Microsoft's portable...

[Paco]

As a PC gamer, my computer is just about at the point where I can't get much of anything new anymore, which is annoying... they all either require XP or something better than a Geforce2... but four years, you expect that. The real issue is, I don't want to wait ANOTHER year... of course though, getting a new computer is a big hassle... your computer is set up just the way you like it, and then you have to start over... hundreds of programs to copy or install, etc... *shudder* The 'easiest' way would probably be to attach the harddrive itsself to the new machine, but depending on its hardware that may or may not be possible without an extra controller card... ack... and I have a lot of stuff I'd need to transfer. And I don't have a CD or DVD burner, just a zip 250... which is not enough. Ah well...



Isn't MCE just XP with a few irrelevant things added? (and is it Pro? Home looks pretty much like a waste of money...)

Well, it's Media Center and allows you to manage all types of media better. If you have a media extender device then you can stream any and all of it from your PC to any tv in your house. I don't know if it's only on Pro or Home.

Microsoft claims that Vista is going to rejuvenate PC gaming so it might just be in your best interest to wait. Let your other consoles keep you busy in the mean time.