Well that depends on if you believe what Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO Ken Kutaragi says about the PS3.

He claims the PS3 is a computer because it will be upgradable. "If someone is familiar with PC building, he or she can upgrade easily PS3’s HDD."

Upgrading the hard drive is one thing, just as the ability to upgrade other drives. And the fact that it has standard PC ports doesn't necessarily make it a computer.

To me, a computer that you can upgrade gives you the ability to add or remove cards, upgrade ram, even upgrade the processor. However I find it highly unlikely that you will be able to pull out the PS3's processor and upgrade it when newer faster model processor comes out.

While Kataragi has a vision that the PS3 could be custom built to order, that doesn't mean that you'll have full control over the options.

It's just like your favorite vehicle. Some things are standard (like the CPU on the PS3) while some are optional (like the size of hard drive). They can't afford to build too much flexibility into the unit because that would leave to many potential exploits available. And you know what exploits means - a hacked or modded console that plays ripped games.

While Sony may delude itself into believing the PS3 is not a gaming console, don't let them fool you - because that's all it is. A console that thinks it is a computer.