Recently there was an announcement that Grand Theft Auto IV has presold more Playstation 3 copies than Xbox 360 in Australia. Perhaps I should know better by now than to check out the messages for that type of article. Perhaps I should know better than to write about it. But who knows, maybe one fanboy will read this and realise that bashing other systems unnecessarily is pointless.

I'm not talking about people who are fanatical about Grand Theft Auto. I'm talking about those who think it is going to be inferior on the other system, or that they don't deserve it, for no reason other than to fan the flames.

The first point I'd like to address is that Grand Theft Auto is a 'Sony/Playstation game, always has been, always will be' (and the same argument was made about Devil May Cry 4) No, it isn't. The original Grand Theft Auto was released on the PC in February 1998, 4 months before it was released on the original Playstation. This does change once we get to the 3D versions (GTA 3), which all lead on the Playstation 2, then make their way to other platforms, including Xbox. And this time around (GTA 4) it launches on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 simultaneously; no date yet on PC.

But all of this history is pretty irrelevant anyway. Games don't belong to consoles. They belong to companies. Companies want to make money. We've had plenty of rumours of games that have previously been Playstation exclusives being considered for the Xbox 360. Chief among them are Final Fantasy XIII and Metal Gear Solid 4. Why? Because the companies want to make money. Whether they get it from a console manufacturer to keep it exclusive, or from the general public by releasing the game multiplatform, the majority won't care (I don't want to imply there is no loyalty at all, but they are in business to make money, and in the case of public companies, need to satisfy the needs of their shareholders). Just because something was exclusive to one console last generation, doesn't mean it makes business sense to release it only on its successor this generation.

Which brings us to the exclusive downloadable content Microsoft purchased for GTA4. There were plenty of comments talking about the content being something along the lines of a few new cars and a couple of new suits to buy. I don't think Microsoft spent $50,000,000 to secure some new skins. Of course, no one knows what the content will be, considering that we don't even know the full extent of what is in the game when it will be released. But that doesn't really matter.

What I did find hilarious were PS3 fanboys insulting Xbox 360 owners because they would have to pay to download the content, while they would be off playing other games. Xbox 360 owners won't be forced to pay for the downloadable content. They will be given the choice to pay for the content if they want it. This is something that Playstation 3 owners don't have. If an Xbox 360 owner doesn't think the content is worth it, they won't buy it. If a PS3 owner thinks the content is worth it, they don't have access to it. So I'm not sure how PS3 owners think it is an advantage that they aren't being offered something that Xbox 360 owners are.

I will agree that Microsoft has dropped the ball, and should have been advertising the fact that it has secured this downloadable content for the last month if they wanted any impact on sales in the first week. Uneducated gamers probably have no idea about the exclusive content that will be coming some time in the future.

So what about the numbers? If they say the PS3 version is outselling the Xbox 360 version, it is. Does that mean it is better than the 360? I fail to see how the presales of one game is evidence that the console, or the game running on that console, is better. Both versions are going to look fantastic. Both versions are going to sound fantastic. My guess is the differences will be extremely minor, and relate to the consoles themselves. Slightly different colour and lighting effects that are mentioned in most multiplatform game reviews. Achievements on the 360. Probably faster load times on the PS3 given a one-time install. Your preference of controller.

Pre-orders don't necessarily extrapolate into actual sales. But what if PS3 sales of GTA4 are double what the Xbox 360 does after the first week or month? Does the console in your house suddenly get faster or produce a clearer picture when sales beat the competitor? I must have missed that feature. Nowadays I just skim over 'numbers' articles. I've realised sales and units shipped mean nothing to me as a consumer.

So it's disclosure time. I own an Xbox 360 and a Wii, but don't own a PS3. So I guess that makes me a Microsoft fanboy, and I've been defending the Xbox 360. It appears that way, but only because the PS3 fanboys were out in force. In fact, my first blog here was in defence of the PS3 while it was being bashed, even though I don't own one. If the downloadable content was for the PS3 and higher pre-sales were for the Xbox 360, I'd be saying the same about the 360 fanboys, if they reacted the same. I'm just against fanboys in general, who think the opposing console is inferior in many ways and by many magnitudes, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

I don't have a PS3, so I must be getting the Xbox 360 version, right? Well, I'll probably buy a PS3 next month. The PS3/GTA4 bundle is enticing, but the apparent lack of a Dual Shock 3 is offputting. Seeing as I have an Xbox 360, I'll probably err towards that version due to the option of downloadable content in the future. But it won't be because I think it will be better right out of the box.

Every PS3 and Xbox 360 owner who wants to play Grand Theft Auto can do so next week, and is likely to have a blast doing so, no matter what the platform. Stop bashing platforms and have fun playing them.