If you missed last year’s free Xbox 360 with the purchase of a Windows PC deal from Microsoft here’s some good news. Microsoft is repeating the offer.
Buy a qualifying laptop or desktop PC with a starting price of at least $699 (or $599 in Canada) and you’ll get a free Xbox 360 4GB gaming system with your purchase. The 4G Xbox 360 retails for $199.99, so this is a pretty sweet offer for students looking to buy a new laptop for school anyway. After all, hard-working students need some downtime too. (By the way, Microsoft has another Xbox 360 offer that doesn’t require a PC purchase or student status: $99 for the Xbox with Kinect—but you have to sign up for a 2-year Xbox Live Gold membership at $14.99 per month.)
The free Xbox 360 promotion runs from now until midnight September 8, according to the offer page on New Egg. Other participating retailers in the US include Best Buy, Dell.com, Fry’s Electronics, HPDirect.com, and Microsoft Stores.
Students or their parents will need to verify their school enrollment. Last year, the offer was open to students 16 years or older, but this year the offer is open to primary and secondary school students as well as college students.
Unfortunately, Microsoft’s announcement for this offer on the Windows Team Blog doesn’t mention any other promotions if you don’t want that free Xbox 360, such as 10% off your Windows laptop or desktop PC, which was offered last year.
Ready to get in on the free Xbox 360 deal? Don’t pull the trigger just yet. If you wait until after June 2nd to buy your Windows PC, you’ll be eligible for a discounted upgrade to Windows 8 Pro. (Sadly, unlike previous Windows upgrades, the upgrade is not free for recent computer buyers. WinSuperSite sources say the Windows 8 upgrade offer will be $15.)
Follow Melanie Pinola (@melaniepinola) and Today@PCWorld on Twitter