[Perfect Stu]

PSX is not a game system. It's not rivalling Gamecube and Xbox. PS2 support was simply a no brainer, considering the following:

Here's what's going on:

Sony's profits as a whole company are non-existent. They're pretty much losing money across the board, with the SCE unit being the saving grace. The PS2 architecture is very powerful, and almost wasted on the PS2 game console. So they decide to take the proven technology in the PS2, and utilize it for something that is more than the sum of it's parts.

The PS2 processors are running this new box, but it's not a "real" PS2. It's a home entertainment box, a media hub, so to speak. It's meant to watch and record TV, burn those programs to DVD, but all that functionality is powered by the PS2 processors.

Hey, since we're already using the PS2 hardware, let's make this thing play the games, too. So what you're basically getting is a combination DVD recorder and PVR ... with a "free" PlayStation 2 thrown in.

This isn't meant as any sort of threat to Nintendo or Microsoft. It's simply Sony using the same technology to reach new markets. It's pretty smart business, really.

Now, I'm fully expecting people to take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, considering where I'm coming from. Bear in mind that I'm a tech junkie, and I own every console, and a ridiculous amount of electronics. This isn't really going to be much of a blip on the gaming radar, but will be a real powerhouse in the PVR space.