I am not a fervent advocate of gaming consoles, and the most recent prefix that I owned was a Sega system about a decade ago. However, Sony is happy to report that the graphics of games do not appear to be noticeably inferior to those on a computer. At the same time, you are able to sit and play on the couch in front of the television, rather than sitting with numb hands at the keyboard and mouse + anticipated support for 3D. In response to some people's claims that it is loud, I can confirm that it does produce noise during "heavy" occasions, such as when the cooling is turned on, as well as during the first five to ten minutes of reading a disk. If you play a game with sound, however, this noise will not be noticed at all because the sound of the game itself totally covers it (also, you do not need to put the console in a closed space in order for it to create less noise). Whoever is considering whether or not to make a purchase, in general, should go ahead and do so. Not only is this a good time, but it also ensures that your children will not be running amok in the apartment when you and your pals are trying to get some much-needed downtime.