The PlayStation 3 a power hog?

One of the benefits of owning a console is the compactness and quietness it can (usually) deliver as compared to a full sized desktop PC. You can stick it on top of a DVD player or on your carpet and barely notice it is there. While the Xbox 360 redefined what we consider to be normal heat output for a console, the PlayStation 3 aims to do that all over again. Some recent power specifications list its draw at a massive 380 watts, more than twice what the Xbox 360 uses and more than eight times the PlayStation 2. Essentially, it's using the same amount of power a standard desktop PC would use. Ouch! The article doesn't mention at all if that is nominal dissipation or peak. If it is the latter, the PS3 might actually be much less power hungry than that, at least under typical use. We'll find out soon, one way or the other.