The 60GB PlayStation 3 has been discontinued. The current PS3 is the 80GB model.

Read our review of the new PlayStation 3 80GB

Or read our review of the old 60GB version...

The PlayStation 3 has been around in the US and Japan for a few months now. But midnight heralded its long-awaited arrival on UK stores - and by all accounts you won't have any trouble finding one either .

Geared for high-definition playback of games, movies and photos, the system is better described as an entertainment hub than a mere games console. It's a system designed to sit at the heart of your digital world, with internet connectivity and Blu-ray playback making up a significant proportion of the services it offers.

Physically, the PS3 is only slightly bigger than an Xbox 360, but as the power transformer is built into the main chassis, it's smaller than Microsoft's console overall. However, at 5kg, you'll struggle to hold the PS3 in one hand, and its sleek black finish seems intentionally designed to collect fingerprints. The stark difference between the two designs stretches to the menus, with Sony opting for moody blacks instead of a brightly coloured interface.

This is the 'premium' configuration of the console, which is set to cost £425. This version includes a 60GB Serial ATA 2.5in hard drive, Wi-Fi connectivity and multiple flash memory card readers (a pared-down 20GB model will also sell). Unlike the Xbox 360's expensive and undersized 20GB hard drive, this unit is a standard notebook HDD, meaning you can easily replace it and double that storage space to 120GB for around £60.

The PlayStation 3 is packed to the brim with advanced technology. The custom-built 'Cell' processor can deliver up to 1080p resolution images, while the Blu-ray format provides ample storage space for high definition games and movies.

While the console may seem expensive when compared with its competitors, it offers much more out of the box. Judged on features alone, a premium Xbox 360 with wireless adaptor and HD-DVD drive is more expensive than a PS3, and even then Microsoft's console still lacks multimedia card support and a large hard drive.

Games and movies can be displayed at 1080p via HDMI, and over component video 1080p for games and 1080i for movies. Sony hasn't included an HDMI cable with the console in the US or Japan, so it's unlikely to do so when it arrives in the UK. These sell for £10 each from accessory companies. Currently all PlayStation 3 games and Blu-ray movies support 1080p resolution, but our US-spec test system failed to upscale standard DVD movies, opting for 480p instead.

Born to be hi-def

With all this advanced technology sitting under the hood, the PlayStation 3 is naturally best paired with a high-definition display. Happily, the PlayStation 3 makes an excellent Blu-ray movie player, and can easily stand up to current mainstream standalone players.

The PlayStation 3 offers video playback that surpasses that of a first-generation player such as Samsung's BD-P1000. Compared with that player, the PS3 offers sharper and crisper picture quality from Blu-ray discs, with more depth and detail. However, there are a couple of noteworthy issues for videophiles.

Firstly, the PlayStation 3 has no dedicated Blu-ray video chipset, instead relying on the Cell processor to do the decoding legwork. Secondly, the PS3's 1080p video output is set at 60 frames per second - great for games, but less so for movies.