Xbox 1 owners: Buy Xbox 360, receive Halo 3 free [update]

Much like singing sensation Sonny & Cher, the Xbox 360 and Halo 3 form a highly entertaining and nigh inseparable duo -- this despite one's lower life expectancy and the other's habit of keeping fans satisfied by getting a face lift every few years. No enormous corporation is more aware of this than Microsoft, which has revealed a new incentive for U.S. shoppers considering its sphere-stamped system.

[So much for that: Microsoft has reworded the promotion, clarified the stipulations and made the offer a lot less magnanimous at the last minute.]

If you're an original Xbox owner with a paid Xbox Live account and purchase an Xbox 360 between November 21 and December 21 of this year, you'll be entitled to a free copy of Bungie's sci-fi opus. As it's not present inside the console's packaging, you'll have to wait for Microsoft to mail the game to you (it arrives by January 18, 2008). After unpacking your new system, you'll be expected to convert your Xbox Live account to a Gold subscription, and enter your details, including the system's serial number, into this registration page before December 21.

While you await the arrival of Halo 3, be sure to scope out some of the other reasons that make the system worth owning this holiday... assuming you haven't already been swayed by the fine offerings from competitors.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]