There was a time, back with the original Xbox and the PlayStation 2 and Gamecube, when platform exclusives were the most important thing about a console. It was a time when you invested your cash solely on the basis of which games you liked the look of - were you such a Resident Evil fanboy that you'd go for a Gamecube over an Xbox, or did Metal Gear Solid rock your boat more towards the PlayStation 2?

Nowadays though, exclusives aren't such a big deal - or at least, that's what Sony and Microsoft reckon based on the current sales trends.

Xbox Germany product manager Boris Schneider-Johne echoed comments made by PlayStation Europe boss David Reeves last week, saying that platform exclusives were no longer a driving force in the market.

"In the past, in the eighties and nineties, that was a major issue. I remember the big ‘Mario vs. Sonic’ debates. What we see today is that the influence of exclusive titles on the sales curves becomes ever smaller,” said Boris in a recent interview with Golem.de.

“In addition, we are in a situation that there is a head-to-head race on several consoles and that nobody is super clear in leadership - especially in matters of the PlayStation 3 against Xbox 360.”

“Given the production costs of the games, it is hardly possible for developers to commit itself exclusively to someone. Now Sony makes its own games for the console, we make our own games for the console. The titles are exclusive, as they are also attempts turnout the best of the console, but someone like Electronic Arts or Activision can have a business model of rarely developing for a console exclusively. Therefore, the exclusive title is a little less important.”

Hm, fair does then. The question is though, what is important to you when you choose a platform these days? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.