I have a simple proof that this OEM idea is a bad one - rntongo, shifty, eastmen and I all agree on something for a change.
This is a bad Xbox killing idea.
The ONLY way it can work is if MS subsidizes a top of the line machine (call it Next) at something like $599 (with X @ $399 and S @ 199) and then allow OEMs to make machines even better than the Next for enthusiasts for whatever they want to charge. I'd probably pay up to $999 for something better than a subsidized $599 Next, knowing that I'm only going to get $799 worth of hardware due to lack of economies of scale and OEM profit making. The problem is that I don't think many people are in the same boat as me. Once you go north of $999 you're into PC territory, which is where I'm headed btw if MS screws this up like it looks like they are about to.