Xbox or .NET box?

Kelly McNeill writes “Microsoft is set to unveil the Xbox video gaming system on November 8th with a price of US$299. One can’t help but wonder how Microsoft will attempt to use cloak and dagger tactics on this piece of hardware. The world is full of expensive, overpowered personal computers that most consumers purchase for such trivial tasks as writing letters and e-mailing friends. If there ever was at least one purpose for these overpowered home PCs, it can surely be found in the demanding requirements of games that so many of these machines are being used for. Could Microsoft be leveraging these usage patterns to its advantage?”