The Diablo 4 Xbox Series X bundle should have been so much cooler

Microsoft recently announced a Xbox Series X bundle. WegIt looks more attractive than it is. It’s bundling the high-end console with Blizzard’s Diablo 4, and the bundle will ship on June 6 (the game’s launch day) for $559.99. You can pre-order the bundle now from Microsoft Store.

The most appealing part of this package is that it’s $10 cheaper than buying the console and game separately. But that’s pretty much it. The incentive to purchase this bundle, aside from the in-game cosmetics and other benefits, is very low. One would assume that Microsoft might try a little harder to impress people with, say, a custom-designed Xbox a la Nintendo’s new Tears for the KingdomSwitch OLED in a Design Inspiration

It should have been equipped with custom-made sound effects and red LEDs. Many design touches could translate to a limited edition game. Perhaps such a collaboration between Microsoft and the publisher might seem suspect to competitors during Microsoft’s pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but who am I to say?

Image: Microsoft, Activision Blizzard

Either way, this is a pretty lazy bundle, and it doesn’t make sense to pre-order and wait two months to receive a console that you can readily acquire through multiple retailers Right now. It’d sure be a lot of waiting to save $10.

It’s possible you might save even more than that by avoiding this bundle, as Verizon has knocked $50 off this console in the past, leaving you more spending money for the best Xbox Series X accessories. Who’s to say if that deal will happen again, but console discounts are becoming more of a thing these days. Through mid-April, Sony’s PS5 bundle with God of War RagnarökThe bundled game is now only $10 with a $50 discount at several stores. Personally, I’d bank on seeing even more temporary cost-cutting on hardware throughout 2023.