Xbox vs. Xbox 360

So I was really, really sure that I was going to get an Xbox 360 when it came out on November 22. Despite news of shortages and massive demand, I was sure that I was going to get one. So sure that I had decided to put the beloved old Xbox on craigslist and eBay for $150. I mean, I was so excited to get this new gaming machine capable of outputting to my HDTV and to also stream my digital media from my PC.

My plan of attack was to stroll into Costco on my lunch break, happily grab a 360 bundle package for $479 (which includes the Xbox 360 Premium, a USB play and charge kit, an extra wireless controller, and 1 game), and be on my way. I figured who the heck goes to Costco to buy videogames. Boy, was I wrong. Turned out that they only got 24 Xbox 360s and that there were actually a line of people at 6 a.m. Whoops, there goes my plan.

But in hindsight, I'm now glad I didn't drop nearly $500 on the 360. After reading reports of the power supply unit overheating and other initial production problems, I'm glad not to be actually an early adopter. The only thing that I really looked forward to at the start was the media center capabilities of the 360. But, after further research, I realized that the good old original Xbox has also the same capability, albeit with some limitations. See my post on the Xbox Media Center Extender for more details.

So I'll be glad to wait until Costco replenishes their 360 supply (most likely in the spring) or even wait further until the PlayStation 3 arrives (which can mean a price cut for the 360). I'll also be glad to wait until Microsoft fixes that overheating problem. As long as Halo 2 works on the original Xbox, I can definitely wait.