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Halo charity auction loot

Signed by Gates and Allard.

Microsoft boss Bill Gates has his signature on a limited edition Halo 3 console, which is being sold for charity on eBay.

Bald-headed smooth talker J Allard has also added his mark to a 30GB limited edition Halo 3 Zune. The current bid for the items stands at USD 2,150. All of that will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County organisation, which helps youngsters who've had a hard time get a better shot at life.

Bundled on top of these in the auction are piles of other goodies: an HD-DVD player, Halo 3 Legendary and Standard Editions, Halo Triple Pack (Halo, Halo 2, Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack), two extra limited edition Halo 3 wireless controllers (with McFarlane collectable figurine), a Messenger Kit, HDMI cable, and extra 120GB hard drive.

You'll also get a rare accessory pack, which comes in an aluminium casing with a Live Vision Camera, Quick Charge Kit, Memory Unit, Wireless Controller, Wireless Headset, Universal media remote control and a Play & Charge Kit. Oh, and you'll get a Halo 3 T-Shirt, too.

The Limited Edition Halo 3 Zune also comes pre-loaded with loads of stuff. There's Halo and Halo 2 soundtracks, plus loads of videos for Halo 3 and more than 120 pieces of artwork for the game.

Even the Limited Edition Halo 3 console comes with lots of bits and pieces: special edition 20GB hard drive, wireless controller, headset and downloadable from Live, plus an HDMI port, HD AV Cable, Ethernet Cable, Play & Charge Kit and one month's free Live Gold membership.

So that's, er, quite a lot of stuff then.

Pop over to the auction to see what it all looks like and to read the various terms and conditions for bidding.