For myself, part of the "fun" of the Pandora has been watching "troubled" journey to its (hopefully!) imminent release. For myself, the value of the pre-order was not only for the device but for the approach (I hope that makes sense). I want a Pandora (obviously I guess since I've paid for one!) but I also wanted to support the approach that the OP team have adopted for getting this device out to us.
Frankly it's been fascinating seeing the device (and the team) come together and while of course I'd have liked the device earlier - I have to admit to enjoying the roller coaster ride we've been part of (as passengers) to get here. Having a pre-order makes the various milestones/setbacks more meaningful and I have very much enjoyed seeing glimpses of what's involved in the creation of a new device.
You don't get any of that with a PSP/PS3 so for me there is no "value" comparison.
Lastly, this isn't some huge faceless corporation like Sony/Microsoft, the OP team are more like your FairTrade style hardware supplier!
(Of course this is all IMHO.)