True I did voluntarily spend $300 to upgrade my Shield, and I have NP3'd all my M&Ps. The XDs though more expensive did not in my eyes need upgrading so to me the Springfield was the true bargain. Out of the box most people will be happy with their Shields, many here though will upgrade their pistols with better sights, trigger and finish enhancements.
Those on a tight budget will be well served with a stock Shield and I applaud S&W for skipping a few bells and whistles that the rest of the M&P line has but kicks the price up. Price wise the Shield is a bargain and in that light the XDs should be compared to the more optioned out but larger M&Ps. My initial reason for comparison was solely based on size as both pistols are nearly identical.
I still anxiously await and hope S&W comes out with a Shield 45, option it out like a larger M&P with those changeable backstraps and ambi controls and then do another comparison. Here's hoping.