Halo Infinite was strangely absent from Xbox's own Gamescom showcase, but the highly-anticipated first-person shooter was given a proper showing at the Gamescom Opening Night Live event that was hosted by Geoff Keighley. It was then that fans were treated to Halo Infinite's multiplayer cinematic and the game's December 8 release date was officially confirmed. Gamescom Opening Night Live also featured some Halo Infinite-themed hardware announcements, though anyone wanting to get their hands on the hardware will likely have to pay absurd scalper prices at this point.
Microsoft revealed a Halo Infinite-themed Xbox Series X console as a limited edition offering to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary. The console itself is themed after Halo Infinite and comes with a similarly-themed controller, but pre-orders for it are already being sold on sites like eBay at incredibly marked-up prices. Anyone wanting to guarantee themselves a limited edition Halo Infinite Xbox Series X console should expect to pay around double the price that they normally would, with eBay listings pricing around $900 to $1,000.
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This is unfortunate, but to be expected. The standard Xbox Series X console itself is still hard to find, so the resell prices for it have been out of control as well, so it's only natural that a limited edition Halo Infinite version would be even more expensive.
The Halo Infinite-themed Xbox Series X console isn't the only hardware that's being sold for ridiculous prices on eBay. Microsoft also announced a new version of its Xbox Wireless Elite Series 2 controller, which is also boasting a Halo theme for the franchise's 20th anniversary. The Halo-themed Xbox Elite Series 2 controller has also hit eBay at increased prices, topping out at a whopping $525.
There have been efforts to curb scalping recently, with hardware manufacturers developing queue systems to try getting their products in the hands of actual consumers. Legislation against scalping has even been proposed by some lawmakers, though it's unclear if anything meaningful will come from those discussions. For now, fans either have to be quick about securing their pre-orders, or they will have to pay the inflated scalper prices.
Next-gen console shortages are expected to continue to 2023, though, so anyone who continues to struggle buying one straight from a store can't be blamed if they bite the bullet and purchase from a scalper. Hopefully the console shortage situation turns around sooner rather than later, but it's unlikely to resolve itself in time for everyone that wants one to get a Halo Infinite-themed Xbox Series X console.
Halo Infinite launches December 8 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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