Toys R Us to sell obligatory Xbox 360 bundles

Eurogamer's sister site, GamesIndustry.biz, has learned that Toys R Us will force customers who want to take an Xbox 360 home tomorrow to purchase bundles which include specified games and DVDs.

Several customer representatives from Toys R Us branches across the country confirmed to GI.biz that the bundles will start at £299 for the Xbox 360 core system (which does not include a hard drive), a 64MB memory unit, Ubisoft's King Kong and two DVDs - Bend it Like Beckham and The Italian Job..

Alternatively, consumers can purchase a £349 bundle comprised of the core system, memory unit, King Kong and Perfect Dark Zero, plus The Italian Job, The Last Samurai and Swordfish DVDs.

Premium system bundles will start at £399 for an Xbox 360 with hard drive, King Kong, Amped 3 and two DVDs. The most expensive bundle, at £450, replaces Amped 3 with Project Gotham Racing 3 and comes with three DVDs.

If purchased separately, the core system retails separately for £209.99 while the premium system is £279.99. The memory unit is £22.99, and games carry an RRP of £49.99.

Which means consumers purchasing, for example, the most expensive bundle will be paying more than £23 for DVDs like Swordfish - a film which is available from retailers such as Amazon for as little as £5.97.

There also seems to be some confusion over whether all Xbox 360 buyers will have to purchase a bundle. One store told GI.biz that customers who pre-ordered their console would not be required to take one of the bundles and could simply take home the standalone system - while another representative said that in fact, the bundle rule would apply to all customers, even if they did not sign up for a bundle when they pre-ordered.

Another Toys R Us branch said that pricing for systems and bundles was yet to be confirmed, even though the console is due to launch in less than 24 hours, adding that more information would be available later in the day.

Toys R Us head office did not respond to requests for comment.