Xbox 360, Here I Come!

So, after saving up for several months and debating for what feels like years, I finally bought my Xbox 360. As many of you know, buying new consoles is serious business. Not only are they incredibly expensive ($300 if you're lucky), but you also want to make sure that you're actually going to use the system after you've purchased it. In light of my recent expenditure, I'm going to share with you several of the factors that led to my decision.

When It's the Right Time to Buy

Do Your Homework
No, I don't mean this in the literal sense (although you should always try to do your homework (except if it's six hundred pages of reading that don't even have any relevance to the discussion because your professor just feels like being sadistic that day (but I digress.))) I simply mean that you should look into what kind of games the system has before you decide which one you want to buy. Interested in casual games? Then the Wii is the only place for you. Looking for something a little bit more hardcore? Then take a look at the selections offered by the 360 and the PS3. While both have a lot of overlapping titles, the system-exclusives can make or break a system. For instance, I love a lot of the system-exclusive titles for the 360, which largely influenced my decision (although it certainly helped that I already had a PS3 at home, so I knew that when Uncharted 3 came out, I still had a chance to play it.) Make sure that the system you want to get has your favorite game series on it, because you don't want to have to shell out another three-hundred dollars when a brand new title comes out a year down the line.

Time
Since I finally have time off from college, there is no better time to buy a new gaming system than now. With endless rainy days ahead in Massachusetts, I have nothing better to do with my days off than sit at home, make myself some tea, and play an endless amount of video games (and write this blog post.) If you're right in the middle of finals, you might want to hold off on buying your new system until you know you have enough time to devote to it. Once that system is at home, there's no way that you can resist that addictive pull of testing it out, so don't try to lie to yourself. Devote your attention to your work (even if it takes nine tries to get it all done) and when you've finally conquered it, treat yourself to your system as your reward. It's definitely worth it.

Financials
Note: it's not a good time to go out and purchase a three-hundred dollar gaming system if you only have $340 in the bank. As tempting as it is to go out and buy something when you have enough money for it, it's important to make sure that you'll have enough cash left over after your expenditure to last you until your next pay check. Now, I'm not going to lecture you about budgeting your money or anything like that; you can do whatever you want with your cash. Just don't fall prey to your overwhelming desire, and then realize two days later that you can't by your brother a birthday present because you're broke, or dangerously close to being broke. Believe me, it really sucks to find yourself in that position (thank God for inexpensive used games!)

So what goes into your decision when you decide to buy your gaming consoles? Let me know!