At first glance, the slim Playstation 3 is a huge improvement on the older, fatter, lighter model, the only downside so far I can see about the fact that it is lighter and thinner is the fact that I really don't like standing the console up as I feel it will fall over. Ok, you can buy stands to do this job but after splashing out on a brand new games console, I really don't want to then buy a stand. Surely Sony could have included a stand. On the plus side though, the fact that it is thinner means it fits easier into my TV cabinet and isn't causing the shelf to sag with the weight.

Anyway, the new design looks much better than the original PS3 and now looks better than the Xbox 360 and doesn't suffer from smearing fingerprints like the older model, but that's not why I bought it. Yes, there are websites like urfreegifts.co.uk and freebieangel.com where you can get these consoles for free but if you want to pay for your PS3, here's what you can expect for your money.

Setting up the PS3 is relatively straight forward, even for someone not so technically minded. Sign up to the Playstation Network using the built in Wi-Fi connection for free and install the latest updates as well as free demos or buy games, movies or music, the PS3 has enough storage for all your needs and if it doesn't, you can always upgrade your memory. One of my pet hates about the XBox is that you need to pay if you want to play games online, unlike Sony's PlayStation Network, I grudge paying money to buy a game only to have to pay some more monthly for the privilege of playing online. Yes, you can pay money for downloading Movies or buying games but this is an option.

One of the best features with the PS3 is the built in Blu-ray player, something you wont get with your Xbox or Wii. It's not just some standard player either but a really good quality one though I found controlling it with the PS3 controller to be a pain so I bought a cheap compatible Blu-Ray remote control and this solved this problem. It's also 3D future proofed which means that with a simple software update, this machine will play 3D Blu-Ray movies.

Let's be honest though, you don't buy a Playstation 3 just to watch Blu-Ray movies though, do you, or to download your photos, music and movies? No, you most probably buy this to play Video Games with high quality graphics, and you don't get better than the PS3 for this with its HDMI connection for full 1080p output which means you will spend hours playing recent top games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Fallout 3, Modern Warfare 2, GTA 4 and Fifa 11 but to name a few, in glorious High Definition on your own or online against friends and strangers.

In my opinion, the Playstation 3 is much better in nearly every aspect over the Xbox 360 and improves with every model update. Xbox will improve and Playstation will improves, prices will fall and customers will get more for their money but at the moment I feel you get more value for money with the PS3.