For $499, Microsoft has today announced a new bundle for its flagship gaming console, the Xbox One. The bundle has been dubbed the Xbox One Elite Bundle and it will be the first bundle to come with Microsoft’s new Elite controller.
Another change we can see in this bundle is that the Redmond giant has opted to go with a hybrid 1TB SSD and HDD drive for the first time. Both the new features are more than welcome in the gaming community.
While the new Elite wireless controller was announced by the tech giant way back at E3 in June this year, this is the first Xbox bundle to actually feature the hardware. The controller is compatible with any Xbox One and PC and will cost you around $150, so it will be a great deal if you are looking for just the controller too and want to pay less.
The new controller will allow the users to remap its configurations completely and customize the sensitivity of the sticks and triggers which, in itself, is a great thing. Also, all the components of the new hardware are swappable allowing users to choose between different kinds of controls like D-pads or joysticks, whatever they prefer. Another addition is that the controller comes in with hair-trigger locks, a textured rolling pad instead of the good old D-pad and bumpers, by default.
Microsoft has also switched to a 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive in this bundle, which is a first. The new hard drive will essentially boost game load speeds and allow you to have ‘the ultimate gaming experience’, according to the designers.
Apparently, the new hybrid drive, which boasts a solid 5400 RPM, will boot the console 20 percent faster than a traditional hard drive would. One thing to note though is that the Xbox’s drive, unlike the PlayStation 4’s, isn’t replaceable without voiding the warranty.
Describing the new hybrid drive, the Xbox Wire Staff write in the blog announcing the features:
[..] the Xbox One Elite Bundle includes a 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive, which stores frequently-accessed files on a solid state partition and optimizes system performance so you can get to the action up to 20 percent faster from energy-saving mode. This means you can spend more time this holiday playing the greatest games in Xbox history, including Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Forza Motorsport 6.
The new bundle is scheduled to start shipping in November worldwide. You can pre-order the gaming unit starting today at GameStop.com and MicrosoftStore.com.
