What was it that did it for you?  What pushed you over the edge to cause you to purchase the fine console?  (And don't just say "Games" if possible... be specific)

Orange Box.  It was the first game I bought.

Having never played any of the HL2 series, it was an instant buy for me.  My computer wouldn't be able to run it that well, so that's why I picked up the 360.

That reminds me, I need to play more Orange Box.

I was addicted to Halo 2 when Xbox 360 came out and I love Xbox live.

Got a PRO back in 06 then sold to a buddy when and got an Elite when they were released.

My reasons for getting it were because of price, and overall game selection.  The online gaming on Xbox Live brings back alot of PC game memories but in a fresh way. I could not have imagined playing FPS games on a controller but Halo 1 made it possible.

Got a PRO back in 06 then sold to a buddy when and got an Elite when they were released.

My reasons for getting it were because of price, and overall game selection.  The online gaming on Xbox Live brings back alot of PC game memories but in a fresh way. I could not have imagined playing FPS games on a controller but Halo 1 made it possible.

XBox Live. I was having SO much fun playing PGR2, Black Arrow, Rallisport 2 and other Xbox games online i couldn't wait to get online with the 360.

Xbox 360 is the new PS2. That's how I see it, and why I despise PS3 for the most part. PS3 could have been so much more.

-Had the best games at the time.
-I like the controls better.

I wanted a new console around 06

I bought it back when the PS3 wasnt even out, and I felt it was going to have the best selection of games. Also, sixaxis seemed a bit iffy.

I waited a year to buy a 360 and by that time they had so many interesting games that I couldn't help but buy one, but the Wii was my first next gen system.

I wanted Halo 3 and Fable 2. So far H3 disappointed me and I'll have to see about Fable 2. Luckily there were a lot of games that took me by surprise and I have a pretty robust library of games.

Wanted a "next-gen" console, and Halo 3 wasn't coming out on another console.

Gears of War.  I had a GameCube up to that point, but after seeing that game in action on my friend's HDTV, knew it was time to take the plunge.

Then it red ringed 4 weeks later and got all my money back.

Call of Duty 4 and missing all of the cool media center and streaming capabilities (specifically the addition of Divx support) got me back on board almost a year later though, and I've thankfully had no problems since.

The reason why I jumped into this generation of systems was Rock Band.

The reason why I chose the XBOX 360 was XBL and Gears of War.

MGS4 sure has me jealous.

I wanted a new console, and the 360 was first to the shelf.. my first 360 went defective after 4 or 5 day , the replacement ate my oblivion disk after 3 days. So after that I got my money back and figured I'd wait till the ps3 came out. Next day I bought a new mag to see if there was any info on the release date and to see what games were in the works, and on the cover of playstation mag was "ps3 $600" =0!!
I bought the mag , looked through at  all the games that were coming out for it, and 3 days later bought another 360 =)  Nothing that was coming out for the ps3 Got me as excited as Gears of war , dead rising, mass effect.  Thankfully my third 360 Is still alive and kickin since 06 =D

It was the first one out.

"I wanted a new console, and the 360 was first to the shelf.. my first 360 went defective after 4 or 5 day , the replacement ate my oblivion disk after 3 days. So after that I got my money back and figured I'd wait till the ps3 came out. Next day I bought a new mag to see if there was any info on the release date and to see what games were in the works, and on the cover of playstation mag was "ps3 $600" =0!!
I bought the mag , looked through at  all the games that were coming out for it, and 3 days later bought another 360 =)  Nothing that was coming out for the ps3 Got me as excited as Gears of war , dead rising, mass effect.  Thankfully my third 360 Is still alive and kickin since 06 =D "

Last generation I was a HUGE PS2 fanboy.. I played the hell out of that console... but once Halo, Kotor, Fable was released on the Xbox and all of the third parties ported their games to Xbox I just knew the 360 would be just as good if not better.

It's been a while, but I think the reason was Oblivion. I was interested in the game and--at the time--my computer would not have been able to run it. Although there weren't many great retail releases at the time, the live arcade was just starting to get beefy, so that satisfied me for a while.

PGR 3 i think i got it for...was such a long time ago

I bought mine the beginning of last year after playing Gears of War round a friends, it blew me away as did the much improved LIVE.

Halo, Gears and 3rd Party games, where the reason to buy my own 360. Also I got tired of going to my friends house to play. 

I got a 360 so i could play with mates on xboxlive...i was a big PS2 fan before that,and was planning on getting a PS3,but the rediculous price tag and delays put me off.

I didn't, it picked me.

I've always been a bit of a Rare fan, and seeing Kameo and PDZ run in high definition at my buddy's house made me go out the next day and buy one.

It has a better network <3 xbox live

I got mine at Christmas 2007. I looked into both consoles a lot, and really it all came down to pricing and my friends. I have one friend who owns a PS3, but I have 40 other friends who had the 360. The choice was pretty simple:

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was the first that tempted me to get one. At that time, it wasnt available or announced for ps3.
I tried and tried upgrading my pc at the time to play it, with a 360 controller (most comfy controller ever), but I had incompatibility problems etc so nextgen gaming seemed a no brainer.

Saved up for a HDTV first to play it on.
Then it was MASS EFFECT. Xbox 360 Only. Those two games kinda sealed the deal for me. I never bought Oblivion though, Mass Effect took priority.

I bought a 360 for 2 reasons... 

1) I don't have an HD-TV yet so buying a £400 PS3 which has a Blu-Ray player in it, which only works with an HD-TV, I thought was a waste of my money.  The 360 HD drive was separate so I could choose not to have it.  Simple.

2) I really, really, really wanted to play the new Sonic game that was coming out for it.  I'm with Jeff Gerstmann on this one... it looked frickin' awesome and then I downloaded the demo and it sucked hard.  The controls made me feel like I was killing a kitten.  I was soooooo dissapointed.  Thankfully there are a ton of other games on the 360 and my collection has blossomed without Sonic in it.  Hopefully the new Sonic game will play as good as it looks.  Although with the whole Sonic is a Werehog thing... I dunno... I think its a trick.

Really wanted to play perfect dark zero but was ultimately let down, as far as launch titles go it was ok, but have never regreted my 360 purchase, best for hardcore games for sure.

I had an Xbox so I though I might aswell continue and get a 360.

Because it was the only "Next Gen" console out at the time.  I bought it in '05.  Its still my primary console because of achievements and its great online service.

I was a ps2 fanboy but then i bought an Xbox with ninja gaiden and absolutely loved it plus no games ps3 looked promising so i bought the 360 in
january 2007 with GOW + A 12month Live Subscription Live and haven't looked back

"Xbox 360 is the new PS2. That's how I see it, and why I despise PS3 for the most part. PS3 could have been so much more.
"

I was a "Sony Fanboy", but once I played the 360, and saw what awesome games it had, I gladly jumped ship. Now I love all the consoles, but the 360 is definitely my favorite.

wanted console, ps3 + wii= bad!! 360 had mass effect, xbla, xbl, gears (!!!), dead rising, scene it, bioshock, halo 3, . the list goes on and on and on

Games. Particularly the exclusives. Halo, Gears, Bioshock, Mass effect.

Xbox Live is a big factor.

It was because it was the first next-gen console, and GRAW looked awesome.

It was when I was playing Halo 2 and finally saw Halo 3 announcement. When I saw that announcement I went out and bought a 360.

The 360 was an easy pick for me as all my friends have it, which really makes all the difference on an online system.

"Xbox 360 is the new PS2. That's how I see it, and why I despise PS3 for the most part. PS3 could have been so much more.
"

It had the best library and my friends all had one.

What HipHopHitler said (I'm Irish too).

I got a 360 because I thought it was the best console on the market. It is still the best console on the market, with great games, great online features and great implements.

"Games. Particularly the exclusives. Halo, Gears, Bioshock, Mass effect.

Xbox Live is a big factor.
"

Technically, my uncle bought it for me as a Christmas present, but I think it was the previews of Oblivion that got me interested in the console.