Xbox (console) special limited editions

The Microsoft Xbox was released in many editions other than its famous green and black color. This article covers special editions produced by Microsoft as well as other notable rare Xbox consoles customized by other companies for promotions.

Xbox Launch Team and Partner Editions

2001 Launch Team Edition
Retail Price: Not For Sale
Units produced: ~1000 ^[1]

The Xbox Launch Team 2001 Special Edition is a translucent green Xbox with a jewel that is silk screened with the message "Great work!" and a copy of a printed signature from Bill Gates. The words "Special Edition" are printed on the front right of the console. This Xbox was sold, not given, to members of the Xbox launch team including Hardware, ATG, Dev, First Party Games and Games Studios, Marketing, and others. Two exclusive translucent green "Duke" controllers were included. Along with the console, employees had the option to purchase 6 game titles marked "not for resale" at a reduced rate from the Microsoft campus store. The Launch Team 2001 consoles were hardware revision 1.0 and all were produced in a Mexico production facility on November 7, 2001, or November 8, 2001. Since these systems were offered for sale to qualifying employees instead of being given away, not all were sold.

Partner Edition
Retail Price: Not For Sale
Units produced: ~60 ^[2]

The Partner Edition is a translucent green Xbox with a jewel that is silk screened with the message "Thanks for Partnering with Xbox" and signature from Bill Gates. Unlike the Launch Team consoles, these did not have the "Special Edition" label on the front right of the console. This Xbox was given to hardware companies that produced components for the Xbox such as Nvidia and Intel. A translucent green Controller S was included with this model. These are considered to be rarer than the Launch Team console because of their distribution to companies rather than individual people makes them harder to come across in the world.

Skeleton Black

Units Available: 50,000 planned - 10,000 sold
Retail Price: ¥35,800 JPY

In 2001, a Clear Black Limited Edition Xbox (also commonly referred to as the "smoke" edition) was released in Japan to commemorate the Xbox's Japanese release. Included with the Clear Black console was a matching Clear Black Controller S, an Xbox Component AV pack, and a key chain that had Bill Gates' signature and the console's serial number engraved in it.

Panzer Dragoon Orta

Units Available: 999^[3]
Retail Price: ¥35,800 JPY

On December 19, 2002, a Panzer Dragoon Orta Special Edition Xbox was released in Japan to commemorate the release of Panzer Dragoon Orta on the Xbox. The console's special features included a white case with the Panzer Dragoon Orta logo on the top in the lower left-hand corner, as well as some artwork from Orta surrounding the Xbox jewel. The unit was only available to those who preordered on Nov 1, 2002, through Sega Direct. Included with the Special Edition console was a matching white Controller S, an Xbox Component A/V cable, an Xbox Component AV pack, a copy of Panzer Dragoon Orta with its soundtrack CD, and a dragon head necklace. When the console was first planned, 3,000 units were set to be produced, but during production, the process of applying the silk screen design of the black lines seen on the top of the console proved to be a very difficult task.^[4]

Translucent Green

Units Available: 20,000 Manufactured - 5,000 sold (Europe)
Retail Price: €229/£149

On May 2, 2003 a Translucent Green Limited Edition Xbox(rare) was released in Europe to celebrate Xbox's one-year European birthday. The console came with two matching Controller S and retailed for €229/£149. It had a limited manufacture of 20,000 units but only sold 5,000 units(in Europe). The styling of the Translucent Green Xbox is identical to Debug Units used in game development; of course, the retail versions lacked the words "Debug Kit" on the front of the case. The green Controller S was also sold separately. The Translucent Green Limited Edition Xbox was also released in Canada and came with one matching Controller S and two games, Crimson Skies and Project Gotham Racing 2.

Debug Kit (Translucent Green)

Units Available: Unknown
Retail Price: Not for resale

Xbox Debug Kits were never available through the retail market, however they have popped up enough on the second-hand scene to be worth mentioning in this article. These Xbox consoles are translucent green and have the words "Debug Kit" on the front of the case, just to the right of controller port 4. Unlike retail consoles (which only contained 64MB of RAM), Xbox Debug Kit consoles had 128MB of RAM. The Debug Kits could not run retail game discs. One could often find pre-release or cancelled versions of game software on these Xbox Debug Kits.

Halo (Translucent Green, US)

Units Available: 200,000^[5]
Retail Price: $200 USD

On April 2, 2004, Microsoft issued a press release announcing the upcoming retail availability of the Halo Limited Edition Xbox combo.^[5] The Xbox console and its included S Controller were translucent green with "Halo" written on the front of the console, at the right hand side, near controller port 4. This unit appears very similar to the Translucent Green "Debug Kit" Xbox consoles, only replacing the words "Debug Kit" with the "Halo" logo.

Halo (Translucent Orange, US)

Units Available: 1-4

Retail Price: Not for resale

Found while visiting a garage sale (in Redmond, Washington) on July 27, 2014, a translucent orange Halo Special Edition original Xbox console was found and purchased. The console was originally a commemorative model exclusive to the development team of the console, however this specific system was supposedly sent through the Halo console assembly line to receive the "Halo" logo stamp by one of the original Xbox launch developers. Pictures comparing the console to a Halo Translucent Green version have been posted at the Assembler forums.^[6] This has been proven to be a legitimate system, and the thread at the Assembler forums show images of several of these orange Xbox case tops at the factory as production samples. As this is an actual Microsoft produced Xbox from a mold (instead of a painted case), this is likely to be the rarest Xbox console in existence. The orange consoles were exceedingly rare as-is, however, this one also received the "Halo" logo stamp as well, making it the only official translucent orange Halo Special Edition original Xbox console in existence. The person who purchased the Xbox allegedly also sold the system to a private collector for $15,000. A video can be seen on YouTube, on the channel "MetalJesusRocks", titled "Ultra Rare HALO XBOX DISCOVERED!" posted on April 24, 2015.^[7]

Halo 2

Units Available: Unknown
Retail Price: $249

On March 18, 2005, an Ice Blue Halo 2 Limited Edition Xbox was released in Canada and Asia. The console was translucent blue and retailed for approximately $249. Included with the Ice Blue console was a matching Controller S, a special Halo green headset and a copy of Halo 2. The difference between the Asian and Canadian Halo 2 versions can be seen in the Xbox's jewel. The Asian version has a black jewel, while the Canadian version has a silver jewel. Also was sold through Bell with a 24-month contract for high speed, the Bell bundle was sold October 31 to November 7, 2005 and came with the console, 2 games (Amped 2 and Top Spin) and 1 year of Xbox Live and a headset. It was also available before this date with a 24-month contract but you had to pay 149.99 for the console.

Crystal Limited Edition

Units available: Unknown

Retail Price: Unknown

The crystal edition Xbox first came out around March 2004 in Europe, celebrating the console's second anniversary in the region. The box bundle consist of the console and 2 matching crystal controllers. A few weeks later, up to Summer 2004, the bundle was also sold in Canada stores. Months later, variants of the crystal edition bundle were sold in stores bundled with certain games.^[8]

Kasumi-chan Blue

Units Available: 5000
Retail Price: ¥22'800

On March 25, 2004, a Kasumi-chan Blue Xbox console was released in Japan. The system was released simultaneously with Tecmo's fighting game, Dead or Alive Ultimate. The translucent blue case was based on the costume of Dead or Alives main character, Kasumi, and had "Dead or Alive Ultimate" written in white lettering in the lower left corner of the top of the case. Included with the translucent blue console was a matching Controller S, a DVD Playback Kit, an Xbox Live Starter Kit with a free one-year membership, a copy of Dead or Alive Ultimate, a copy of Digital Venus DVD, and a five-foot-long Kasumi body pillow.

Mountain Dew

Units Available: 5000
Retail Price: $99.99 + $8.75 shipping + 550 Mountain Dew points

The Mountain Dew Limited Edition Xbox was only available through a Mountain Dew sweepstakes requiring loyal Dew-drinking Xbox fans to amass 550 points in order to "buy" the Limited Edition Xbox. The sweepstakes spanned 5 months – from April to August 2004. Production was limited to 5000 units. Within 1 day all systems were reserved. The Mountain Dew Limited Edition Xbox is neon-green colored and has a special jewel atop the Xbox that has the words "Limited Edition" and the Mountain Dew logo under the Xbox name. Included with the neon green console is one of two games: Project Gotham Racing 2 or Amped 2. Only 30 points could be registered per day for the contest.

Mountain Dew Points were awarded as follows: 20 oz. 1 pt, 1-liter 1 pt, 2-liter 1 pt, 12-pack 3 pts, 24-pack 6 pts, 32/44 oz. Fountain Cups 1 pt

Hulk/Pepsi

Units Available: 35
Retail Price: Not For Sale

Identical in color to the Mountain Dew Edition, the Hulk Xbox was a special promotional Xbox made to commemorate the release of the Universal Pictures movie "Hulk" in 2003 for the UK release. The console featured a jewel on top with a promotional image of the Incredible Hulk's Eye and the Pepsi Logo. These Special editions were only available by having a winning scratch card when you purchased a Popcorn and Pepsi meal in participating UK UCI Multiplex cinemas. No other information about the packaging is known. Packaging is the same as the original black Xbox but has an additional sticker on the rear of the box stating hulk edition. Comes with a standard black controller.

Atari Edition

Units Available: 1
Retail Price: Not For Sale

The Atari Edition Xbox was given away at the Leipzig Game Convention in 2004, It is one of a kind and is orange in color. Attendees needed to collect all 5 pins that Atari gave away, which spelled ATARI.^[9] If the attendee was able to find all 5 pins, they could be entered into the contest, with the winner receiving the one-of-a-kind orange Atari Edition Xbox, an Atari T-shirt, headband, wristband, Atari bracelet, and the original 5 pins. ^[10] It is worth noting that the Atari Xbox began as a standard black Xbox which was later airbrushed by Atari.

Tony Hawk's Underground 2

Units Available: 10
Retail Price: Not For Sale

The Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Special Edition Xbox was issued in October 2004 in conjunction with Activision and online skater magazine caughtinthecrossfire in the United Kingdom. This special edition console was only available as a winner's prize at skateboarding and gameplay competitions to commemorate and promote the release of Tony Hawk's Underground 2 on the Xbox. The artwork was airbrush painted by hand in an urban graffiti style with translucent matte lacquer finish. The artwork covered the top of the case and followed the X shape downwards on the corners of the Xbox. A very limited production run of 10 graffiti style units was commissioned and was issued "Not For Resale". Included with the THUG2 Special Edition console was a matching Crystal Controller S and a Tony Hawk autographed copy of Tony Hawk's Underground 2.

Hello Kitty Crystal

Units Available: 550
Retail Price: S$99 SGD with a $5000 Samsung TV purchase from one specific retailer in Singapore.

The Hello Kitty Crystal Xbox was released with Sanrio in Singapore, to commemorate the release of Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue on the Xbox. The special edition console was translucent with a pink and orange Hello Kitty picture covering the X on top of the case. Included with the Hello Kitty Crystal console was a matching Crystal Controller S and a copy of Hello Kitty Mission Rescue.

Dead or Alive

Units Available: 20
Retail Price: Unknown

The Dead or Alive Xbox was only sold in Germany with a picture of the game with airbrush effect.

Pure White

Units Available: 1,000
Retail Price: Unknown

The Pure White Xbox was only sold in Japan with the option to engrave up to 20 letters.

50 Cent Pure White Edition

Units Available: 1
Retail Price: Not For Sale

The 50 Cent Pure White Edition Xbox was given away in a promotion by Australian television channel Channel V. It was signed by 50 Cent and is aesthetically similar to the Pure White edition but has "50 Cent Bulletproof" printed in gold to celebrate the release of the video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof. It was given away along with a copy of the game, 50 Cent CDs and a 50 Cent poster.^[11]

World Racing

Units Available: 6
Retail Price: Not For Sale

The World Racing Xbox was only given away in Germany in a contest.

References