When the Sony PS3 launched way back in November 2006 (March 2007 in the UK), even the harshest of critics couldn't have predicted the hostile greeting it would get. It was a baptism in a fiery nuclear inferno - and it goes without saying that it wasn't exactly the reception Sony was expecting.

When Sony finally gave birth to the finished console, it was extremely expensive and frankly, it wasn't a great package. No wonder sales in the early days were so phenomenally poor.

However, 18 months since the initial UK launch, the PlayStation 3 is a different beast entirely. A glut of regular firmware updates and a number of new models and price cuts has seen the console improve exponentially while the price has tumbled.

And here we are today, the 60GB model has been retired, the 40GB version has come and gone, and so here's the brand new 80GB model.

Value for money

It costs £299 which is about £125 cheaper than the original launch price. And what you're getting is a fundamentally better games console.

There are some bits of hardware that have been trimmed off this model - the original PS3 had a chip for backwards compatibility with PS2 games, as well as more USB ports and a front-mounted card reader. These features are gone now, but despite that, the 80GB PS3 is a fantastic games console.

And really, to describe the PlayStation 3 as a mere games console is not doing it justice. It's a super-slick gaming powerhouse with a built-in media centre you have to see to believe.

So let's start from the beginning. As a games console, the 80GB PlayStation 3 is fantastic. Powered by IBM's magical Cell processor, it's arguably more powerful than the Xbox 360.

As a result, the potential regarding the future of gaming on the PS3 is enormous. The full-HD 1080p graphics are already looking superb, and that will only get better over time as game developers get better at grappling with the PS's unique back-end code.

The mandatory 80GB hard drive inside the PS3 is a Godsend. That's because if a game can be installed on the HDD, it's not going to be held back by having to read from the sluggish Blu-ray drive.

It also means that games that are installed to the hard drive can be loaded quicker. Despite the enormity of GTA IV on the PS3, there are no loading screens beyond the initial start-up.

Universal standards

And the hard drive itself is a standard notebook one, which means if it ever failed or if you wanted to install one with a larger capacity, you could easily do it.

And that's one of the best things about the PS3 - it supports open standards and so is compatible with the same kind of hardware as your PC.

For a start, it's got built-in Bluetooth for the SIXAXIS and DualShock 3 controllers. And that Bluetooth can be used with pretty much any Bluetooth device you can think of.

It'll communicate with your phone. It'll sync with your Bluetooth headset, enabling you to chat with your friends when playing multiplayer games. It's compatible with Bluetooth mice and keyboards meaning you can type without having to use the controller.

The Xbox 360 doesn't have Bluetooth. Nor does it have built-in Wireless B/G networking, which the PS3 has.

So even though the 80GB PS3 is slightly more expensive than the Xbox 360 Elite, it's good value and the extra cash is absolutely justifiable.