Microsoft unveils Star Wars themed Xbox 360

Let the trumpets sound and the nerds rejoice: The Xbox team and the folks who run the Star Wars franchise have come together to build something special.

Or, at least, that seems to be the general market reaction to the freshly announced Star Wars themed Xbox 360 console. The console itself is dolled up to resemble R2-D2, and the controller mimics the faithful dolt-of-a-robot C-3P0.

It was announced today at Comic-Con, a very fitting location.

Also shown off was a new ‘pod-racing mode’ for the Kinect that will feature greatly in future Star Wars related titles for the 360. The Star Wars Xbox 360 is being sold as a bundle, and will include as part of it a white Kinect, something that is new for the market.

And now, because I know what you really want, here is what the beast looks like (images via Gizmodo):

Sexy, yeah? This is what the bundle contains, via Major Nelson:

Kinect Star Wars game
Custom R2-D2-themed Xbox 360 Console with custom sounds (Hear them (MP3) – > Power on and Tray eject)
White Kinect Sensor
Custom C-3PO-themed Xbox 360 Wireless Controller
320 GB Hard Drive
Xbox 360 Wired Headset
Kinect Adventures game
Exclusive downloadable content

The whole mess will set you back $449.99. You can preorder the bundle here, but it won’t ship until this holiday season. You know you want one.