With the announcements that the PS3 versions of Alone in the Dark and Red Alert both being delayed (or possibly canceled), I can’t help but wonder if this is going to be a sign of things to come. Are we often going to be given an early X-Box 360 version of a game and then a PS3 version around the horizon? Or are both versions going to take the GTA IV route and be delayed simultaneously while devs try to figure out how to code for the PS3 version?

What does this mean to the gamer who owns both systems? To me, this is bad news either way and there’s no solution in sight. If both versions are delayed, then the consumer will lose out! GTA IV should have hit shelves at least 6 months before it did if rumors are to be believed. And if games are released on the 360 version first, there’s always the fear that the PS3 version will eventually be better or more robust. No one wants to buy a game that they know will become obsolete in a few months. Actually, the lack of knowledge is what hurts you. Will the PS3 version be better? Should I wait? But I want it now!

This isn’t the same thing as waiting for a movie in the Theater to go to DVD/Blu-Ray for the director’s cut. Movies don’t demands as much of a time investment as games do and movies cost far less. Although there are quite a few games I’ve played more than once, there are FAR more movies I’ve watched more than once. And if I hear that there’s an extra mission in a 30 hours game that I missed out on, it might not convince me to buy the newer version of the game to play it if I didn’t like the game enough. Either way, I’ll still feel cheated.

The PS2 was comparatively difficult to develop for as well but developers eventually caught up. The difference is the PS2 had come out before the original X-Box and Gamecube systems while the PS3 came out a year after the X-Box 360. Since more people out there have 360’s to begin with, maybe developers aren’t always willing to delay launches or go the extra mile for the PS3 just yet. Eventually, things will even out. Analysts are even predicting that the PS3 will take a lead sooner than later on many fronts and eventually win the console war. Will this happen? Only time will tell….