Pre-orders are available today for special edition Zune digital media player.

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today announced that Zune, the company's end-to-end music and entertainment service, will introduce the Zune 'Gears of War(R) 2' Special Edition 120GB device with pre-orders going live today in the U.S. at Amazon.com and Walmart.com. The special edition devices will also be available online at Amazon.ca, BestBuy.ca, FutureShop.ca and TheSource.ca in Canada, for an estimated retail price of $279.99(1) (U.S./CDN) and will begin shipping to customers starting Nov. 7.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081001/AQW050)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

In celebration of the sequel to one of the best-selling Xbox franchises of all time, Xbox and Epic Games Inc. have collaborated with Zune to create this unique portable media player. The Zune 'Gears of War 2' Special Edition is based on the new Zune 120GB device and features a laser-etched Crimson Omen on the new gloss black enclosure, collectible 'Gears of War' packaging, and 244 pieces of 'Gears of War' media including the original game soundtrack, behind- the-scenes videos, game trailers and concept art galleries.

'This special edition Zune is a great way for 'Gears of War' fans to carry around all their music and videos while sharing their enthusiasm for the game,' said Michael Capps, president of Epic Games.

'Gears of War 2' is developed by Epic Games exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, and will be available worldwide on Nov. 7. 'Gears of War 2' is the highly anticipated sequel to one of the most popular Xbox games in history, and is poised to be the biggest entertainment phenomenon of the 2008 holiday season.

'Our history of creating special edition Zune devices for our customers helps them stand out from the masses,' said Chris Stephenson, general manager of Global Marketing for Zune at Microsoft. 'With the huge success of 'Gears of War' and the high anticipation for the sequel, the special edition Zune is a must-have for fans of the game.'

More information on Zune and related images is available at http://www.zune.net/press. The latest information about 'Gears of War 2' and its Nov. 7 launch is available at http://www.gearsofwar.com.

    U.S. pre-orders can be placed at these Web sites:
    * Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GNBJ2I
    * Walmart, http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10660517

About Zune

Zune is Microsoft's music and entertainment brand that provides an integrated digital entertainment experience. The Zune platform includes a line of portable digital media players, the Zune Marketplace online store, and the Zune Social online music community, created to help people discover music. Zune is part of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division and supports the company's software-based services vision to help drive innovation in the digital entertainment space. More information can be found online at http://www.zune.net/en-us/press.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Gears of War, Gears of War 2, the Crimson Omen logo, Marcus Fenix, Unreal, Epic Games and the Epic Games logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Epic Games, Inc., in the United States and/or elsewhere. The ESRB rating icons are registered trademarks of the Entertainment Software Association.

(1) Actual retail prices may vary.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.