Submitted by: kirkland on Tuesday November 21st, 2006 at 04:00 PM EST

The PlayStation 3 is, quite possibly, the biggest console gaming system ever.

At twice the size — and price — of its predecessor, the PS3 makes Sony's lofty ambitions pretty clear: This is much more than a gaming system.

Sure, playing games is still the primary function — and drifting around corners in "Ridge Racer 7" at 1080p is heart-stopping — but this system is clearly designed to do more than that.

From replacing your DVD player to enabling you to view pictures, play music and watch YouTube videos on your TV easily, this is a set-top-box for the next generation.

The PS3 comes in two varieties, neither of them cheap.

A basic model costs $499.99 (direct) and comes with an upgradeable 20 GB hard drive, Gigabit Ethernet, Blu-ray drive, four USB 2.0 ports, optical digital audio output (SPDIF) and an HDMI 1.3 port.

The premium version is even pricier, at $599.99, but it uses a 60 GB hard drive and adds built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi plus card readers that support SD, Compact Flash and, you guessed it, Memory Stick.

» Full story @ FOX News