After much ado and mistakenly being announced and then quickly pulled out from the Microsoft Store, the company and 343 Industries (the developers) have confirmed the existence of the Halo 4-themed Xbox 360 console. However, a key feature of the Halo 4 Limited Edition Xbox 360 console, that is not visible from the box art and initial press photos, is that the console and the controllers are both translucent.

The console, inspired by Forerunners, the creators of the Halo rings, comes with two themed wireless controllers, an Xbox 360 headset, a standard copy of Halo 4, and downloadable content such as in-game Spartan armor, an avatar prop, and a weapon skin. Curiously, the Limited Edition Xbox 360 console's content does not mirror the Limited Edition Halo 4 games' contents. The latter includes extra Forward Unto Dawn footage accessible through Halo Waypoint. The console also includes a 320GB hard drive, blue lights on the power, and guide buttons on the console and controllers along with custom on-off and eject sounds.

Microsoft also announced that a different standalone UNSC Halo 4 controller is in the anvil. The expected controller features a dark grey translucent design and includes an avatar shirt as DLC. The future offering will also sport blue LED lights around the guide button.

According to Microsoft, the console offers "great value". Mobile & Apps recently compared the $399.99 price of the console and found, generally, that buying the complete console was cheaper than purchasing the bundle's contents separately. However, the bigger issue at hand is that Microsoft is expected to announce the next-generation Xbox at E3 2013, which is slated for a likely winter 2013 release. This probable announcement implies that there will only be12-18 months of use for the Xbox 360. Even though the console won't lose support immediately, the developers will transition.

Major Nelson also posted a Flickr album with high definition pictures of the console and separate controller, which shows the translucency.

The Limited Edition console is available for pre-order from Amazon.com. The console is priced at $399.99 in the U.S., while the controller is priced at $59.99. The controller will be available from October 21, 2012, while the console releases November 6.

Halo 4 launches November 6 on Xbox 360. Below is a video of the 343 Industries San Diego Comic-Con Panel, which includes the console announcement: