I shall reply.
1) Blu-ray player. So what if the standard hasn't been dictated yet? You get two ways at this. One, it plays HD DVD movies in the form of Blu-ray discs. High quality movies at half the cost. Secondly, PS3 games will be made in this format so you're looking at MORE space for games (blah blah @ the idiots who talk about how games don't even touch the current 9 gig ceiling) and games obviously coded in high def. Just because you don't have an HD TV doesn't mean that you can't enjoy quality games. Most tvs nowadays come with component hookups. 480p > standard.
2) Hi-tech development: Cutting edge. The PS3 is set to run a course of about ten years (depending on how well it does, it could very well be less or the last system Sony releases). Their launch titles look already as good as many games that the 360 has already out (post launch window of 3 months). And it only gets better. Using the cell architecture and RSX graphics synthesizer, they're not even beginning to touch the graphics envelope on this thing. The potential is there.
3) Free online. You can have your games like Xbox Live but at no cost. If they port over FFXI (which SE has made no indication they would), you would only pay for the cost to play the game online. So you wanna fuck someone up over COD3? Do it. Resistence: Fall of Man is looking good online? Go play it.
4) It has Linux built in. It'll probably be capable of browsing the web as well. Go figure. Too lazy to get on your laptop next to you? The PS3 will do fine.
5) @ 499, you're looking at the basic system. 20 gig HD, standard Blu-ray player, ethernet and HDMI port, its all good. @ 599, you get bonuses. You get a 60 gig hd, 5 in 1 card slot of digital information storage to the HD, wifi internet capabilities, HDMI port.
Bottom line? Stand-alone Blu-ray player at HALF the cost (499/599) that can play PSone thru 3 games. Tada.