Xbox One Elite Bundle has a faster hard drive and a fancy controller for $499

Remember back when Xbox One cost $499, it came with a Kinect, and that was final? Microsoft's announced another $499 bundle, but its 1TB hybrid drive and Elite Controller should have a bit more hardcore appeal than the ol' voice-and-motion sensor.

First off, the Elite Bundle's 1TB hard drive isn't to be confused with the 1TB hard drive featured in that $100-cheaper Xbox One bundle, though both systems do have the same matte black finish. This one is a hybrid drive, meaning it stores frequently accessed files in a solid-state partition; Microsoft says it can make going from energy saving mode to playing your game up to 20 percent faster.

The Elite Bundle also includes that pricey Elite Controller, with all of its eSports-friendly interchangeable back paddles, rubberized grips, and that futuristic disco ball D-pad. It doesn't come with a game (unlike the 1TB Halo 5: Guardians bundle), though the controller retails for $150 by itself and hybrid drives are appreciably more expensive than standard hard drives, so it's still a pretty good deal.

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I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar.