Some will say they don't sell as well as they should. Others say they're crucial for driving hardware sales.

But there's little doubt that PlayStation 3 exclusives have often been a cut above this generation, and the competition has to respect that. So the question is, will Sony continue their first-party dominance in the new generation, or will Microsoft step up and start focusing on more exclusives, too?

For the record, I'm well aware of the exclusives on Nintendo's side; it's essentially all they've got, as far as I'm concerned. But that's still plenty, obviously. This is more about Sony vs. Microsoft and the ongoing exclusive debate, which I believe studios like Naughty Dog, Kojima Productions, Sucker Punch, Polyphony Digital, Media Molecule, and Guerrilla Games essentially ended over the past few years. Microsoft has to recognize that certain first-party developers on Sony's side have displayed cutting-edge technology on a level the 360 hasn't really seen.

It's a great way to show off a system's capabilities, isn't it? So wouldn't Microsoft want more of this, especially when a new machine comes rolling around? You can toss out another Gears , Halo and Forza but I think they need more of the new IPs that helped showcase the PS3's skills; i.e., Uncharted , Heavy Rain , LittleBigPlanet , etc. Now, if MS doesn't really step up and Sony still has all that amazing first-party talent, I think the PS4 might still have the same advantage over the competition.

If the PS4 isn't too far off, Sony could come with a huge array of hard-hitting exclusives, like Uncharted 4 , Killzone 4 , Gran Turismo 6 , inFamous 3 , and Metal Gear Solid 5 (if the latter is indeed exclusive at all). Add those to whatever new IPs the teams are working on for the upcoming generation, and I'd say Sony is fairly well positioned.