Sony came out of the gate more than a little bruised. With a $600 price tag, a year behind the Xbox 360 and a system with a radically new architecture, Sony has had a hell of an uphill battle this generation. But with the launch of the new slimmer PS3, a price cut and some quality titles, Sony has revitalized the PS3 and has the industry buzzing with positive feedback that looks to extend well into 2010.

While the PS3 has been known to be a nightmare programming wise, Sony’s first party studios are proving that the much talked about Cell in conjunction with Nvidia’s RSX GPU are an amazing combo that is leading the graphical bar this console generation. Last year Sony started off the year with Killzone 2, its 500lb blockbuster fps. Killzone 2 set industry standards for what a fps could look like. Featuring amazing technical prowess and an addicting online multiplayer, Killzone 2 established the franchise as Sony’s goto shooter.

Not to be outdone, Naughty Dog shocked the gaming world with Uncharted 2. Proving once again that creative programming and hard work could wring some amazing results out of the PS3. Uncharted 2 has set the graphical bar for what a next-gen title can look like. Just when gamers think that nothing can possible outdo Uncharted 2, March brings the return of Sony’s heavy hitter Kratos.

This past E3 gamers got a taste of what to expect from Kratos latest quest to kill the gods. Last month Sony held a private event to show off the game in its latest form - and reports are that Sony has once again shown naysayers that the PS3 is a technical beast in the right hands. Exclusive after exclusive Sony’s first party studios are showcasing Sony’s deep investment into the system and proving that the PS3 is set to have a long lifespan.

So where does this leave Microsoft? Microsoft has shown that the 360 is a capable system, but for the most part has left showing the systems true capabilities to its third party support. Something that has gnawed on 360 owners a bit. Yes, Microsoft has Gears of War and Gears of War 2; 2 stellar looking titles that have shown gamers that the 360 has plenty of muscle of its own. With Square-Enix bringing Final Fantasy XIII to the system and Capcom displaying Lost Planet 2, gamers are seeing that the 360 has some serious strength, but is still sorely lacking the graphically pushing titles that Sony’s first parties are cranking out.

2010 at least seems to be pushing a much better effort from Microsoft. Remedy is releasing its action thriller Alan Wake. A title that has been years in the making and will be pushing the 360 like few titles have. Then there’s Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (again third party) which is shaping up to also highlight the 360’s Xenos GPU’s prowess with amazing lighting and texture work.

Microsoft’s other heavy hitter this year is Halo Reach. Bungie has said that Reach will bend the 360 as far as it can go. With tons of enemies on screen and gorgous visuals, Reach is shaping up to be Microsoft’s first true answer to Killzone 2’s amazing debut last year on the PS3. Even with Microsoft pushing the aging 360, some are still seeing the quality divide between Sony and Microsoft’s platforms - and it’s hard to argue, that Sony truly is setting graphical high bar this generation.

Will Halo Reach, Alan Wake and Splinter Cell be enough to appease graphics fanatics on the 360 this year? Odds are yes, but Sony is proving that with a little sweat and elbow grease the PS3 is the graphical king this generation. Let’s see what a little elbow grease and sweat can do for the 360 this year.