The first mass produced and shipped orders of the 360 had overheating issues. This happened to mine, which I got at launch, about 9 months in (red ring of death). I shipped it into MS and they sent me a replacement unit free of cost. They also extended my warranty for 1 year based on the new replacement unit. The units that are in stores today for sale have been corrected for this overheat issue. Also, I keep my 360 battery, which is rather large, sitting on top of 4 plastic Coke bottle caps. This leaves for some room between the battery and the floor/carpet and helps dissipate the battery heat better. There are a number of great titles on the 360 which I've truly enjoyed playing (Elder Scrolls, GRAW I, DOA4, Dead Rising ... etc). If you already have a widescreen HDTV and dolby surround sound equipment, you can leverage those with the 360. All games are presented in pristine HD clarity, and sound is output in digital 5.1 stereo (you can hear blasts and bullets whiz by you in GRAW, which just heightens the intensity of the game). MS seems intent on making the 360 a more well rounded entertainment unit with such features as tv and movie downloads via XBOX LIVE. You can also plug your iPod directly into the 360 via the front USB port and listen to non-DRM or plain ol' mp3s that are on your iPod through your 360 and stereo. As much as MS is trying to make the 360 the centerpiece of your entertainment center, the movie downloads on XBL don't port to other systems (like iTunes tracks not playing on non-Apple devices). The 360 doesn't ship with a built in HD player, whereas the PS3 does, at a higher cost. You can however, buy an HD-DVD add-on drive and I've seen this in action at a friend's house. The picture quality and improved menu access is definetly worth it if you're a movie addict and want hi-def DVDs now. In a nut shell, I think MS knows where it's going with the 360 as a gaming console. There are still some kinks to work out with the 360 as an entertainment centerpiece.