360 bundled with Pure, Lego Batman for holidays?

What we heard: Many game-industry rumor-mongers are inconsistent. Not Ars Technica's retail mole. The well-placed source has presaged virtually every console price drop this year, from Sony unveiling the $300 PS3 Slim to Microsoft lopping $100 off the Xbox 360 Elite's former $400 cost.

Today, the mole struck again, telling Ars Technica that Microsoft is planning to introduce a new holiday bundle shortly after its current $50 Xbox 360 Elite rebate ends on October 5. He or she told the site that the new bundle will include two games: Warner Bros. and Traveller's Tales superhero adventure Lego Batman and Pure, a better-reviewed racer from Disney Interactive Studios' Black Rock Studio, formerly Climax Racing.

The official story: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation." Microsoft rep.

Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus. Besides the reliable track record of Ars' mole, Microsoft has a habit of bundling games with its console each holiday season. Last year, the company added Sega Superstars Tennis to $199 Arcade boxes while packing in Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda in with the Elite and now-discontinued 60GB Pro models.