Microsoft Confirms Free Games for Xbox 360 "Holiday" Consoles

Microsoft to include Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance with the Xbox 360 Premium, Elite

Microsoft today confirmed what has been rumored on the Internet for a few weeks with regards to its Xbox 360 console. The Redmond giant will include Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance with its Xbox 360 Premium and Xbox 360 Elite consoles.

News of the two bundled games first leaked to the web via Best Buy's online website -- the store later took the product pages down (likely after being contacted by Microsoft).

Bundled games are nothing new and retailers often bundle free games with new consoles during special promotions. When the Xbox 360 price cuts went into effect over the summer, Circuit City offered Rockstar Table Tennis for free with the Xbox 360 Premium.

This move, however, marks the first time that Microsoft itself has officially included two high profile games with its console.

The holiday season should prove to be quite fulfilling for potential Xbox 360 customers. Microsoft has already rolled out HDMI ports on the current crop of Xbox 360 Premium, Xbox 360 Elite and Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition consoles.

In addition, cooler-running 65 nanometer Falcon CPUs are starting to show up in Halo 3 Special Edition consoles and will likely rollover to the rest of the Xbox 360 range shortly.