I wanted to create a guide to help those interested in purchasing an Xbox One, since there are so many bundles, and offers change constantly. I'll attempt to keep this up to date as the bundles change. This is NOT a comparison to Playstation 4 or Wii U.



A short list of features that may interest you, shared by all Xbox Ones (more details can be found in product descriptions and Microsoft sites) -



HDMI pass through. You can hook up an HDMI device to the back of an Xbox One to view the content from that device without changing inputs or leaving the X1 interface. This allows for split screen viewing and if a cable box or the official TV tuner, you can view the channel guide, watch TV, and set recordings.



It is backwards compatible with some Xbox 360 games. This is great for those with backlogs (like me...) or those who want to revisit finished games without having another console plugged into the wall/TV. In the fall, owners of publisher approved disc or digital 360 games will be able to play them emulated on the X1. Some X1 games also include their 360 precursors with purchase for play on the X1 in case you missed them. Rainbow Six Siege includes both R6 Vegas Xbox 360 games, for example. List of games and other info here -[...]



It will stream content to Windows 10 devices.



Xbox Live Gold now applies to households instead of individuals; meaning that multiple accounts on the same console can have access to the same features but have differing account restrictions (I.E. parental controls). So you can let your kids play Garden Warfare online, but not Gears of War.



External USB 3.0 storage. This is great because, 1) you don't need to open the console and replace a hard disc to add storage, just plug in and the X1 will format the drive, 2) even disc-based games have compulsory installs and can be upwards of 50GB each, eating storage space quickly, 3) external drives can be spacious and cheap, and last but not least, 4) USB 3.0 is actually faster than the internal hard disc interface. This means that a game on an external drive will load faster than one on the internal drive, usually by a significant amount.



The bundles-



The current bundles include a newer controller that has a standard 3.5mm audio jack built in and output both game and chat audio through it. Legacy consoles shouldn’t be expected to be widely available at the suggested price (and some I haven’t included, due to their rarity at this point). You may have better luck at other outlets finding the legacy consoles (Microsoft Store, Dell, various brick-and-mortar stores). There are no functional differences. All bundles include a controller, HDMI cable, chat headset (with exceptions), and a 14 day Xbox Live Gold trial membership (paid $60/year service to play online and download the Games with Gold, a monthly rotation of full games you're free to download and keep (forever for 360 games and as long as you have Live Gold in active subscription for X1 games).



Current bundles (with rating based on what you get for the money. Star and letter ratings are intended for the suggested price listed next to the bundle, not whatever current prices are.) -



Spring Note - It's hard to recommend anything other than the Kinect bundle (if you want the camera peripheral), the Eilte (for the controller and faster HDD, if that's most important to you) or the Spring bundle (sold at Gamestop or Microsoft Store) which includes a 1TB console, Halo 5, Ori and the Blind Forest, Rare Replay, and Gears of War Ultimate downloads. Until the end of the month, the retail price of all bundles is $50 off. If you want to know more about all the rest, see the descriptions below.



Rainbow Six Siege 1TB bundle. $399. Includes console, new controller, disc version of the title game and downloads of the Rainbow Six Vegas Xbox 360 games, with a chat headset. A new class-based multiplayer shooter with the excellent tactical precursor campaigns. A good bundle. A- rating.



The Division Bundle 1TB bundle. $399. Includes console, new controller, download of the title game. No headset, no legacy games. B- rating.



Quantum Break 500GB White bundle. $349. Includes console, new controller, and downloads of Quantum Break and both Alan Wake 360 games. No headset. B+ rating.



Name your Game 500GB bundle. $349. Includes the console, new controller, a download of one of Forza 6, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Gears of War Ultimate, or Rare Replay, and no chat headset. The choice of games is nice and the selections are high-quality, but 500GB will fill very quickly at this point, and without a headset or bonus games, this is one of the lesser value bundles. B- rating.



Xbox One Elite 1TB bundle. $499. Includes a console with a 1TB hybrid SSD and hard disc for quicker load times for the items you access the most and the Elite controller, which has replaceable/customizable sticks, buttons, and triggers for the professionals or tinkerers, and DOES include a chat headset with a matching black and silver color scheme. While the internal storage on this will be better than the standard HDDs in other X1s, the performance increase PROBABLY won't match external USB3.0 drives, due to the continued use of the SATA interface. There's little information about the size of the SSD partition and many hybrid drives don't allow you to choose what content is on which partition. The elite controller has been released to wide acclaim (modifiable professional controllers can easily go for twice as much), but is scarce on its own at present. If you want the best/most storage and best controller out of the box, this is the bundle for you, but you won't get any games with it. B+ rating. Please note that the bundle with two controllers does not include a second Elite controller, but a regular wireless one.



Kinect 500GB Bundle - $399. Includes 500GB console, the Kinect camera, a chat headset, controller, and three Kinect-focused game downloads: Dance Central Spotlight, Kinect Sports Rivals and Zoo Tycoon. Finally another Kinect bundle! The X1 UI is made better and more easily navigable with the Kinect, and there are fun, energetic games to be played with it. A rating. Great for those who want to move and enjoy motion and voice controls, but it has little storage. Bundle with FIFA on separate page is even better for the same price.



Holiday 1TB Bundle - $399. Includes 1TB console, Gears of War Ultimate Edition disc, Rare Replay disc, and Ori and the Blind Forest game download, the new controller, and doesn't appear to include a headset. A rating. Something(s) for everyone in this bundle, with 36 games included. Now replaced by the even better Spring bundle (see above).



Halo 5 Limited Edition 1TB bundle. $499. Includes custom console with Halo sounds, and custom controller, with the Halo 5 Limited Edition (steelcase, guardian figure, game download and add-on content). Why a limited edition would come without a physical game is beyond me... It may not bother some, but it will upset many. This is a higher premium than the Forza 6 bundle (charging an extra $100 for an extra $40 package). For Halo aficionados/console collectors only. C rating.



Gears of War 500GB bundle (also in white). $349. Includes Gears of War Ultimate Edition download. This 500GB model includes the new controller, but does not include a headset. B- rating. This is the most discounted bundle in sales and has many other offers with it, if you can catch them.



Legacy bundles-



Fallout 4 1TB bundle - $399. Includes 1TB console, Fallout 4 game confirmed to be a disc (!), a download of the Xbox 360 version of Fallout 3, and a chat headset. B+ rating. Two open-world RPGs for grownups.



Rise of the Tomb Raider 1TB bundle - $399. Includes 1TB console, downloads of Rise of the Tomb Raider, DLC, and its predecessor, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, and doesn't appear to include a headset. B+ rating. The Tomb Raider reboot from 2013 was pretty good and I expect the sequel is even better, but I haven't tried it yet. Great for adults who love action adventure.



Lego Movie 500GB bundle - $349. Includes 500GB console and the Lego Movie Videogame and no headset, apparently. C+ rating. Game is a cheap one and good for kids, but little value in this bundle compared to others.



FIFA and Madden 16 1TB bundles. $399. I'm grouping these together because other than the type of football you prefer, they are the same. Both include either the latest Madden NFL or FIFA soccer game download and a year of EA access, a paid ($30/yr) service which allows Xbox One users early access to EA releases, extended demos with progress that can be saved if a full game is purchased, discounts on EA games, and free access to the Vault, currently 14 full games. Great if you like EA's games. A- for each.



Forza 6 1TB Bundle. $399. Custom Forza-inspired console with racing sounds and custom (new, with 3.5mm audio jack) controller, and download code for Forza 6 and extra content, and a chat headset. A- rating, though some may not like the custom design and sounds.



Hope you found this useful.