One week after it didn't comment on rumor and speculation about an Xbox 360 Elite Holiday bundle, Microsoft has officially announced one. As predicted, the $300 package will include the console setup and Warner Bros.'
superhero adventure Lego Batman
and Pure from Disney Interactive Studios' Black Rock Studio, formerly Climax Racing.
The bundle announcement comes one week before the current incentive to
buy the Xbox 360 Elite ends. Through Monday, October 5, the company is
offering a $50 rebate
on the wired, DVD-media-based 120GB console, a month after it dropped
its price from $400 to $300. The rebate came a month after Sony
introduced the wireless, Blu-ray-playing 120GB PlayStation 3 Slim at $300, and--for a brief time--matched the now-$199 Wii's then-$250 price point.
In addition to the Elite holiday bundle, Microsoft also revealed a new
retail configuration for the stand-alone Xbox 360 controller. The $60
package will include a black controller with three Xbox Live Arcade
games--Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Lumines LIVE!, Bomberman
LIVE!--and a token for Ms. Pac-Man. By itself, the Xbox 360 controller
costs $50 and comes in black, white, and several other colors,
including a black-and-red GameStop-exclusive controller, due out October 15.