Parents, if you are tired of your kids bugging you for a xbox 360, here are 5 surefire reasons why you shouldn't get one.  What better way to say "game over" to the xbox 360 if you're not going to get one?  Of course these are some of the same reasons for not buying any console on launch, but who says you have to tell your kids that.  Its beside the point.  Save your cash.  Skip the frenzy.

Price

The Xbox 360 comes in two versions.  There's the basic version for $299.99 and the premium version for $399.99.  (For more information on that you may be interested in reading my guide "Green Xbox 360 or White Xbox 360? Part 1")  If you think you can just get by with the $299.99 you may want to take into consideration that only 15% of what originally was suppose to be available to North American consumers will be of the $299.99 basic version.  Then take into account that so much as 50% of the million xbox 360 units that were to be shipped may not be shippied according to a recent estimate, and you can anticipate prices going sky high for the xbox 360.  Its a simple matter of supply and demand.  Those that have the means to pay for a costly xbox 360 likely will, while those that are too poor will simply just be out of luck.

On another note, if you can't wait for there to be a secondhand market on xbox 360 games, you can expect to pay $59.99 for titles not made by Microsoft which is a $10 increase over the traditional $49.99 retail price tag on games.

Hidden Costs

One of the strongest selling points for the xbox 360 is its stunning graphics.  However, in order to fully appreciate these stunning graphics you'll need a high definition tv if you don't already have one.  Currently some of the most economical high definition tvs (which is a bit of a oxymoron) are around $700.  Then once you've factored in all the peripherals and extras you may need with your xbox 360, that could reach $600, for a grand total of $1,300.  And you thought they just cost $299.99!

Lack of Games

Only 19 titles are expected to be available for the xbox 360 at launch.  Furthermore only a handful of those games will be exclusives that you can not play on any other system. 

According to a Microsoft announcement, 200 regular xbox games will be backward compatible with the new xbox 360 (assuming you bought the White Xbox 360 that retails for $399.99 and includes a hard drive).  So if most of your selection of games is limited to the that of the regular xbox why not just keep on playing on your regular xbox, if you have one, than spend $400 on a new one that will only benefit you a little bit at first.

Older Consoles Are Not Dead Yet

You can get both the original xbox, and the playstation 2 for about $149, and the gamecube for $99 depending on where you buy it from.  In just about any case, you'll walk away with a better deal for your money than the xbox 360.  That would be because as with the xbox, and playstation 2, you'd be buying them at the end of their lifecycle when the best games to be played are out.  Whereas, if you buy the xbox 360 now, at the begining of it's lifecycle, you won't be playing the best games for it anytime soon.  Halo 3 for the xbox 360 isn't expected to be released until nearly 2007.

No Competition

As of now, the xbox 360 has no competition, and with the supply being cut, thereby causing demand to rise, sellers of the xbox 360 can easily justify a price increase.  A more wiser course of action than rushing out to buy a xbox 360 is to wait for Nintendo's Revolution, and Sony's Playstation to be released in 2006 which will inevitably ignite at least a small price war, and force the price of the xbox 360 down.  That would be if you do end up getting a xbox 360 anyway.

Now should you fail to persuade your kids to take the xbox 360 off their christimas list, and give into their demands you can check with me to see if I'm available.   I may be willing to put my time and energy towards helping you find a suitable xbox 360 for a small fee.  Although I'd recommend you have a back-up plan such as going with the older systems should the xbox 360 completely sell out just to be safe.