The PS3's game drought has largely evaporated, with popular titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Rock Band, Call of Duty 4, and BioShock all making their way to the console. Still, for those on a budget, the $400 PS3 ups the hard-drive capacity from the older "budget" model and delivers nearly all the same gaming and home theater features as its more expensive sibling.
Now that you can fill up that hard drive more easily with TV shows and movies from the PlayStation Store, it's much easier to do so. If you don't want to opt for the new 160GB (that will also ship with Uncharted: Drakes Fortune), the 80GB version reviewed here might short you on space. If those features are a must, it might be best to pick up the 80GB Metal Gear Bundle version on eBay while they're still out there.
Both, however, lack backward compatibility with PS2 games and do not come with flash card readers. As of August 2008, a new "bargain" PS3 is available with a larger, 80GB hard drive, and a "deluxe" model is due in November, doubling the capacity to 160GB. Since then, the company's been modifying the PlayStation product line to better fit the competitive market landscape.