Hobbies And Interests
Similarities
Both systems have the exact same length, width, weight and color and they play the same forms of media with the same high-resolution quality (1920 by 1080).
Connections
The newer model may have a larger storage drive, but it has four USB connections compared to the 60 GB system's six. This only affects the number of USB drives or the number of USB accessories that can be connected at once.
Backward Compatibility
Despite the popularity of the backward compatibility of the 60 GB system, Sony opted to drop this feature to trim the price for the 80 GB version.
Price Differences
The 80 GB console sells for about $400 and sometimes includes bundles of games or Blu-Ray discs for the same price, depending on the retailer. The 60 GB version is priced about $30 more, most likely for the backward-capability feature.
Availability
Unfortunately, of the two, the 80 GB version is the only one still in production so all retailers will have them. Some stores still carry the 60 GB systems, but they are mostly refurbished and not new.