$99 Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle with Two-Year Subscription May 15, 2012

The $99 Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle is available now at Microsoft stores nationwide. The included Xbox is a 4GB model with Kinect motion sensor included.

In order to keep the initial pricing low, Microsoft will require a two-year contract at $15 a month for 2 years. The two-year membership also includes Xbox Live Gold membership which allows you access to additional online content, capabilities and online gaming.

The included Xbox Live Gold Membership allows you to:

  • Rent or buy HD movies
  • Online multiplayer with your games
  • Watch HD movies from Netflix, HBO Go
  • Watch live sports and highlights from ESPN
  • Live radio with iHeartRadio
  • Video or avatar chat with Kinect

When you purchase this package, be aware that it is not an overall savings but more of a subsidy plan, similar to the pricing structure of cell phones and their contracts. If you were to purchase the same Xbox 360 4gb with a Kinect and two-year’s worth of an Xbox Live Gold membership it would be about $375 while this bundle and contract deal ends up costing about $458.

It’s apparent that Microsoft wants to position the Xbox as a full-service entertainment center (games plus online content). Click here to watch our video and hear our thoughts on Microsoft’s main motivations in getting into the home media game with its main competitors being the Apple TV, Roku box, Google TV and Sony’s PS3.

About Angela Jude

A fascination with the Internet at a young age has lead to a full-blown obsession with all thing’s technical, gadget-like and social media related. Angela has been designing, building and maintaining websites for over ten years. She currently manages business development at E-Geniuses HQ.