We all knew of its existence, with sighting after sighting popping up everywhere. The lovely folks up at Microsoft have finally announced the Xbox 360 Arcade. Chalk this up to another instance where (mostly) all Microsoft rumors come true.

Coming in at the $279.99 price point today, lets objectify this:

Just in time for holiday, Microsoft Corp. today released a new Xbox 360^® console that delivers games and content to everyone in the family for an incredible value of $279.99 (U.S. estimated retail price)*. Available in stores beginning today, Xbox 360 Arcade console is the first Xbox 360 console to include five family-friendly games, a wireless controller, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connection to enable high-definition output if desired and 256 MB of memory useful for storing games and entertainment content. At $279.99, the Xbox 360 Arcade console will include five best-selling games: “PAC-MAN Championship Edition” (NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.), “Uno” (Carbonated Games), “Luxor 2” (MumboJumbo), “Boom Boom Rocket” (Electronic Arts Inc.) and “Feeding Frenzy” (Sprout Games).

There’s nothing wrong with that quote, sure, but why does this bundle all of a sudden become great for families? Isn’t every other Xbox 360 model capable of running all of the same new and existing software? Are Xbox Live Arcade games considered family friendly just because of there bit sized nature, or is this just marketing speak for the unknowing masses that seem to be happy with buying a Wii over the Xbox 360 because of a very similar stance where it must be family friendly just because it says so on the box.

There’s no conspiracy theory here, but it is something to think about.

The Official Press Release

-William “thewilleffect” Bell-