At first it seems pretty steep ($1000 standalone, $500 upgrade), but if you've got an existing Visual-product (6.0 or higher), you can get a $300 rebate, which drops the price to $200. That's not bad, considering it's got C++, VB, C#, and J# (Java that compiles to the .NET runtime). Also, shipping's free, as the order's for more than $99. Amazon's claiming I'll get it between 2/28-3/1. We'll see.
Also, if you buy it from Amazon, you get a free sixpack of Amp cola, which is one of those fruity energy drinks which don't give you any energy but do taste pretty good with a shot of vodka. Yum!
One thing I don't understand is why you'd buy the $1000 standalone VS.NET then get the $300 rebate. If you qualify for the rebate, you qualify for the $500 upgrade price. I guess it's useful if you've got an extra $500 burning a hole in your pocket that you wanna give to Bill.
If you don't want the other parts, you can order C++, VB, or C# standalone as the "Standard" editions. In previous versions, the "Standard" version meant you lost some important features, like the optimizer, but it looks like they're not doing that anymore. They're $99, but I figured the extra hundred for VB and C# would be worth it to me.
Visual Studio.NET Professional
Visual Studio.NET Professional Upgrade
Visual C++.NET Standard
Visual Basic.NET Standard
Visual C#.NET Standard
As for usability, I've been using Beta 2 for quite a while, and I like it very much. Supposedly they're folding in the PocketPC tools in the mix, but I'll believe it when I see it. I'll letcha know!
