Most of you would pass on Microsoft's subsidized Xbox 360 offer with its two-year contract.  I'm the type of person that likes to outright own electronics whenever it's financially possible, and while there's no way I'd throw down $600 on a non-contract Apple iPhone, I would spend money on a game console just to pay for it once and then never have to pay for it again.  Part of that has to do with planned obsolescence and available upgrades.  Apple expects its customers to buy a new iPhone with every new annual iteration, but with a game console I know that I have five or more years ahead of me with the same set of hardware.  I'm also not a fan of adding more monthly bills to the list of things of which I have to keep track every month.  I'm glad that the $99 Xbox 360 is out there for those who need the option, but I'll stick with paying for gaming hardware in one lump sum.

Let's shift gears from buying games to renting them.  When it comes to video game rentals, how do you temporarily acquire your chosen titles?  Do you wait for new titles to arrive by mail?  Do you hit your local kiosk while running other errands?  Do you relish the twentieth century experience of going to a local store of some sort that specializes in media rentals?  Let's hear your thoughts.