Developers wary of PS3?

If a post on the video game blog, Joystiq, is to be believed, there may be some ominous signs for Sony and its forthcoming PlayStation 3 console.

According to the post, rumors are bouncing around Dutch, German and Japanese Web sites that some developers are worried that the PS3 isn't right for them.

For months, of course, there have been fears that all the next-generation consoles--the PS3, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Revolution--will cost developers a fortune in licensing fees. But there was no reason to think that the PS3 would be any different than the Xbox 360 in that regard.

In any case, Joystiq quotes a Dutch site (in sketchy English) that might sum up the worries of developers: "In the (Japanese) game industry, many people are losing trust in (Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken) Kutaragi's nonstop pursue of this evolution, people are leaving PS3 at a rate worse than Nintendo's GameCube era."

If that's true, it could obviously be a big boon to Microsoft, which would like nothing better than to dominate the console market. It is certain to get a big head start with the 360, since the machine is slated to hit store shelves just before Thanksgiving, while the PS3 and the Revolution are planned for spring releases. But analysts have said that they expect the PS3 to emerge as the victor before the game is over.

If the rumors aren't true, of course, this could all be much ado about nothing and the battle over console supremacy will proceed as expected: with massive shots across each company's bow with the arrival of each giant new title.