Eager to get a leg up on Sony's PlayStation 4 and, arguably, Nintendo's Wii U this holiday shopping season, Microsoft has announced that it is cutting $50 off of the Xbox One's price tag for a limited time starting November 2, 2014. This includes the seasonal bundles that pack in new games such as Assassin's Creed: Unity or Sunset Overdrive. Here's some of the press release:
This holiday, fans have more options to choose from with several exclusive bundles available at $50 off including:
- Available on Nov. 2 in the U.S., the Xbox One Assassin’s Creed Bundle for $349 ERP and Xbox One Assassin’s Creed Bundle with Kinect for $449 ERP features Assassin’s Creed: Unity as well as Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag on Xbox One. The Xbox One Assassin’s Creed Bundle with Kinect also includes Dance Central Spotlight.
- The Xbox One Special Edition Sunset Overdrive Bundle, available in limited quantities now, features a sleek white console and wireless controller, a digital copy of Sunset Overdrive, and special Day One edition in-game items – available for $349 ERP.
- The Xbox One Limited Edition Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Bundle for $449 ERP available starting Nov. 3, features a 1TB hard drive, custom console, custom controller and Limited Edition exoskeleton, plus a digital copy of the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Day Zero Edition.
This special promotion will be available nationwide at most major national retailers in the U.S., including Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Microsoft Stores, Target, Toys ‘R Us, and Walmart.
There's plenty of options there if you're looking to get in on the world of Xbox One. Personally, I think the Assassin's Creed bundle is the best deal considering that it comes with two games (three if you spring for the Kinect version). $50 isn't a lot of money, but it does give Microsoft bragging rights that it sells its new console for less than the cost of a PS4 (which, as you'll recall, still costs $400 without a game included). This is a sharp move on Microsoft part to drum up sales from parents who want to buy their kids a new console this holiday, don't really care which one it is, and go to the store to see their options are a $350+ Xbox One with games packed in or a $400+ PlayStation 4 bundle (specific games yet to be announced). Of course, there's always Nintendo's Wii U as an option at $300 (sometimes with a game bundled, sometimes without depending on the deal you can find), but given Nintendo's marketing problems these days, most parents would pass it over with the justification "We got the kids a Wii years ago."