care about them, and I'm glad MS decided not to charge me for something I don't want.
With the 360, the bar for entry is much, much lower without crippling the actual gaming experience at all.
elnico @ Dec 21st 2006 1:39PM
as a proud owner of a 360 since march05, i can say, WHOO!!HOO!!!. However, thinking long term, I absolutely do not want to see the ps3 fail. competition is good and it breeds innovation, i do not like the idea of a MS hegemony.
AStalkingButler @ Dec 21st 2006 1:40PM
@Corosato I really doubt that Halo 3 will be such a system seller - are there any massive fans of Halo 1 and 2 that don't already have a 360?
DBX00 @ Dec 21st 2006 1:41PM
Let's see if this moves a few more consoles for Microsoft in Japan (where this game really sells well). Oh wait, it probably won't because they'll just get it on the PS3 4 or more months in advance. The days of owning multiple consoles are over and if you have to choose one or maybe two it probably would be a PS3 and Wii.
I understand XBOX guys want to make sure they made the right choice but this still wouldn't make me invest in a XBOX if I haven't already purchased it. Microsoft needs to find ways to find new customers instead of keeping their existing base happy. Everything coming out these days is an attempt to say that the XBOX is on equal playing field with the PS3 instead of telling me why its a better choice.
AwesomeStuff @ Dec 21st 2006 1:42PM
ROFLMFAO!!!
Sony fails.
Now waiting for a Sonybots spin on this
PostScript @ Dec 21st 2006 1:43PM
Microdot: "call me when the ps3 loses something important. lair, final fantasy, motorstorm, metal gear solid, white knight story, devil may cry, etc, etc, etc. until then, its just more fanboyism hype and propaganda bs from simple minded crybabies."
Let me be the first to say this whole paragraph is rediculous. VF5 is a huge game in North America and Japan, much more significant than lair or motorstorm. MGS and Final Fantasy I will give you and to a lesser extent Devil May Cry. But come now you must be blind not to see the problems this generates for Sony. I am sure if you looked at this from an unbiased perspective you would see that VF5 is a huge game for Sony, one where the loss may resonate further than expected. I would not be surprised to see MGS or Final Fantasy jump ships, then what will you say? Those were not that big, when I see motorstorm and lair switch then we will talk? Bah I have yet to see Gears of War announced for PS3...MS does not own the rights to Gears of War. Why aren't large 360 franchises moving in the PS3 direction?? You clearly have some distorted perspectives going on.
Jonah Falcon @ Dec 21st 2006 1:48PM
"Let's see if this moves a few more consoles for Microsoft in Japan (where this game really sells well). Oh wait, it probably won't because they'll just get it on the PS3 4 or more months in advance. "
Hi! Little hint: THE WORLD IS NOT JAPAN. They'll get a profit from VR5 on the 360 because THE 360 IS AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE. There's NO PS3's in Europe and Oceania, and won't be til March 2007 -- and if the rumors are right, not til a few months AFTER THAT.
How do you think Dead Rising, Gears of War, etc all sold in the MILLIONS? Because of Japan? Get real.
Jonah Falcon @ Dec 21st 2006 1:48PM
"MS does not own the rights to Gears of War."
Epic flatly stated the PS3 can NOT do Gears of War. It doesn't have flex RAM.
And Capcom definitely isn't exclusive to the 360 (Dead Rising, Lost Planet, etc)
Kimosabae @ Dec 21st 2006 1:48PM
Fucking AWESOME.
There is a god...
*puts back on jesus piece*
-Syn
Mal F4cti0n @ Dec 21st 2006 1:49PM
Yep, that's gotta hurt.
Who wants to bet that the MS version will have online play? I do, I do!
White Cloud @ Dec 21st 2006 1:50PM
Wow, and that comes after 1up's exclusive interview with the producers saying that they made it for PS3 because it was easier to port to: http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=2&cId=3155915
John @ Dec 21st 2006 1:50PM
#23
That was my point! well sorta!
I was saying that people dont care about the extras, all they care about is the initial price
As for as your average Joe is concerned the 360 and the PS3 both do HD gaming but the PS3 costs way more so theyr gonna get the 360
One could argue that when you take the 360, add wifi, next gen dvd and a rechargable pack 4 the controller its as functional as a PS3 but it costs more so the ps3 is cheaper in the long run and thats certainly the way sony want people to see it but the reality is that people dont care
hence my post
lol! :)
blackgold @ Dec 21st 2006 1:50PM
"call me when the ps3 loses something important. lair, final fantasy, motorstorm, metal gear solid, white knight story, devil may cry, etc, etc, etc. until then, its just more fanboyism hype and propaganda bs from simple minded crybabies."
Ummm... virtual fighter five IS Something important my friend. That was going to be their flagship fighter.
nick @ Dec 21st 2006 1:50PM
I suspected this might happen, and I'm glad Sega made the choice to offer the title on the 360. I love fighting games and will certainly pick this one up.
I hate to sound like a broken record, and I'm a HUGE Sony fan, but even I admit the PS3 is too expensive and have no plans to purchase one anytime soon. The 360 is pretty cool system, and I'm loving the games. Can't wait for Lost Planet... and now Virtual Fighter.
Corosato @ Dec 21st 2006 1:52PM
@16 & 25
I know quite a few people that are essentially waiting for halo 3 for the 360, keeping their xbox/ps2 combo until then. And I'm not saying Sony can't come up with something, I really hope they do. As much of a fan of the 360 as I am, competition breeds better product, so i'd rather every succeed on a high enough level to support all 3 console manufacturers.
fahmi @ Dec 21st 2006 1:53PM
lair & motorstorm are crap. they are not even on the same league as DMC, FF, MGS, and VF5. motorstorm that is released in japan is known to be crapfest. go show your fanboyism in somebody else ass.
B33 @ Dec 21st 2006 1:55PM
"LMAO! LMAO!
That's really all there is to say about it."
Your laughing at your name right?
DBX00 @ Dec 21st 2006 1:56PM
Splinter Cell Double Agent coming to PS3
http://www.gamefront.de/
Jonah Falcon
Let's do the math...Nintendo has sold nearly 2 million consoles, PS3 is at approximately 1 million, and XBOX360 is at 6 million. The last console has been out worldwide for over a year, the other two consoles have just been released in the last month. You're right, the PS3 hasn't started selling in Europe or the Oceania but it's already 1/6th of the way to catching up to a console that has been on the market for 12 more months. We can all argue this stuff to death, but let's just revisit this generation of consoles in 18 months when it really counts. At that point, we'll see where the smaller development companies spend their time and which system new franchises start popping up on.
generaldane @ Dec 21st 2006 1:56PM
hey microbot crawl back over to ps3fanboy.com we dont need your king here
John @ Dec 21st 2006 1:58PM
"we dont need your king here"
Made me laugh! lol! lmao! ahahahaha!
funny!
Chuck @ Dec 21st 2006 1:59PM
I'm not surprised. I always wondered why Virtual Fighter was exclusive to the PS when they to compete with Tekken. It's a great alternative to Tekken, and now it will be a great alternative to Dead or Alive. Sega is the company that really makes out the best.
LMAO @ Dec 21st 2006 2:00PM
Ouch. Anything about it being an online fighter on the 360? We already know it's offline for PS3.
Jonah Falcon @ Dec 21st 2006 2:02PM
"There is a god...*puts back on jesus piece*"
Jesus wants you to own a PS3:
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/news1206/ps3.html
(evil smirk)
nerfgun @ Dec 21st 2006 2:02PM
You know, I am a PS3 owner, but game exclusives are retarded. Good for Sega.
(it is not surprising however - they have been porting to multiple platforms ever since their console business tanked.)
Kimosabae @ Dec 21st 2006 2:02PM
BTW, people commenting on how much this can potentionally hurt Sony don't know what the hell they're talking about.
The VF series is pretty much non-existant to fans outside the fighting game genre and even within that circumscription, only the hardcore fans really get into VF. Sony doesn't need this franchise AT ALL. Both VF4 and Evo sold peanuts in North America. As someone already mentioned, Microsoft needed this game on 360 in JAPAN, where the franchise garners the most reverence, and they haven't announced it's being released there, yet.
As always, the general gaming community in NA always get caught up in the hype surrounding every VF release, because of its critically acclaimed history, but quickly turn away from it once it's released once they actually play it.
All said and done, VF5, however great it may be, is still just a fighting game. Those just don't fly in NA anymore. There are many things hurting Sony, but I don't see this loss as one of them.
-Syn
VampireHunter Z @ Dec 21st 2006 2:03PM
Hey where is my star for being one of the many to send in this story? I've coveted a star for months. Can I get one for Xmas?
v1cious @ Dec 21st 2006 2:04PM
"Wait for Optimus Prime to come in here with some ignorant comment about this doesn't matter."
it really doesn't. the main demographic who are gonna buy this are the Japanese, and as already mentioned it's not coming out on the 360 there. haven't you forgotten how fast Virtual Fighter 4 went into the bargain bin? sega knows they're not gonna get much money on it in the US, that's why they expanded their options.
AwesomeStuff @ Dec 21st 2006 2:05PM
Devil May Cry is next