Alright so if you have kept up on recent industry news, Microsoft is releasing the Xbox 360 sometime before the end of the year. They are even offering the option of two differently price-pointed models. The $299 version which will play only current Xbox 360 titles and thats about it, or the $399 backwards compatable version. Only a flaming retard would end off buying the $299 idiot 'Box. You'd still have to shell out money for the harddrive and such to play other Xbox games. I was recently in GameStop, exchanging my bunk Twilight Princess reserve for a CV: Curse of Darkness reserve and asked one of the guys in there about his opinions on this matter. He stated that he thought it was stupid as well and that "they are doing it just to say that they could do it." Asked about his idea on what the price of the harddrive will be he stated "at least $100." So either way you're going to be paying out $400, it just depends on when. Of course for this backwards compatability, you can only get SOME of the current gen Xbox titles to work on it. MS can't even figure out how to make a system fully reversable whereas Sony's new PS3 is planned on having backwards compatability with games AND accessories all the way back to the PS1! I'll admit it, if I had to admit my "fanboyness" to any system, it would be the Sony models. Of course, I'm also the one that not only owns all three current gen consoles, but a PSP AND a DS. So calling me a fanboy is a far stretch to do that. All in all, Microsoft has tried gimmicking its way to the top, but I can't possibly begin to see it getting anywhere near the top. In my opinion, in the next gen, their sales will fall. I can't begin to imagine that a 3rd generation Xbox could ever occur, if only because they still, after over four years, havn't gotten their shit together. We'll see how it all plays out. Until then, I'm looking forward to the PS3 and the Revolution.