Either way, you'll get your money's worth. But, USA Today had many people come in and play GCN, and Xbox, and most of the time was spent on the GCN. One man said that he originally wanted Xbox, but now is in the market to buy both. I pick the GameCube because it's got the time enduring characters, quality games, and the most creative gaming minds in the world. (Including the creator of Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2, who is now hard at work on a game for the Cube.) Nintendo has a proven track record for quality, whereas Microsoft is just beginning. When looking at the technical specs for both consoles, it is easy to fall into the numbers trap, but when you actually study what the RAM is, and how it works for the system, and the other parts, the GameCube actually edges ahead of the Xbox in Processing power, despite the 250MHz difference. There are reports of Xbox slowing down for no apparent reason during gameplay (USA Today report, 11/13/01) and that the texture mapping on the GameCube is actually better.
The choice is yours.
Take the Xbox, and you stay in Wonderland and believe whatever you want to believe.
Take the GameCube, and you'll see just how deep the rabbit hole goes.