1. There were TWO (2) things changed-the hard drive and they changed the backwords compatibility a bit, but I never heard anything about a chip.

2.You can change the HDD yourself but the HDD has to be a 2.5 inch SATA HDD.It is legal, but if you do it, it messes up the warranty.

3.There is a program called "Folding At Home" that comes on the XMB, but you need to have an internet connection to do it. All it does is if you go on the program and leave it on for a LONG time you will evantually have ONE (1) solution to cancer.

4.It has the EXACT same appearance except for the box, which has a picture of the game Motorstorm on it.

5.Like I said before, you will only be able to play very little PS2/PSX games.

P.S. The 80 GB also comes with a free copy of the game "Motorstorm"