Xbox 360... On the fence.

Well, Microsoft is about to release their next generation game console, the Xbox 360. First off, I think it's a stupid name, but I'm not a marketing wonk, so what do I know?

I've seen this system twice in BestBuy - always from the behind the small mob waiting to play with it - and I have to say, I was impressed. The demo of Call of Duty 2 was absolutely beautiful, and it looked like a lot of fun as well. BestBuy has the 360 connected to an HDTV LCD screen, and it looks fantastic. But I don't want to pay $1000 for an HD monitor just to get nice looking console games, and I'm not sure if the games would look as sharp on my 27inch standard TV at home.

Then I found this article on AnandTech that answered my concerns. Apparently, the 360 can be attached to a VGA monitor.

If you don't have a HDTV but you have a VGA monitor that you'd like to use, Microsoft does offer a VGA cable that will allow you to connect your Xbox 360 to a VGA monitor. If you don't have a HDTV or a monitor but still want a higher quality output, Microsoft also offers a S-Video AV cable.

Of course, it's an add-on option, but combined with my spare monitor, it should provide crisp gaming at a small fraction of the cost of HDTV.

I've not decided if or when I'm going to hop on the 360 bandwagon, but this at least makes it feasible.