agreed. the ability to play DVDs is just a gimmick. i couldn't care less about that feature. if i'm going to buy a console, it's for one thing, to play games.

i honestly believe that what keeps the PS2 going, and what kept the PS1 going, is hype. well, that, and sony isn't stupid. they time things right as to force people's hand. for example, GTA:VC came out on the PS2 months before on the PC. why? to push PS2 sales.

most games i've played on the PS2 suffer from horrible load times, look either too dark, too hazy, grainy, or something funky like that. sure they have this huge comprehensive library of games. but most of those games suck. there are very few that i would actually want to own the PS2 for, which is why i don't.

then you take a system like xbox, which is essentially a stripped down PC, so what's the point? i already have a PC with greater specs, so no need to waste money on that.

that leads me to the gamecube. the true definition of a console, or at least what that definition used to be. a system built specifically to play games, and that's it. why else would i want a console? the gamecube has exactly what i want. colorful, crisp, unique titles that are FUN to play. everything else, i'll go back to my PC.

i just hope nintendo continues to support it. they seem to have a short attention span lately.

edit > as for these new "powerful" handhelds coming out, keep in mind that back in the day, there were several that came out that were much more powerful than the gameboy, and the gb still came out on top.