Microsoft To Offer Xbox 360 Holiday Bundles With Free Games

Microsoft intends to offer Xbox 360 holiday bundles with free games again this year. According to a report from game weblog Talk Xbox, the bundles are already shipping to retailers, and several have already been spotted on store shelves. The HDMI-equipped 120GB Xbox 360 Elite models will come packed with copies of LEGO Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda, but will remain priced at $399.99. Xbox 360 Pro units, priced at $299.99 with a 60GB hard drive, will also come bundled with the same titles at no extra cost. Xbox 360 Arcade systems, which sell for $199.99 and do not come with a hard drive, will include a free copy of Sega Superstars Tennis in addition an unspecified Xbox Live Arcade compilation disc. Microsoft offered similar bundles for its Pro and Elite models during the 2007 holiday months, packing free copies of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Forza Motorsport 2 with the hardware. Just last month, the company cut prices on its Xbox 360 models across the board, bringing the Elite down from $449 to $339, the Pro from $349 to $299, and the Arcade from $279 to $199 -- $50 less than Nintendo's Wii. The boxes for the new holiday bundles feature Netflix's logo prominently, promising purchasers a free trial of its "instant streaming" service. With its "New Xbox Experience" update planned for November, Microsoft hopes to provide Netflix integration to its Xbox Live users, enabling them to watch streaming movies and TV shows through their Xbox 360s with the service.