I've only seen the PlayStation 3 console in pictures or behind plexiglass for the past year and a half, but I've somehow managed to get up close with the system on two separate occasions in the past week.

We were fortunate enough to have a number of PlayStation 3 test systems and development kits on the show floor at this past weekend's After Hours event. Sega had eight units running Full Auto 2 and Namco had four more systems showing Gundam and Ridge Racer 7. One of the developers we spoke to told us that the test systems were "final hardware" but didn't have the finished operating system. I got another chance to examine the system at Sony's PlayStation 3 Gamers Day event today in San Francisco.

The PS3 test system's exterior is actually a smoky, translucent black instead of the solid black we've seen in the official PS3 press shots. The eject and power buttons are pretty slick--they aren't actually buttons that you can press down. Just slide your finger over either button symbol to get the disc to slide out of the slot-loader or to power the system on or off.

The console itself feels very sturdy. I'd guess that it's a couple pounds heavier than an Xbox 360. The running system exhausts a noticeable amount of heat, but I wouldn't say it runs any hotter than the 360. The noise level in the demo area prevented us from checking out the system's acoustics, but we've been told that the system is as quiet as the PS2.

Keep your eyes on the PlayStation 3 Launch Center. We'll have all of our Gamers Day event coverage up shortly.