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MS unveils new 360 Arcade SKU

GBP 199 on Friday.

After months of dilly-dallying Microsoft has whisked the wraps off its new hard-disk-deprived Arcade Xbox 360 bundle, which will go on sale this Friday for GBP 199.99 (EUR 289).

This family friendly package will come with a wireless pad, HDMI port, a 256MB memory card and five Live Arcade games: Pac-Man Championship Edition, UNO, Luxor 2, Boom Boom Rocket and Feeding Frenzy.

It reinforces the importance of expanding to people outside of a hardcore gaming audience, as titles like Viva Piñata: Party Animals and Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action approach release.

"As European families gather together this Christmas, it's the perfect time to launch a family orientated Xbox 360 package that plays games, video and music for everyone to enjoy," said Microsoft big cheese Stephen McGill.

"In addition to offering an incredible all-in-one package for families to get right into the fun, the Xbox 360 Arcade system features the industry leading family settings that allow parents to control what their kids are watching and playing, and we know how important that control is to families around the world."

The first rumblings that Microsoft had a new Christmas unit up its sleeve appeared back in August, after keen-eyed Internet hounds found posters featuring the new bundle.

Microsoft also recently announced a new Christmas deal for its HD-DVD add-on, which will now be sold along with five free films for around GBP 115.