There are already plenty of soundbars on the market, mainly from TV manufacturers. Philips, LG, Samsung, Sony, JVC, Sharp... According to reviews I've read when I looked for one, some of the best (but also most expensive ones) come from classic hifi companies such as Yamaha, Denon, Canton.
Mine's the Denon DHT-FS5, which isn't in production anymore. I'm pretty content with it and I got it for about half of its street price last year (250€ instead of 450€), because for some reason only few people seem to buy soundbars.
Soundbars are for people like me who don't want a 5.1 system (I don't want visible wires and several speakers in my living room) or who simply don't have the room for it.
I'm suprised that Sony now made one specifically for the PS3, but on the other hand, why not? It seems pretty cheap in comparison to most others I've seen, so of course you can't expect the same sound quality as from a full 5.1 system or a top soundbar like the Canton DM90 (street price: ~800€) or the Yamaha's YSP 4100 (~1000€) .
I'm a fan of soundbars and I will buy another one if mine breaks, but if you "downgrade" from a full 5.1 system to one of the cheaper soundbars, I think there's generally a chance you might be disappointed.
