INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

‘Battlefield 1’ Gets Xbox One S Bundles In Three Styles, Microsoft Hits Advantages

By Scott Grill
Published on: 02:46 PST, Sep 12, 2016

The release of Battlefield 1 is Microsoft’s big third-party AAA marketing partnership for the holiday 2016 shopping season. The company announced three Xbox One S bundles Monday featuring the World War I first-person shooter and released a trailer that presses the updates console’s advantages over its PlayStation competition following the announcement of the PS4 Pro last week.

Two Xbox One S 500 GB featuring Battlefield 1 will be released in October. One comes in the standard white edition for the console and will be released in Europe on October 13 while the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand will have to wait until October 21. Meanwhile, a “storm gray” version of the bundle will be released in the United States exclusively at Microsoft Stores and Walmart for $299.99. Both bundles come with a download code for Battlefield 1 Standard Edition along with a one-month subscription to EA Access.

[Image via Xbox]

The Xbox One S Battlefield 1 Special Edition Bundle is the heavy hitter of the group. The $349 console packs a 1TB version of the console painted military green with a matching controller and stand to set it vertical. It also comes with the Battlefield 1 Early Enlister Deluxe Edition, which comes with early access to the game plus the Hellfighter Pack, Red Baron Pack, Lawrence of Arabia Pack, a new visual appearance of the Behemoths, five Battlepacks and one month of EA Access. Again, this bundle hit Europe on October 13 and the remaining regions on October 18, the same day the early enlister gates open to play.

The bundle announcement also shows how Microsoft will aggressively market the Xbox One S this holiday against the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro unveiled last week. The trailer hits early how the Xbox One S is the only console capable of playing 4K UHD Blu-ray and it’s also prominently mentioned on Xbox Wire along with the Xbox 360 backwards compatibility.

The trailer also features another weapon for Microsoft in the console war that hit Xbox Wire last week. Xbox LIVE was rated as the most and most reliable gaming network by an independent IHS Markit study, ahead of the PlayStation Network.

With Sony pressing the power advantage of the PlayStation Pro this holiday, expect Microsoft to hit highlight the feature and service advantages of the Xbox One and Xbox LIVE. This is especially true now that the price of PlayStation Plus has been raised to the same $60 yearly price as its competing network.

Microsoft was not shy at all last week to highlight these advantages plus support for Fallout 4 mods. The console maker shared the following Twitter post immediately after the PlayStation Meeting revealed the PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim.

Xbox LIVE Director of Programming Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb poked at PlayStation with a reminder that Xbox One supports Fallout 4 mods.

He then ran with a Fallout 4 giveaway immediately after the news hit the PlayStation 4 would not support mods for the game. The console wars cooled down for a while following Microsoft’s many stumbles announcing the Xbox One. They appear to be more confident in the position now, however, with the Xbox One S and Xbox Scorpio on the horizon next year.

Battlefield 1 is set for an October 18 release for those that pre-order the $80 Early Enlister Deluxe Edition for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Those that decide on the Battlefield 1 Standard Edition for $60 will receive the game on Friday, October 21.

Do any of the three Xbox One S bundles for Battlefield 1 catch your fancy? What do you think about Microsoft being more aggressive with its marketing of the console? Sound off in comments below.

[Image via Xbox]

[Edit: Fixed headline]

Share this article: ‘Battlefield 1’ Gets Xbox One S Bundles In Three Styles, Microsoft Hits Advantages
Xbox one
More from Inquisitr