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Microsoft Launches Xbox One S Minecraft Favorites Bundle

"If you play Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, this is the perfect bundle to make the upgrade to Xbox One S," Microsoft said.

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Good news for Minecraft fans in the market for a new Xbox.

Microsoft on Tuesday launched the Xbox One S Minecraft Favorites bundle for $300. The bundle includes the smallest Xbox yet — the One S, which features a built-in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player and HDR support for video and gaming.

In the box, you'll get a 500GB One S console, Microsoft's new wireless controller with an expanded range and Bluetooth support for Windows 10 PCs, download codes for Minecraft: Xbox One Edition and Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta, plus a 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial membership.

Also included are download codes for the Favorites Pack and Builder's Pack. The Favorites Pack features the Festive Mash-up Pack, Halo Mash-up, Fantasy Texture Pack, Natural Texture Pack, City Texture Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, and Battle & Beasts 2 Skin Pack. The Builder's Pack includes Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Cartoon Texture Pack, Candy Texture Pack, Plastic Texture Pack, Pattern Texture Pack, and the Greek Mythology Mash-up.

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"We've included over 230 character skins, 3 texture packs and 7 Mash-up packs alongside the … game so you can let your survival and creative skills run wild," Minecraft Senior Product Marketing Manager Jaime Limon wrote in a blog post. "If you play Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, this is the perfect bundle to make the upgrade to Xbox One S."

You don't have to worry about losing your Xbox 360 worlds. You can transfer them over to the Xbox One Edition and build new ones that are up to 16 times bigger.

Head over to the Microsoft Store to order this bundle. Presently, it's only on sale in the US and Canada but will be available in the UK, Western and Central Europe on Oct. 11, in Australia and New Zealand on Nov. 1, and also at some point soon in Asia and Latin America.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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