Xbox 360 60 GB Pro (Microsoft) $299.99

Pound for pound, the Xbox 360 60 GB Pro offers the best bang-for-your-buck this holiday shopping season out of any of the three major contenders.

Though there are actually three Xbox 360s to choose from, each featuring the same core processor and functions, the $299.99 Pro strikes the nicest balance between function and affordability (it's also currently bundled, holiday shopping-style, with $100 worth of free games, namely Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda).

The black and beefier "Elite" Xbox 360, on the other hand, costs $399.99, while the loss-leader "Arcade," which lacks the all-but-essential hard drive is just $199.99 (giving the Xbox brand empty, lowest cost bragging rights)

All told, this "multi-tiered" marketing approach works well in most sectors (as with cars or cell phones, for example), but for the uninitiated videogame consumer, it smacks of an "identity crisis" that has put Xbox 360 squarely in second place of the current generation console wars. This despite that fact it really is thrice as powerful as Wii (and more diverse) and more-or-less as powerful as the PlayStation3 (but with a broader-ranged realization of innate digital entertainment potential, especially in light of the new "Xbox Live Experience" that makes Xbox 360 a veritable nexus of home entertainment (top-shelf gaming, high def movie downloads and Netflix movie rentals direct, "Mii"-like personalized personas, etc.)

Not that Xbox 360 is flawless. Clearly lacking is a high definition movie disc playback, i.e. no Blu-ray, though it's priced similarly to PlayStation3, which does have Blu-ray. 360 doesn't do Wi-Fi out of the box, either, so unless you have a router or high speed modem within CAT5-reach of your TV set, you'll need to buck up another $100 for a wireless internet dongle.

Moreover, the first batches of 360s unleashed unto the world were rather famous for heating up and breaking down. Though new Xbox 360 have had these issues remedied, the system's reputation for reliability remains severely tarnished. It doesn't help that Xbox 360s still run freakishly hot and are easily the noisiest console on the planet.

But open a window and turn up the volume and everything should be fine.

The Goods:
+ Established and dependable high performance, high definition gaming
+ Somewhere amongst those pricing options is a smokin' hot deal
+ New virtual "Xbox Live Experience" allows for genuine broad-spectrum digital entertainment for the living room beyond games, more leisure/social/community virtual brouhaha than you'll know what to do with
+ Large and diverse selection of excellent games with something for everyone, of any age or any skill level


The Grief:
- Arcade/Pro/Elite options are befuddling (hint: pick one with a hard drive)
- Seemingly essential accessories are sold separately (add $100 for wireless internet, free on Wii and PS3)
- Offers no high-def movie disc playback but the black one is priced like one that does
- Subscription fee/scam if you want premium online services like multiplayer (PS3 and Wii also do that free)
- Runs hot, bothered, and noisy