Why cant you imagine using wifi? My router is 80 feet from my TV. Wifi is so easy, and running cable under or thru the house isnt. Some people enjoy that type of thing, I am not one of these people. And not everyone needs to, some people have their 360 right next to their router. How they dont have it as standard, is silly to me. They are the leader in online gaming for consoles, and they dont have wifi. The Wii, the least online console has it, for $250 since day one.
Streaming was unusable? Something must have been wrong, thats been done for years on both consoles. I do it, again from 80 feet away. Movies, music, anything.
Sure you dont have to install games, you have the option for some, for faster load times. But not downloading demos? Ugh. Now thats something I couldnt imagine. New XBM? Need an installation for that too.
The 360 is obviously cheaper, and can play all the games with the Arcade unit. Im sure some people are perfectly happy with it like it is. And then some will want to update when they get more money. Yet, after you factor in the prices (for just two of the most common upgrades), its not cheaper. I dont know anyone with a 360 without a HD. And most have Wifi. Would you like rechargeable batteries? Well, pay up for those too.
Funny part to Gamestops 360 Arcade page;
The Xbox 360 Arcade System is everything you need to hit the ground running. Plug in the console and connect the wireless controller and you're playing. Then decide what extras you add and when—it's expandable to the full Xbox 360 experience.
http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=67291
Im not going to drag this thread down, Ive said my piece. Its not just about the lowest price you can buy it for, because you cant do everything with that console that you can with the higher priced models. Or do everything that the Wii or PS3 can. It costs less, and does less. Bottom line.