there's a psychological block to throwing the old thing away in order to get a whole new thing

You throw your old systems away?! However you take your statement, I have no problem going to a new console. In fact, I see this as a good aspect in relation to your previous point: the games will always work!

Just think: I can still play all the games I've ever owned on my Sega Master System. Yet Tony has a thread going about a way to finally play DOS games reliably on curent systems all these years after they were in their prime. My PC can't play games l owned from 4 to 6 years ago like Worms: Armageddon and the first two Warcraft games. But if I want to play Altered Beast on my Sega, I just bust the console out. I don't have to keep a second machine around or dual-boot my Gamecube.

So, as new console systems are released (which is only every 4 years or so, by the way), my game library only grows, it isn't replaced.

Gamepads on PCs do suck. But I'd argue that the gamepad is a pretty poor controller design anyway. I'd rather just use the keyboard; that way, I don't have to hold it. Of course, analog gamepads are a little better, and there are some games where a full-blown joystick isn't the correct controller, either. But I feel like the analog gamepad is in that class of things that gets the job done in most situations but doesn't do any one thing well.

Ok, y'all were right about Call Of Duty. It rocks. I'm now stuck on one of the tank levels... Fun, fun, fun!

Thanks for helping me with another happy addiction.

- Jon