E3 '07: Microsoft readying Halo-themed Xbox 360, HDMI-ready

[UPDATE] Third installment of sci-fi first-person shooter series set to receive its own special edition of the console, HDMI output confirmed; pink, light blue, dark blue wireless controllers also announced.

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--While the Xbox 360 has assembled a library of highly regarded titles including Gears of War, Dead Rising, and Forza Motorsport 2, for many, the entire point of the system is the upcoming sci-fi first-person shooter Halo 3. For those gamers, Microsoft's Peter Moore announced a Halo-branded version of the Xbox 360 at its E3 Media and Business Summit press conference tonight.

The Halo 3-branded 360

Dubbed the Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition Console, the console will be colored Spartan green with golden trim and be accompanied by a matching wireless controller. The console will include a 20GB hard drive, a headset, and a play and charge kit. An exclusive Halo 3 theme and gamer pics will be available to purchasers over Xbox Live when the package goes on sale worldwide this September. [UPDATE] Speaking to Bungie content manager Frank O'Connor, GameSpot has also confirmed that the Halo 3 Special Edition Console will support HDMI output. Microsoft has subsequently updated the product announcement on its official site to reflect the HDMI compatibility.

This is not the first time Microsoft has decked its console out in Spartan garb. Gamers might remember that a translucent-green Halo-branded edition of the original Xbox was released in 2004. That system was limited to 200,000 units and came bundled with a similarly colored controller, as well as the original Halo: Combat Evolved.

Aside from a few special-edition models, gamers have been thus far limited to stark black and white Xbox 360 gamepads. Microsoft also sends word today that it will be diversifying its palette with three new colors for its wireless controllers: pink, dark blue, and light blue. Available in October, the controllers will retail for $49.99.

272 Comments

  • fadersdream

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 12:16 pm PT

    so this comment is so late it's irrelevant, but;

    i have one, got when it first came out and i still love it. i have an entertainment system where it sits and because of the dark green it blends into the darkness really well and all you see is the orange drive cover and the green light. it looks awesome. i look at my friends white one, and now he has the knew red one... and the white one just looks really devoid of personality... like a wii. the red one is cooler... but it still lacks character... the re5 one is just red... no real connecting theme.

  • agoodschool

    Posted Sep 18, 2007 1:10 pm PT

    Its coming out in england 26th September for £265 on amazon but in store it will proably be around £280.

  • est9300

    Posted Sep 16, 2007 12:16 pm PT

    Is this xbox free region ?

  • drdeath15

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 9:21 am PT

    Any one know if its comming out in the uk :S i would import one but 360s are region locked arent they?

  • miningguy

    Posted Aug 15, 2007 5:56 pm PT

    they need more spartin green controllers

    and also i think this thing looks awsome

  • elite_ferns1

    Posted Aug 10, 2007 11:16 pm PT

    looked ugly at first but has really grown on me.

  • ashalldredge

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 2:33 pm PT

    Well I went ahead and reserved myself one of them at the local GameStop. True it does look like something you might find floating in a public restroom toilet but oh well I guess it is really only for those hardcore Halo fans that have $399.00 burning a hole in their pocket like myself.

  • davidhua

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 10:30 am PT

    looks cool but costs too much. Your just paying for the Halo brand. It on ly has 20 gigs on it.

  • GIJesse77

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 7:03 am PT

    looks ugly/

  • DoctorFu

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 2:50 am PT

    Man, I really want to get my hand on one of those limited edition Todd McFarlane controllers. Either side looks sweet. Playing the best FPS come September 25th will be all the more perfect.

  • rkangel

    Posted Aug 3, 2007 6:14 am PT

    I think a nice faux gunmetal, with military panel design would have been better. Oh well, Im stuck with the premium for now. Kinda hoping it craps out on me soon so I can take it back to best buy and ask them If i can exchance it for an elite falcon or halo 3 edition and only paying the difference. I actually bought their warranty so I just have to exchange for a new one.

  • bradly_2795

    Posted Aug 2, 2007 7:28 pm PT

    Looks almost reminiscent of the original Xbox Halo Edition. Also the HDMI port is a good addition, but only the 20GB HDD what's up with that? I might consider purchasing if the price is same as the Premium, which is very unlikely. Maybe I'll be wrong though and MS will make a good move. Other wise alot of kids this Christmas are going to be additions in Xbox live with their new Halo 360's and game.

  • jayson_60120

    Posted Aug 1, 2007 10:13 am PT

    O.K., now I bought the original Halo Xbox that came out in 2004 and it was awesome looking. Even the lights at the front of the system were cooler than the original black Xbox, but man... This Halo 3 Xbox 360 is ugly! It's not even transparent. No thanks Microsoft, Please.. Start adding HDMI to ALL Xbox 360's and get with the times.

  • Rivent

    Posted Jul 24, 2007 9:20 am PT

    It's green... because Master Chief is green... very clever.
    There is no doubt it is pointless and ugly but at least it gives little kids something to get for Christmas, which means even more stupid kids on xbox live.

    God damn it!

  • invsblfrnd7

    Posted Jul 20, 2007 7:58 am PT

    I think it is extremely stupid it only comes with a 20 GB hard drive. Why isnt this just a halo 3 themed 360 elite?

  • mcbride69

    Posted Jul 19, 2007 3:35 pm PT

    Wots with the red spot, they could of just made it green as well!!!!
    Rest looks sweet though

  • b-bigg

    Posted Jul 19, 2007 11:36 am PT

    No idea on How mush $ it will be?

  • glinz

    Posted Jul 19, 2007 6:19 am PT

    Alrigh I won't lie, at first I thought the Halo themed 360 was a little ugly but now I am starting to think differently about it because frankly I have a M$refurbished 360 that at times can be a little slower than I would prefer it to be and also Intend to get a new plasma tv at the end of the year or early next year so I want a a 360 with a HDMI port that will not issues the likes of which my current one does, but I also do not want to pay $479 for an elite so this is actually looking like a reasonable solution to me now that I have time to think about it.

  • stfolife

    Posted Jul 18, 2007 7:24 pm PT

    wtf isnt this game getting i mean come on legendry edition??

  • MajorCain501

    Posted Jul 18, 2007 3:24 pm PT

    Cool

  • Agermemnon

    Posted Jul 18, 2007 9:50 am PT

    Reg jacob-gooditch killzone 2 may look better than halo 3 but its not how it look now is it ??? if your going to talk visual punch crysis levels all period , lets hope someone does a 360 style pad for the ps3 as its layout is so much better than the ps3 pad for first person shooters i think anyway

  • munsoned

    Posted Jul 17, 2007 11:41 pm PT

    they need to fix the inside of the 360s.and a price drop wouldnt hurt either

  • Slifer2909

    Posted Jul 17, 2007 11:18 pm PT

    ... I hate to say it... but that is one ugly 360... Sorry to all the halo fans.. but the colour is just Uhh

  • camilojia

    Posted Jul 17, 2007 5:45 pm PT

    im getting this one because my old xbox 360(core) its almost in the 3 lights of doom phase, the only thing i dont like of this xbox 360(halo 3 edition) its that look like the old halo edition they made 3 years ago =(, anyway I'll buy it but only if it has the same price than the premium console because if it is priced like the elite console it will be too much money for a 20 gig xbox even if its a halo 3 edition =S

  • TTDog

    Posted Jul 17, 2007 6:17 am PT

    Isn't there some unwritten rule that all "special editions" consoles have to be pig ugly?

    Just thinking back to the pink PS2 and the hideous Pikachu themed N64.

    The best that could be said of Killzone 2 is that it might not suck as bad as Killzone, and when the bloke wandered on stage with a controller to try and make out he'd just been playing it was theatre at its best.

  • jacob-goodlich

    Posted Jul 17, 2007 5:55 am PT

    you guys should look up killzone 2, seriously it looks heaps better than halo 3.

  • weraban

    Posted Jul 16, 2007 9:46 pm PT

    I like it. Looks a bit too much like a turtle though...

  • ciotog

    Posted Jul 16, 2007 7:21 pm PT

    "cough" cash grab "cough"

  • XAF1

    Posted Jul 16, 2007 4:43 pm PT

    I agree that the color palette was a bad choice. They should have Master Chief painted on each side and the console should have shades of blue, green and black in just the right areas. Also their should be a Halo 3 faceplate. The color is just too dull for such a powerful game. It needs more. The Halo 3 special edition Zume out shines this thing.

  • Agermemnon

    Posted Jul 16, 2007 9:47 am PT

    Hmm maybe a little more wear and tear and dirt on it would look better but only 20gig hdd wtf ??? oh well it's sure to sell out anyway i bet

  • RipVanWinkle_

    Posted Jul 16, 2007 9:43 am PT

    MrFrieze said:
    "God it's so ugly! Halo died with the first one, it would have been better to end the story there at least every one would have remembered halo as a good game. I don't not like the multi player beta, the graphics are not all that great and the new stuff the added just did not do it for me, I think they should go back and redo one in 1080 and I'll be fine playing that."

    1: yur an idiot.
    2: yes, i agree it's fugly.
    3: halo did not die with the first one, the franchise is still one of the best you can invest in.
    4: Everyone still knows halo is a great game.
    5: no one cares if you don't like the beta, but halo 3's graphics will be much better than the beta, just like bungie has repeatedly stated.
    6: yur n idiot.
    7: the new features in halo 3 are great and you should just admit that instead of spouting lies.
    8: It's too early for a remake of halo 1 if it will ever happen.
    9: yur an idiot.
    10: halo was meant to be a series from the start, as the ending of halo 1 hints. they'd be idiots not to make a sequal to such a great game.
    11: yur an idiot and i really hate idiots.

  • lctpp2

    Posted Jul 16, 2007 3:30 am PT

    yeah got an elite too...and yes it looks pretty sweet.plus the 120 GB hard drive shows a lot of love...

  • darthzew

    Posted Jul 15, 2007 12:06 pm PT

    I love you Microsoft, but that thing sucks. I like the new colors for the controllers, but the Halo 360 is really, really ugly. Maybe they should have just made a faceplate........ Oh well, good news is: you don't HAVE to buy it.

  • megamega777

    Posted Jul 15, 2007 10:39 am PT

    Reason why Master Chief looks cool is by the fact that it has layers of armour that make lines that look cool! MS just paint green and said "It's a Halo console and it has HDMI!!!"

  • Eminemster10704

    Posted Jul 14, 2007 6:36 pm PT

    I personally own an elite.. and I love it. its look soo much better then the white one

  • regg949

    Posted Jul 14, 2007 2:13 pm PT

    oh and the reaction when he pulled it out?? sounded like a bob saget comedy show....silence...if you listen closely, you hear someone puke....go back and watch it, seriously

  • regg949

    Posted Jul 14, 2007 2:12 pm PT

    ya, ill stick with my white one, this thing looks blah, why make a console thats lamer than your elite, and not even use your own color scheme for your logo but for a game? ya a god of war3 console with ash white skin and red strips would not be a great idea.....haaha or a mario and luigi colored wii....how lame would that be, ill keep my premium,thank you very much, how horrid

  • Bulldog19892

    Posted Jul 14, 2007 11:49 am PT

    That thing looks like crap. There's no way I would put that in my living room.

  • hutapamo

    Posted Jul 14, 2007 6:05 am PT

    Yeah awesome!!!

  • mrfrieze posted Jul 13, 2007 1:42 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    mrfrieze

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 1:42 pm PT (hide)

    God it's so ugly! Halo died with the first one, it would have been better to end the story there at least every one would have remembered halo as a good game. I don't not like the multi player beta, the graphics are not all that great and the new stuff the added just did not do it for me, I think they should go back and redo one in 1080 and I'll be fine playing that.

  • majin_vegeta300

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 1:28 pm PT

    Pretty cool, already have a premium though *shrug* oh BTW, there's nothing wrong with making money folks

  • halofanatic333

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 12:31 pm PT

    wats the 360 price?

  • thomasonfa

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 11:42 am PT

    Did anyone else kind of laugh at the response to the new xbox when it was unveiled?

  • Duggla

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 10:57 am PT

    I'd buy it if they sold more halo 3 controllers like this one cause it would look weird with like 1 green controller, a dark blue one, a black one and then a white one.... like WTF!... other that that it looks pretty sick..... and same with the HDD it it were 120gb.... but maybe i'll pick one up or just get an Xbox 360 Elite.

  • jorranvv

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 1:54 am PT

    i haven't a xbox 360 so i`ll buy this one

  • fierro316

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 6:41 pm PT

    Diarrhea colored Xbox FTW...

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 6:35 pm PT

    i want it. i'm halo fanboy indeed!!! ah well. a 4th can at least help me setup better lan parties.

  • xtermin8er93

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 6:34 pm PT

    I got the halo themed xbox and i got the elite 360

  • JSharpe_187

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 2:07 pm PT

    Sucks it doesn't have 120 GB harddrive, but at least it has HDMI. Only problem with buying the 120 GB HDD seperatelyis different color than the included HDD

  • rok_diablo

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 1:26 pm PT

    Only for die hard fans and for those few that still don't have this precious console.

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