For example, I didn’t buy a Gamecube until last February. At that point, its price had dropped 50% from its original $200.

It works the same for games too. I bought games like Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and X-Men Legends several years after they were released. Originally $50 each, now $20 each. Another benefit of this is that so much time has passed since the game’s initial release, that it is becoming clear which games are must-own classics and which games just had a little bit of hype when released.

However… the Wii looks so cool, I think I’ll be breaking this rule. But still, you can buy the backward-compatible Wii and one or two Wii games, sell your Gamecube, and keep buying mostly (now-discounted) Gamecube games.