Microsoft announced the new $499 Xbox One Elite Bundle on Monday, armed with top-tier specs for the competitive gaming inclined.
The main feature that sets the hardware apart is a 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive, which saves key files on a solid state partition for quicker access. Microsoft boasts it has the only game console with a built-in SSHD, which lets the system boot up about 20 percent faster from energy-saving mode.
The bundle also comes with the recently announced Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. That device hasn’t been released yet but will cost $149.99 by itself. It offers “pro-level precision” and customizable features like swappable joysticks, programable buttons and thumbstick sensitivity options.
The elite bundle is clearly targeted at more competitive players, a demographic Microsoft has recently been catering to with a new focus on the booming e-sports industry. The company even announced in August it will hold its own e-sports competition later this year, as players will compete for a $1 million prize in the “Halo World Championship” this winter.
Microsoft began offering machines with traditional 1TB harddrives in June. Those bundles come with a game and standard controller cost $399. So for $100 more, the elite bundle takes away the free game but adds the SSHD with faster boot times and the improved controller.
The bundle will be available worldwide in November. In the U.S., it will go on sale exclusively at GameStop and Microsoft Stores on Nov. 3.
The company also used the announcement as a chance to unveil the new “Xbox One Special Edition Lunar White Wireless Controller.” It’s a traditional controller, but it comes in a new white and gold color scheme and has an “improved grip texture.”
It will go on sale in September and will only be available at GameStop for $64.99.