When the Sony PlayStation 3 launched last year I decided to hold off on buying one until some truly amazing games made the high price of the console worth the purchase.  Then Sony began to tinker with the PS3's hardware configuration, removing hardware-based backward compatibility in favor of software emulation.  That was disheartening, but still I held off.  It's going to take more than just the new Ratchet and Clank adventure to get me to take the PS3 plunge.  Now here comes the latest PS3 variation, and this one lacks PS2 compatibility and forgoes some of the various memory slots and USB ports.  Gosh, I'd better hurry up and buy a PS3 before Sony removes even more features.  But wait!  Joystiq makes this excellent point:

If you're going to buy a PS3, make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. Make sure you're buying it for Warhawk or Everyday Shooter or high-def movies or any of the many perfectly valid reasons to buy one. But don't buy it out of fear. Don't buy it because you're afraid that when you do want one the system will be even worse, or missing some other key feature that you care about. You're too good for that, and you work too hard for your money to be bullied into spending it. You already know that Sony dropped backwards compatibility to make you buy more PS3 games, you don't need to let your hand be forced. Remember, you're the one with the power. They have to make it compelling for you.

Well said.