Microsoft has announced a new Xbox One bundle, combining an upgraded version of the living room game console with the company's new high-end game controller. The Xbox One Elite bundle will cost $499 in the US, and be available in early November.
New to this bundle is a 1TB hybrid hard drive, which combines a small amount of faster solid-state storage (similar to the flash memory on a USB stick or memory card) with a larger traditional spinning platter hard drive. Microsoft has not said how big the solid-state partition in this drive is, but it's typically small, and intended to act as a cache for frequently accessed data.
Also included is the Xbox One Elite controller , first seen at this year's E3 video game trade show. This high-end revamp of the traditional Xbox controller includes swappable sticks and pads, adjustable sensitivity, and paddle controls on the rear. Sold separately, the Elite controller will be $149 in the US.
The Xbox One launched in November 2013 at $499, and included a 500GB hard drive and the Kinect camera accessory. The current base model, without the Kinect but the same 500GB hard drive is now $349, or $399 for a version with a nonhybrid 1TB hard drive. At $499, the Elite bundle is $50 less than buying a 1TB Xbox One and Elite controller separately, although the bundle is the only way to get the hybrid hard drive right now.
Also coming soon from Microsoft is a new look for the standard Xbox One controller. Called the Special Edition Lunar White Wireless Controller, it is white with gold accents and a new textured grip on the back. In the US, it will only be sold at GameStop stores for $65.
Microsoft promises the bundle will be available worldwide, but has not yet announced international price and release information. The bundle will be available in the US starting November 3 exclusively at GameStop stores and the Microsoft Store "for the month of November," which means it may come to other retailers after that.