I am still doing a lot of work.  Added 3 patents to my portfolio this year :D  Can't wait until money from that rolls in :lol:

I got a 360 about 1 1/2 months ago and I don't  regret it.  I was worried because it is a MS product and I hate them for their monopolistic and unfair policies.  That said, they have a great product and they are surely finding the way to grab great titles for their library of games.   I paid the 2 year extended warranty, just in case.

A lot of the shooters can also be found on the PC, so I have the option of buying the version that suits me the most.  I'm more looking forward to the exclusives and action/rpgs heading to the 360.  And no, I won't play Halo.  I think it is overhyped, and I've played better shooters (I'm not playing as many shooters now that I'm getting older anyways---reflexes suck compared to 10 years ago)

As the hardware goes, so far so good.  No problems, except a weird glitch that is being caused by the "intercooler" I bought.  Restarting the 360 fixes it.  I want to keep the intercooler on anyways, since it keeps the 360 very cool to the touch after playing for a whole weekend.  Anyways, that's why I paid the 2 yr. warranty.  Anything goes wrong and I'll have MS replace the system.

MS' microtransactions are evil.  I found myself spending a lot of money buying those little games from the LiveArcade :P  Gotta stop :lol:   Next-gen is becoming expensive :P

I like the console overall.  I had my doubts at the beginning, but they have done their homework this time.  The original Xbox never impressed me.  Graphics are great and they can surely compete with my GeForce 7 and am sure with PS3 as well.  I guess we are reaching a plateau where graphics are not going to get any better for a while, or where differences are going to be very subtle.  As an nVidia exec put it:  the last 15% of visual quality is going to take longer to develop than the first 85%.  And this is the reason why I think graphics (as good as they are) will play second fiddle to the other features this next generation.  Better AI, better physics, etc. must make the noticeable difference.

From the games I have, I must say that some shouldn't be called "next-gen" and certainly don't deserve a higher price tag.  For example, I won't pay $60 for Lego Star Wars for the 360 when the PS2 version is cheaper and all that is better in the 360 is a few particle effects.  Not worth $10 IMO.  Some may argue that you have "Live" support and graphics in HD, but I don't think that is worth extra.  Some people are too hang up on "achievements" and "gamer points".  I play to have fun, so I don't care about them.  Perhaps I'm too "old school" :P

Why did I decide on the 360 now, as opposed to next year, as it was my original plan?  Well, it IS Sony's fault.  I wanted my PS3 first, but before they announced the limited units for launch, I read about the manufacturing problems with the blue lasers.  I figured this would end up in a delay or not enough units for launch.  The announcement made the decision easier.  While doing my monthly food shopping at Costco I found this 360 bundle that just made the decision a no brainer.  PS3 will come when my boss can get me one :P  He's the one buying it for me :lol: 

It is a good time to be a gamer.  Powerful hardware and sophisticated games, and lots of connectivity.  It is cool that I can hookup my MP3 player and cameras to the 360 and being able to display the pictures and play music.  If I don't need to print, it surely beats having to bootup the gaming HTPC, since XP takes waaaay longer to bootup than the 360.