Initially receiving backlash for being overpriced to due to its (previously) mandatory Kinect add-on (which added $100 to the price of the console) Microsoft has had to work hard to make the Xbox One seem cost-friendly to cash strapped gamers. Via services like Games with Gold that give out free games to Xbox Live Gold subscribers each month and promotions such as the Xbox One free game offer, they’re certainly making a good attempt.
And for the most part it seems to be working. An analyst prediction that came out yesterday suggested that the console has finally managed to get out of its sales slump, selling an estimated 325,000 units in the United States during September. Even if those numbers are just that – a prediction – the changing public opinion is enough to influence one high profile analyst’s estimates at least.
But even with all this, Microsoft still has a long way to go. Their new console is still trailing behind the PS4’s sales by a long shot, even after dropping the price and Kinect requirement, so as existing deals and bundles are doing their bit to improve numbers, Microsoft has also announced a pair of new Xbox One bundles featuring one of the most anticipated games of the year.
Set to appeal to those who are already fans of the stealthy, stabby series and Assassin’s Creed newcomers alike, the new Xbox One bundle includes a code for both the upcoming French Revolution adventure Assassin’s Creed Unity and last year’s seafaring title Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.
Unfortunately, as the bundles are available on November 2nd and AC Unity is out on November 11th, you won’t be able to play the new assassin outing right from the gate. Instead, players can unlock the code, pre-load the game and have all of its content and updates downloaded ready to play when the clock strikes midnight on the 11th.
Furthermore, the Xbox One/AC bundle comes in two flavors. There will be a Kinect-less version for $399 (this is currently how much the standalone console goes for) and one with Kinect for the slightly pricier $499. Taking the Kinect concerns in their stride, Microsoft is looking to prove the add-on’s worth now by including a free copy of Dance Central Revolution in the Kinect version of the bundle too.
The bundle also comes with one month of Xbox Live Gold membership, so that players will be able to make good use of the Assassin’s Creed multiplayer modes and free-run, murder and hide in hay bales with friends. And the bundles are “encased in special edition Assassin’s Creed Unity packaging” which, judging by that video means that the console comes in a decorated cardboard box, but nonetheless it’s something for the AC superfan to think about.
Microsoft is also promising “a few surprises for Xbox One” in the run up to the end of the year, presumably in attempt to win back those unconvinced that the console is for core gamers. There’s no word on what those surprises entail though but you’ll be able to get the bundles at “select retailers” across the globe (excluding Japan) from November 2nd.
Source: Xbox Wire
