its not really much competition between the ps2 and the xbox 360. the xbox 360 is a pile of crap compared to the ps3, and both sony and MS know this, and thats why xbox 360 is being realeased so early. they are trying to get a jump start on sales before ps3 gets released, because they know their hardware cant even come close to competing with what the ps3 has, and they know their xbox 360 will do nothing but decorate shelves if they release the same time as ps3.
xbox 360 looks really sad from a hardware point of view. its really just an xbox with a pretty new case, and slightly better graphics. the 360 is really just a revamped xbox, like an xbox 1.5, while ps3 on the other hand is so powerful that some are saying that playing games on the PC will be obsolite becasue the ps3 will be as or more powerful they top of the line PC, while offering the far superior console expirance and gameplay.
and i dont know where people are getting their info, but the ps3 comes with a built in HDD. the new craptastic slim ps2 doesnt, but the ps3 certainly does.