For some, the option of shopping online just makes sense. No dealing with lines, incompetent checkout clerks, or the emotional roller coaster of repeat visits only to hear the dreaded words, "sorry, we're out of stock." Retailers know that consumers will pay a little extra for the luxury of truly convenient shopping. A couple of clicks here, enter a credit card number there, and 3-5 days later a package arrives on the doorstep.

It doesn't take Economics 101 to know that high demand leads to price hikes, and it's plain as day with launches of gaming systems. EBGames and GameStop both revealed their offerings of Xbox 360 bundles, packages with superlative adjectives such as "ultimate" that include accessories (which some may deem unnecessary) and games. The bundles, which top out at $2,000, aren't very forgiving, limiting choices to "how much do I want to spend" instead of allowing shoppers to piece their add-ons together themselves.

Wal-Mart has unveiled its bundles, and not only are they of the more modest variety, but they also allow future Xbox 360 owners to choose their games. The online division of the megamarket is offering three bundles--two priced just under $580, and one priced just under $620.

The more expensive bundle contains the Xbox 360 Premium System (also known simply as the Xbox 360), a 12-month Xbox Live Gold card, an additional wireless controller, a play and charge kit, and the choice of two games. The other two systems feature the Xbox 360 Core System, a wireless controller, a play and charge kit, a headset, a 64MB memory unit, and the option of taking either a 12-month Xbox Live subscription and two games, or forgoing Xbox Live and picking up a third game.

The choice of games Wal-Mart offers are mostly of the usual suspects. Shoppers will find Project Gotham Racing 3, Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo, Quake IV, Peter Jackson's King Kong, and Madden NFL 06. However, there are a few surprises on the list, most notably the inclusion of Halo 3, and the absence of rumored launch title Dead or Alive 4. Consistent with Microsoft's pricing of first-party games at $49.99, third-party games, which are expected to retail for $59.99, will cost shoppers an extra $10.

While other options continue to roll in, it seems as though Wal-Mart may be a good bet for gamers looking to choose the games they want to be playing on day one.