I recieved one just the other week and first impressions are good!
Only got the one game at the minute, GRID, which is the best racing game I've ever played!
No bad points so far, setup was easy and straight forward. Was dissapointed it didn't come with a HDMI cable though.
I reckon the PS3 is superior to the Xbox 360 (I've had one of those). The internet browser is awesome and the built in wi-fi makes it more 'complete' than the 360.
So is it really for your lad, or do you fancy one for yourself eh? :P
Oh, and I got mine for free with a phone contract - not sure if I'd buy one though, they are a lot of dollar!