Holiday 2015 Xbox One Deal Saves Families A Small Fortune

Microsoft is lowering the price of its Xbox One entertainment console in spectacular fashion before the Holiday 2015 shopping season officially begins on November 1st. For a limited time, a single Xbox One deal gets shoppers more than $100 in savings on the video game console, music player and video streamer.

Microsoft announced the Xbox One deal late this afternoon in a post on its Xbox Wire news blog. The Xbox One debuted in 2013 to less than strong sales due to pricing. Originally, the console was $499 and included a Kinect sensor so that users could play motion games, change channels when watching TV and more. In 2014 Microsoft introduced a new $349.99 Xbox One bundle that didn’t include a Kinect sensor. This console bundle was priced at just $399.99.

This new Xbox One deal gives Holiday 2015 shoppers that same Xbox One from early 2013, but without the extra cost. Microsoft says that it’ll sell the Xbox One + Kinect bundles for just $399 for a limited time online. Buyers get an Xbox One with 500GB of hard drive space and the sensor itself. Already that’s $100 in immediate savings.

The savings doesn’t end there though. This Xbox One deal also comes with codes to unlock three family friendly games at no additional cost. These games are Zoo Tycoon, Dance Central Spotlight and Kinect Sports Rivals. Zoo Tycoon costs $19.99 in the Xbox Store right now. Dance Central Spotlight is $9.99. Kinect Sports Rivals is $29.99. That’s another $60 in savings on games, meaning parents don’t need to factor the cost of games into buying the console.

Every Xbox One console includes some standard equipment. There’s a power cable, a chat headset that connects into the Xbox One Wireless Controller, the Xbox One Wireless Controller itself and an HDMI cable that allows the Xbox One to be plugged into an HDMI equipped television set.

This Xbox One deal doesn’t stop with the console bundle itself. Microsoft is finally lowering the standalone price of the Xbox One. Anyone who doesn’t have a Kinect sensor can pick one up for $99. That’s $50 less than what the sensor cost just hours ago. The sensor comes with a digital code to unlock Dance Central Spotlight too.

All told, this is some pretty customer-friendly savings. Amazon, Best Buy, and Target have lowered their prices effective immediately. The Microsoft Store has lowered its price on the Xbox One + Kinect bundle too. Microsoft expects other retailers to lower their prices soon. Presumably, that includes GameStop, the largest dedicated video game retailer there is.

Oddly, Microsoft doesn’t say when Holiday 2015 shoppers should expect this sale to end, even though it’s describing it as a “limited-time promotional offering.” The post does reveal that only shoppers in the United States, Canada and Mexico can take advantage of the savings.

Because this the older Xbox One bundle, shoppers who take advantage of this Xbox One deal don’t get the Xbox One Wireless Controller that has a built-in headset jack. That’s not a big loss as every headset built specifically for the Xbox One comes with the adapter in the box. Microsoft sells a separate headset adapter on its own too.

Read: Which Holiday Xbox One Bundle Should You Buy?

Presumably, we should start seeing more of these deep discounts on video game consoles and games themselves as we get closer to the winter holidays. Sony, Microsoft’s main competitor in the living room video game console space has already prepared for Holiday 2015. The company recently announced price cuts for all of its PS4 console bundles. The PS4 cost shoppers $399 at launch. Today, the cheapest PS4 bundle is $349 – the same cost as an Xbox One.

Shoppers looking to save on the Xbox One should also look into purchasing a used console from GameStop. The retailer recently lowered the price of previously owned Xbox One consoles to $299.