How do you decide when and which consoles to purchase?

[vanguardian1]

The 360 is the choice for WESTERN rpg's, eastern rpg's are up in the air at the moment (unless you count the DS). I choose between a balance of price and games, a console does no good no matter the price if it has no games I want, nor is it any good if it costs too much even with a massive library of games. I didn't buy my first PS2, it was a gift (tax refund) when the units had dropped to $200. Most I ever paid for a console is the Wii @ 250, then dreamcast @ 150 (with 2 games), PS2 replacement @ 130, PSX/N64 @ 150/100. I wanted the Wii (my only launch date AND launch price console) for a big extra reason. I can play it with a lot more people. :)