My first Xbox 360 that I have had since October 2007 has just died at a weeks past it's third year of commendable service. 
 
It seems I've come into the fold of the majority of Microsoft's consumers, seeing as it's like 99% likely your console is going to choke even though the goddamn NES in my basement still works like it was fucking 1985, at a most opportune time. The 360 Slim is now on sale, the Kinect is set to launch on November 4th, and it's going to cost $100 fucking dollars minimum to get this fucker fixed considering my warranty is expired. 
 
It isn't a red ring by the way, it should have been though. Just a few weeks off from 3 years, that shit would have been hilarious.
 
Why do you care? Because I need someone to help parse out my options. 
 
The way I see it this can go down in one of five ways.
 
1. I send it in for repairs (No.) 
2. I try to fix it myself (Might do it anyway and just sell the fucker online for a quick buck if I don't completely ruin it.) 
3. Buy a new Arcade used for $100 or less. (It's not like it will be any more fucked up than the refurb they'll undoubtedly send me.) 
4. Buy a 360 S 250GB at $300 (I'm aware there is a 4GB version, but I need some fucking breathing room.) 
5. Toss it out a fucking window.  
 
Now, honestly, I don't really give a shit about Kinect right now. Kinect is not even on my radar. When it comes to Kinect we don't. 
 
Connect. 
 
On a demographic level. 
 
I do like new hardware though, and I like having my options open to me. Is Kinect going to be worth purchasing in the future? Yes, at some point a good game is going to be made using Kinect and then it will be worth purchasing. Is it worth adding $100 to the price of my movie ticket when it will surely see a price drop in the next two years if nto sooner? No, no it is not. 
 
But I do like new hardware. 
 
This is basically the route I've taken when buying updated consoles, and for some reason it ALWAYS happens not to long after said updates are released. 
 
I guess I'm just super lucky. 
 
It's the reason I have a DS Lite and only a DS Lite, because the only way Nintnedo would ever get me to buy a DSi is if they knocked me to the ground, ripped it out of my hands, and threw it off a fucking bridge. 
 
And then I still wouldn't get one because that's a dick move. 
 
So while ponying up $300 dollars seems a bit like the extreme end of the spectrum, I consider it more of an investment than anything. For all intensive purposes, the Move and Kinect are basically console generation 7.5. While the hardware is essentially the same, or exactly the same in the PS3's case, the games we will be playing on these devices is certainly taking a bit of a radical shift. Let's just look at it this way: The Wii was not especially graphically superior to the Gamecube, yet we still consider that part of this generation of console. Yeah it's kind of a weak argument, but that's really what I see the 360 S as in a lot of ways. A Wii to the original 360's Gamecube. 
 
Enough of that bull shit though, you guys need to get on the ball and help me figure this shit out.  
 
Come on, chop chop. I needs the opinions and I needs them now. 
 
Short Version: 360 S for $300 or original 360 for $100. Debate.