Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Limited Edition Xbox 360 Console

Despite being a lifelong STAR WARS fan, I scoffed--still do--at the silly-looking STAR WARS limited edition Xbox 360 console. It's just terrible looking. But this week, Microsoft announced another limited edition 360, and this one, well. This one is actually quite interesting.

It's called the Modern Warfare 3 Limited Edition Xbox 360 console, and of course is timed to the release of the concluding chapter in the "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" series, with a look that matches the gritty, wartime equipment found in the game. That I don't care too much about, frankly, though you can decide yourself with the photos below.

Inside the box, you'll find some improvements over a stock Xbox 360 console. It includes a 320 GB hard drive, for example, up from the 250 GB version found in normal 360s. It comes with two MW32-customized wireless Xbox 360 controllers, instead of one black controller. (Curiously, the bundled wired headset is the stock black version. Duh.) The console also comes with the standard version of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3," of course.

The console costs $400, which is actually a savings over purchasing a stock Xbox 360 ($300), a second wireless controller ($50), and the "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" game ($60). Plus you get the additional 70 GB of hard drive storage, and, if it's of interest to you, the MW3 styling on most of the hardware. It appears that only Best Buy is selling this bundle right now, on preorder: Since MW3 doesn't ship until November 8, the bundle has an identical delivery time.

Also available are a couple of similarly styled accessories. You can purchase the Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 3 wireless controller ($60) separately if you'd like. And there's an Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 3 wireless headset with Bluetooth as well ($70). I believe these two accessories will be widely available from multiple retailers. But here's some good news: They'll be available earlier than the bundle, on October 11.

I'm embarrassed to admit that one of the things I like most about this limited edition console is that Microsoft has customized the sounds that the hardware makes to match classic "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" sound effects. So there are new sounds for power on/off and disk tray eject. If you're a COD fan like me, you'll smile when you hear those effects.

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