An article at Wired is putting a slightly different twist on the console wars this shopping season. They say don't get the GameCube or the Xbox.. at least not yet:

After testing each console for a couple weeks, Wired News' advice is: Don't get out your credit card just yet. Wait a few months before you make your decision. The Box and the Cube -- two names so similar it makes you wonder whether the companies share a marketing department -- each have their plusses and minuses, and neither system trumps the other.

One hates to be so wishy-washy in a review of products that ought to be easy to figure out. These are video game systems, after all, not literature; they're each identified by a list of specs that, through a simple line-by-line comparison, should tell you all you need to know.

They admitted that while the Xbox looked better on paper, they felt some games looked better and loaded faster on the GameCube.

But what about Halo? Alas... Wired didn't even play it:

Halo, the most anticipated game for the XBox, is a first-person shooter. Although game reviewers have called it [GameSpot review] one of the best shooter games ever released -- and while there's no reason not to believe them -- it's still just a shooter, which is not the type of game enjoyed by everyone. (But that statement is made with a slight bit of reservation; Wired News could not, alas, get hold of Halo, and it just might be that Halo is so good it makes XBox head-and-shoulders better than Cube. While this is doubtful from what others have said [Salon.com], it's nevertheless possible.)

Got money burning a hole in your pocket this holiday season... but not TOO much? Wired has a radical piece of advice:

The XBox, at $300, is $100 more than the Cube. But if it's price you're concerned about, buy a Sega Dreamcast, which was reduced to $50 this week.

Of course, where you'll continue to get new games for it I guess is left for the reader to determine.

Nate at TeamXbox is running a story about the Nov. 9 issue of Entertainment Weekly, where they ran a holiday shopping guide. And the Xbox took 34th place on the hottest gift list . Great, right?

Well.. until you read that they shared it with the GameCube... AND the PlayStation 2. Some people just can't decide. Or perhaps they just should have awarded the spot to generic gaming computer thingy .

Blockbuster announced on November 15 that it would offer one free five-day game rental to anyone presenting a receipt for a game console between December 1 and January 31.

CoreMagazine has reported that Canadian game rental chain VHQ will be offering free game rentals:

More aptly, from Dec. 1 through Jan. 31, VHQ stores will provide one free new release two-day game rental to customers who bring in a receipt from any retailer for the purchase of any new game console purchased during this period. The free game rental must be the same format as the new game system on the receipt.

The offer is valid for PlayStation 2, GameCube, or Xbox consoles.

Cesar at TeamXbox is running a story that several readers have informed them that the Xbox has already sold out in several cities in North America. In some cases, this even includes second shipments to stores. There are reports from Futureshop, Best Buy, Circuit City, WalMart, Target and Toys'R'Us.

There is a forum thread on the site where people are discussing what stores have the Xbox available and which ones have sold out.

Serena at Xbox365 has reported that some places have been charging as much as one or two hundred dollars more than the MSRP for the Xbox, even in bundles with only one game, or none at all.

Xbox365 reports there are no plans to launch the MS console in China.

Psyrixx posts his story of Xbox acquisition.

The new Bungie.net site runs on (surprise, surprise) Microsoft's IIS software and Windows 2000. Cortana, g0t r00t?

Our very own Tobin has posted a story detailing his experiences purchasing an Xbox on launch day.

ax pointed out in the community forum that Planet GameCube is reporting that Nintendo is allowing retailers to sell the GameCube as soon as it arrives in stores. Apparently the FYE stores in Connecticut are already selling the new system, which wasn't originally going to be made available until November 18.

If you have pre-ordered the GameCube, you may wish to call the store you purchased it from because if they have received the shipment, you will be able to start gaming a few days earlier.

TeamXbox has noted that EBGames.com is once again accepting Xbox preorders; but these orders are expected to ship on November 19th, and not on the official launch date of November 15.

Each bundle includes an Xbox console, a controller, power cord and standard A/V cable. The Alpha Bundle adds Halo, Oddworld, Madden 2002 and an extra controller, and costs $489.95. The Bravo Bundle swaps Madden for DoA3 at the same price. The Sigma Bundle includes all four games at a cost of $539.94.