E3 ’07: Green 360s, pink pads and buzzers

The announcement of the European release date for the Elite wasn’t the only big hardware news to come out of the Microsoft press conference this morning, with a new Halo 3 Limited Edition console, coloured controllers and buzzer controllers announced, along with the pricing for the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit.
The biggest story of course is the Halo 3 Special Edition 360. The console - essentially a premium spec 360 with the console, headset and joypad finished off in authentic Spartan green and gold and bundled with a Charge & Play kit and Halo 3 dashboard theme and picture packs – will launch (presumably alongside the game) in September.
No pricing was announced, but assuming it remains the same as the regular Premium spec 360, Halo 3 fans looking to get this and the Legendary Edition of Halo 3 could be in for a very expensive September.

On a slightly more mundane note, Microsoft will also be relaunching its 360 wireless controller in three new colours in October. Alongside the familiar off-white and (if you’re American) black models, you’ll also be able to choose from light blue, dark blue and pink when the new pads arrive. According to Microsoft, the pads will cost $49.99 in the States, so expect that to translate to the usual £32.99 over here.
In addition to this, Microsoft also revealed the American price for its forthcoming Xbox 360 Messenger Kit. Essentially a miniature keyboard that plugs into the headset port on the controller and occupies the space between the controller’s arms, the unit will cost $29.99 when it’s released, which should hopefully translate to £25-25 in the UK.
Finally, Microsoft also took the wraps off a new Buzzer controller for forthcoming casual quiz game “Scene it?”, which will feature the familiar face buttons alongside a big red buzzer at the top - although contrary to earlier reports, it seems this won’t have tilt controller functionality