Microsoft just finished its week of announcing a new Xbox One bundle each day, and it looks like it has a strong arsenal to combat the PlayStation 4’s momentum this holiday.
We’re nearly a full 24 months into this newest console generation, and the competition between Sony and Microsoft has had the two companies almost eliminate standalone versions of their hardware (that’s boxes that don’t come with a game). In June, the last month we have such data, 82 percent of all new console sales were bundles. That’s up from June 2014, when that figure was only 35 percent, and it looks like that trend is going to continue as both companies aggressively pursue the approximately $30 billion console-gaming industry.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1814627,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,","session":"A"}']In June, the big bundle was the Batman: Arkham Knight PlayStation 4. That’s still on sale, and it will likely get a boost through the gift-giving holidays. But it’s just one of many ways that Sony and Microsoft are both trying to reach out to certain pockets of gamers and fans with a hardware package that looks like a great deal.
Here’s the full lineup of bundles that both companies are going into this holiday with:
Microsoft
$500
- 1TB Xbox One Elite Bundle (comes with the $150 Elite controller and a hybrid storage drive)
- 1TB Xbox One Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition Bundle
$400
- 1TB Xbox One Fallout 4 Bundle
- Xbox One with Kinect Bundle (with Zoo Tycoon, Dance Central: Spotlight, and Kinect Sports Rivals)
- 1TB Xbox One Holiday Bundle (with Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Rare Replay, and Ori and the Blind Forest)
- 1TB Xbox One Rise of the Tomb Raider Bundle
- 1TB Xbox One Forza Motorsport 6 Limited Edition Console
- 1TB Xbox One EA Sports FIFA 16 Bundle (also comes with EA Access)
$350
- 500GB Xbox One The Lego Movie Videogame Bundle
- 500GB Xbox One Special Edition Gears of War Bundle (comes with white Xbox One and early access to Gear of War 4 beta)
- 500GB Xbox One Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Bundle (not the special edition — comes with black Xbox One)
Sony
$450
- PlayStation 4 Limited Edition Batman: Arkham Knight 500GB Bundle
- PlayStation 4 Limited Edition Star Wars: Battlefront 500GB Bundle (comes with Darth Vader PS4)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Limited Edition PlayStation 4 1TB Bundle
$400
- PlayStation 4 Limited Edition Destiny: The Taken King 500GB Bundle
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Limited Edition PlayStation 4 1TB Bundle
- PlayStation 4 Star Wars: Battlefront 500GB Bundle
- PlayStation 4 The Last of Us Remastered 500GB Bundle
- PlayStation 4 Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection 500GB Bundle
- PlayStation 4 Batman: Arkham Knight 500GB Bundle
That’s a ton of bundles.
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Sony and Microsoft obviously want to give gamers a lot of choice — especially Microsoft. Microsoft spans a pricing model from $350 to $500. Gamers can get an Xbox One with a 1TB hard drive and a brand new game for just $400. To do the same with PS4, it’ll cost $450.
But anyone looking to upgrade to play Star Wars, Call of Duty, Destiny, Batman, or Uncharted, Sony might still have an advantage. It’s clear that this is the center of the sales battle moving ahead, but both companies will probably have a few more things to announce for Black Friday and as we get closer to the holidays to really help their systems sell.
It’s also worth pointing out that while Microsoft might have more bundles based on its exclusives, Sony’s strategy here is potentially more forward-thinking. If someone walks into a GameStop or Best Buy to pick up a new console, and they see games like Star Wars and Call of Duty plastered on the PlayStation bundle boxes, they might begin to associate those franchises with the PS4. Maybe that pushes the consumer over the edge in Sony’s favor when it comes time to make a decision.