My first reaction is to avoid the XBox at all costs as a Microsoft product. Microsoft's bad software and bullying marketing schemes turn me off like no product testimonial will. In my fervent support of the alternatives to the Evil Empire, I have avoided XBox. Besides, there weren't any games on the XBox that I wanted to play.
Then, there was the first blow. Morrowind. I played Daggerfall, courtesy of my husband, and I enjoyed it. The long-awaited sequel glowed like a hovering jewel. Yet, I resisted. XBoxes are so darn expensive, after all, and it was coming out on computer, anyway. I could wait.
So, here I am, waiting. All the reasons I have lie before me.
1. Microsoft makes inferior products
The stability of Windows is the finest starting point in this arguement I can have. Although Windows has become more stable over the years, it has also become harder for me to tinker with in the manner that I adore. I like fiddling with bits. I like playing old DOS games. I love all manner of extra tweaks that are rapidly becoming impossible on the newer Windows.
However, I have from good sources (fellow gamers with excruciating standards, like myself), that the XBox does not suffer from poor quality. Since it is so concentrated on a single purpose, it does not suffer from the leaks and holes that Microsoft's computer products do. So, it seems that Microsoft's products are not always lacking in quality.
2. Microsoft uses bullying tactics to create a monopoly, a la Evil Empire. By buying its products, I am perpetuating its grip on society.
Well, I already use Windows, though I have plans to switch to Linux as soon as I have both money and time and technical support all at the same time. I haven't upgraded Windows in a long time, though. But the issue with the XBox is different. The XBox is a newcomer in the field of console gaming. Playstation already has the top slot in the field, one that Nintendo has been fighting to overcome for quite a few years. The XBox is not really a threat to the console world's diversity as long as these older giants continue to produce good games. So, if I buy an XBox, I am not forcing out other, better made substitutes. I am merely diversifying my collection of gaming materials. I don't even need to pick. It is less expensive to buy all three gaming consoles than to buy one new computer. So, I can buy an XBox clear of conscience.
3. I can play the new games on computer.
Well, actually, I can't. I don't have the money to keep up with the new computers, new versions of Windows, and everything else required to play the newest games. It's incredibly frustrating.
However, I could buy an XBox for only a couple hundred dollars, instead of a new computer for at least $1200. And those games I am most frantic to play are starting to come out on XBox as well as for PC gaming. Since my only reason I keep talking about keeping a version of Windows around is to play games, I find myself reconsidering even buying a Windows upgrade. It is much cheaper to buy the console and play games on it, then investigate Linux as an alternative for my other needs, such as word processing, surfing online, and playing music on my computer. It's such a happy medium that I'm thrilled! What a plan! And so cost effective!
But I'm still not asking for an XBox for Christmas. The reason: I already have a Playstation 2 and a GameCube. I don't want my parents and parents-in-law to think I'm a nut to ask for yet another toybox. I think I'll wait until my husband and I have enough money to get it on our own.