Surprise?

　　One week after it didn't comment on rumor and speculation about an Xbox 360 Elite Holiday bundle, Microsoft has officially announced one. As predicted, the $300 package will include the console setup and Warner Bros.' superhero adventure Lego Batman and Pure from Disney Interactive Studios' Black Rock Studio, formerly Climax Racing.

　　The bundle announcement comes one week before the current incentive to buy the Xbox 360 Elite ends. Through Monday, October 5, the company is offering a $50 rebate on the wired, DVD-media-based 120GB console, a month after it dropped its price from $400 to $300. The rebate came a month after Sony introduced the wireless, Blu-ray-playing 120GB PlayStation 3 Slim at $300, and--for a brief time--matched the now-$199 Wii's then-$250 price point.

　　OK, surprise.

　　In addition to the Elite holiday bundle, Microsoft also revealed a new retail configuration for the stand-alone Xbox 360 controller. The $60 package will include a black controller with three Xbox Live Arcade games--Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Lumines LIVE!, Bomberman LIVE!--and a token for Ms. Pac-Man. By itself, the Xbox 360 controller costs $50 and comes in black, white, and several other colors, including a black-and-red GameStop-exclusive controller, due out October 15.