Never Mind Black Friday Here’s a Microsoft Deal Too Good To Be True

It looks like Microsoft is getting into the discount mood ahead of Black Friday, offering some deals that are pretty damned impressive. This starts with the company’s Work and Play bundle, which Microsoft says can save you up to $360 if you were to purchase the products individually.

What’s on offer? One year subscriptions Office 365 Home, access to 2 million paid Wi-Fi locations via Skype Wi-Fi2, Skype Unlimited World Calling, Xbox Live Gold3, Assure Support Plan, Microsoft, as well as a $60 bonus gift that can be spent in Windows Stores and on various Microsoft products including Xbox games and movies. If you already have the subscriptions you can buy get the bundle and use it when the current subscription(s) runs out.

It might not seem like such a bargain at first if you have no intention of using Skype or calling Assure, but even the Office 365 Home (1 TB of storage) subscription would normally set you back $99.99. Xbox Live Gold3 would cost you another $40, and it’s doubtless the majority of folks could not make use of the gift card. The cost of the bundle is $149, so if you were thinking about getting your hands on any of the above products, the time is now.

Microsoft is also offering a bunch of pre-Black Friday bundles for Xbox One. Sony might have some tempting offers for the PlayStation 4 (as low as $299 with game) but it looks like Xbox One is going to trump that. Microsoft’s Marketing Lead Aaron Greenberg told Venture Beat last week, “If you’re buying  a console for games, you’re buying an Xbox.”

Is that a little hubristic? We will see. GameZone has put together a list of all Xbox One pre-Black Friday deals here, which mostly consists of getting a free game and either a wireless controller or gift card with any bundle purchased.