As far as the PS2/Gamecube/Xbox argument goes, here's my few cents' worth: I bought a PS2 a while back. There are boatloads of games for it, but I never found any that I liked on it, so I sold it on ebay.
I've tried the Xbox. Everybody raves about it, but the graphics and animation on my Gamecube are just as good. And though there are more games for the Xbox, there weren't any (other than Halo) that appealed to me. Pretty much any game that's worth getting is coming out for the Xbox and GC now, with the PS2 slowly being phased out.
As far as technology goes, an engineer at MicroSoft has stated that they believe that the only competition the Xbox has is the GC, as the PS2 is built on dated hardware. Sony, in fact, is planning to replace their aging technology within 2 years with a PS3. They'd be doing themselves a favor to release it sooner, though.
However, if you're looking for a DVD player, the GC won't do you any good. The PS2 isn't a great DVD player, but it is functional (unlike the Xbox, where you have to buy a separate remote control).
Just my thoughts on my experiences...
