Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (120GB)

Pros: Great Blue Ray Player, Equal quality to the 360 for games, huge hard drive, smaller design than original, less sexy matte black holds up to wear MUCH better, "real" computer aspects, very quiet, and a sturdy and stable design.

Cons: Not backwards compatible, no HDMI cable, LOAD TIMES.

Summary: I called myself an XBOX fan boy for the sake of those taking a quick glance wondering if the PS3 slim was worth the money. In truth I have always been a little partial to XBOX/360 but I have always had all the consoles.

The PS3 slim was an easy choice for me. I doubt I would have bought it just for the high quality exclusive titles it offers ( Little Big Planet, God of War 3 and MGS4 just to name a few of the real big guns Drake's Fortune was the one I really wanted and I beat it the first few days I had the system. Great game!) but the fact it is also a Blue Ray player, and one of the best reviewed on the market to boot made this a literal no brainier.

I was just waiting for the inevitable price cut since buying BR movies is not a high priority for me at the current cost, and I already had two 360's to meet my gaming needs. I'm really glad my frugality caused me to wait though as I feel the Slim is a step up.

I know that the shine black is really a great looking piece of consumer electronics ascetically speaking, but the system scratches if you blink at it hard. I don't care for the matte black appearance as much, but I know it will still look great after a year, where every PS3 I have seen looks like it was dragged across the ground.

In addition to the look, you get the 120GB hard drive and a (in some cases) quieter and smaller system with no loss of features or power. In electronics smaller is usually better, especially when it comes to my crowded home entertainment set up real estate.

There are a few things I prefer about the 360 over the Sony product, but it's pure personal preference and anyone claiming either system is vastly superior should be ignored. For me, the PS3 could not be my only gaming console. I prefer the XBOX Live experience (despite having to pay for it compared to the free Playstation network) from community to functionality. I like the 360 controllers better (with the exception of some fighting games. Tekken on a 360 controller would have been rough) and I like the interface of the 360 better.

Again though, these things are personal preference. Comparing the PS3 Slim to an XBOX 360 Elite could be a tough call for the objective buyer.

The Quality is there, the functionality is there, the price is right, and the added benefit of a top rated Blue Ray player makes this a smart buy for both hard core and somewhat casual gamers. It does everything it should, and it does it pretty much perfectly.