Xbox 360, Ut-Oh?

Xbox 360, Ut-Oh? And the "Ut-Oh" is not for us, but for Microsoft. CNN has its review of the Xbox 360 up and so does NY Post. Neither of them are that great, especially for Microsoft. Just so that I don't get a whole slew of angry comments from hardcore gamers: If you have already pre-ordered your Xbox 360 and/or stood in line for forty-hours to get one, stop reading now. This posting is for the casual games and/or the parents of kids who want to get the new Xbox 360 for Christmas. Both reviews convey the same sentiments, the Xbox 360 is too expensive, there aren't enough games to show the Xbox 360 off, there are some nasty hidden costs and some parents will be sorely disappointed if they want to give their kids backwards compatibility. Here's the breakdown:

• Too expensive: The basic no frills Xbox 360 costs $299, the version that comes with a harddrive costs $399. You'll see the difference below in the "'backward compatibility" section. From Wired: "[A]ll this power comes at a price. The $400 console does include a lot of extras in the box: a 20-GB hard drive (necessary if you're going to download content from Xbox Live or store custom soundtracks), a headset mike and a remote control. There's going to be a $300 version as well, with no hard drive, a wired controller and no HD cables, which is not a very good deal. (Especially considering how much the accessories are going to cost -- $50 for a wireless controller, $20 for the charge kit, $40 for a memory card, $100 for the hard drive.)"
• Not enough games to show off Xbox 360 prowness: If I buy a new next-gen system, I want a launch game to show it off with (like how Halo did with the original Xbox). It looks like none of the Xbox 360 launch games have much oomph to show it off like a true next gen console. All the articles say wait-and-see for the next gen of games for this next gen console.
• Hidden costs: Don't forget, if you want to play your old games on the basic system ($299), you'll have to cough up money for a harddrive. If you want to have any fun at all online, you'll have to cough up for Xbox Live monthly subscription. If you want to see what the Xbox 360 can really do, you'll have to cough up for a HDTV.
• Backwards compatibility: Those poor parents (literally) who run out and get the $299 basic Xbox 360 because of budget limitations. When they get home and little Joey wants to play his copy of Halo 2 on the Xbox 360, it won't work. Because the hardware inside the Xbox 360 is completely different from the stuff inside the Xbox, Microsoft has to put out patches for games to work. In order for patches to work, then you'll need a harddrive for them to be written onto. What's a parent and/or casual gamer to do if they want to play old Xbox games and have purchased the $299 Xbox 360? Keep that Xbox around or shell out for the yet-to-be-released harddrive add-on.