M$ is severely mistaken. They must think simply owning a zune isn't quite dorky enough.

Hey, that's really cool. If Zune had more unique special designs like this, they could really become a big seller.

Now thats a Zune I might consider buying. Maybe.

What's next? Windows Vista Halo 3 Edition?

ya big seller. Theyd double their fan base by with a total of 35 people

Ya it'd get so big it'd double the amount of people that have them today to a total of 35! Congrats

Very Cool, I'm a Huge fan of the Zune. I love the brown one my brother got me for Christmas but this one just looks really cool. Glad Microsoft went with promoting Halo 3 on the Zune the having the Zune appear in Halo 3. It would be odd to see a marine get killed by a brute because he was to busy looking for a signal to connect to Zune Marketplace to get the latest hits.

I think Gizmodo is the #1 source for all Zune related information! Excellent I had no idea they were even planning on a Halo Zune.

Once they release the Xbox compatibility firmware this will be a seriously nice product!

The Zune is not selling as bad as some of you think...

yes, but can i plug my ipod into it?

you cannot polish a turd.

Does anyone else hate their commercials?

Yo, sup guyz I'm part of the social.

DRM sucks.

Arbitrarily imposed DRM on innocent content is evil, pure and simple.

OMG!! I am sick and tired of idiots who use the $ sign in ms instead of the 's'. It is so pathetic and old it actually makes me feel sorry for those who do it. Also the turd jokes and the ones about how there are only 2 zune owners in the world are really lame too. Rant over.

Where's the Zune Hello Kitty Special Addition?

Well I have an Ipod at the moment but I was considering getting a Zune mainly cause it supports MP3 files and theres no need for converting them, I think.

Wow, now I can buy something that will look doubly retarded in 5 years! It'll have the awesomeness of a PMP that never took-off AND the branding of an old video game!

This will go great with my Quake 2 MiniDisk player!

Can someone explain to me, first without referencing accessories, how an iPod is better than a Zune?

I don't own either, since I pretty much carry my laptop at all times I don't actually need one but I kind of like the Zune better just because it comes in brown and for 30 Gig with video you pay about $100 less.

"you cannot polish a turd"

True, but apparently you can put Halo 3 stickers on a turd.

I dunno, guys, the pink one looked pretty good, I thought. Better than an iPod.

I have nothing against special editions of electronics or other products, but that's damn ugly one. Maybe if it were released in the 70's with the original Star Wars movies it might had been "OK", but please.

Zune backwards is "Enuz"

Which is close to "enough"

which is close to "enough already with the zune!"

Ironically, this comment was nothing close to funny.

MO3iusONE, I can't think of any Flash or HDD based portable music player that doesn't play mp3 files, so no converting no matter what player you'll get.

logruszed, Zune and iPod pricing is identical at 30GB, but yeah, Zune has bigger screen for video if that is something you care about.

@ MO3iusONE:

Wait...what? There's no need to convert mp3 files to the ipod. Unless you mean load up into itunes.

I believe if you walked into a school with one of these things you'd get your ass kicked.

@ Demial

Yeah, the pink one looked good. If you like, say throwing up every time you look at your MP3 player.

arashi: My mistake, I was looking at Amazon's pricing and the 80 gig instead of the 30.

It is implied here that the Zune will work with MP3 files and the iPod will not. If this is true then that is a big deal, since I actually use MixMeister a lot and that does not work with anything other than the MP format.

And the bigger screen is cool.

God that's soooooo hot!

Maybe they could do a Paris Hilton prison cavity search special edition, or a successful movie themed one, like a Waterworld special edition...

Orrrrrrr, maybe they could make one that's scratch and sniff body odor, and call it the Crazy Ballmer special edition.

Sad b@st@rds!

Right..cause we all know the Harry Potter edition iPod was so much better than this. With it's Hogwarts Academy logo etched on the back...my gosh that ruled!

Now that is one fuggly mp3 player. Looks like it was infected by the flood.

Who are we kidding. You know this will probably become the best selling version of the Zune.

Andolin - oooo that does suck, but looks like a super stylish masterpiece when compared to this sad boy Zune.

Welcome to the anti-social.

I'd take one

I like it. If I, like most people who want an MP3 player, didn't have an iPod, I might have got one.

@VisualVillain83: So.. currently they have 17.5 customers?

Jeebus, that's actually got me interested in a Zune. Their stupid marketing ploy is actually working me. Crap.

@Serotoninzero - One of the owners is fat so you gotta count another half person. :)

awesdome. the special edition zunes will give microsoft an upper hand first the simpsons edition ones now this coool.

ah yes, maybe they'll release the zune in australia by the time halo 5 comes out, then we would be interested...in the halo 3 edition.

"It is implied here that the Zune will work with MP3 files and the iPod will not. If this is true then that is a big deal, since I actually use MixMeister a lot and that does not work with anything other than the MP format."

Both players read MP3 files. Although the Zune can not play content purchased from the iTunes store...unless you count the little bit of DRM free music Apple is starting to sell this month. Moreover, iPod can not play Windows Media Player files.

As for the larger screen, I can't speak for everyone here, but watching movies / TV shows on a Zune / iPod is annoying. The Zune's screen is bigger, the iPod's has a higher PPI, and both are not suitable for watching Lord Of The Rings.

Personally, I think the iPod is a more mature product with significantly better industrial design. The Zune has a WiFi feature that you're not going to use at all. But my screen name is "Aqua OS X"... so, by all means, listen to the Zune fanboys too.

It is implied here that the Zune will work with MP3 files and the iPod will not. If this is true then that is a big deal, since I actually use MixMeister a lot and that does not work with anything other than the MP format.

It is also implied that buying a Zune will make raver chicks find you hot.

This too is false.

@ VisualVillain83

i wasnt aware you could double any number of people and come out with 35...

Mentally ill people, amputees?

ahhh... im scared. this is making me want to get one.

is it bad that i want one and still want to carry around my iPod?

u know play both at the same time???

cuz honestly, i hate microsoft for doing this to me, making me choose between my fav. video game and my fav. portable gadget.

When the Xbox 360 music subscription tied in with the Zune goes live, I am getting a Zune. $15 a month for an entire music catalog of 2 million plus songs.

I own an Ipod, a PC laptop, a Mac G4, a PC desktop, and a Linux box. For the life of me, I can't figure out why anyone feels the need to bash a product because of the brand and not based on the merit of the product.

I run a business that simply wouldn't be able to function or profit if it were not for Microsoft products. I love my Mac and Linux boxes for other reasons.

Maybe it would be more fun if I gave in to my inner 10 year old, chose a side to give my allegiance to, then acted like I was mentally retarded every time a competitor released another product.

Seriously, what's with you guys????

Oh yeah, and one other thing......
I do think this Halo3 version is ugly!

I have an ipod but these zunes seem so much better. I was really turned off by all the people saying bad things ..so I got the ipod.. man did I regret it when I actually got to use a zune.. I dont understand all the bashes. The screen is nice, the dual paint effect is nice, the brown is actually nice giving it a business feel and the ui is.. ok... I dont like the actual buttons and stuff though.. it is average I guess. Over all I will be getting one and even though I dont have a xbox or 360 I would probably get a halo zune.. depends... on if they had that red/green watermelon/christmas one for sale

You guys bashing the zune have probably never gotten to try one out before. It really is a superior player to the iPod in almost every way the only downsides to the player are no mac support and the fact that its only available in 30GB form. Now the reason I own an iPod and not a zune is not because of the player it's because of the marketplace, the Zune marketplace is a piece of crap compared to iTunes, not as many songs no movies or TV shows (And Microsoft has Movies and TV shows on the 360 you would think that they would of hooked something up by now). The program is kinda chuggy and does not have all the features of iTunes (Hello smart playlists!). So don't bash the Zune because you own an iPod or you hate MS because its a great device. If a story pops up about the Zune Marketplace then go ahead bash that, it really deserves it.

You know those people who did this? Yep, that's who'll probably buy this Special Edition Zune... not the Average Joe/Jane off the street looking for an mp3 player. And, judging by the pre-orders of Halo 3, if MS only got 1/5 of those people to buy this edition of Zune, I'm sure they'll be totally alright with it.

And who wouldn't?!

Although I hate quikboy with a passion, Ill give you the Zune not being a horrible product statement. I own 2 ipods (video & shuffle) but my personal problem with the zune was in its actual quality. I like heavier, metal set items that when you pick them up you really feel the quality. The reason I didnt get a zune is because I have very high faith that apple will indeed bring out another ipod with the same screen size features (widescreen) and possible touch screen and more. It's what I prefer. WIth that said, I dont think the Zune is a "Great' product, but its not a super poor one. It's probably the best thing they have going for them technically besides the peopel that keep buying the cpu burning 360's.

I do believe I first saw this announcement on a sister site, Whogivesashitmodo.

So I guess they're going off the idea Halo was the thing to make XBOX sell it can do the same for Zune?

Oh well, if you got it, whore it.

So.. we have Halo, which is a overhyped game, the Zune, which is an overhyped Mp3-player come together in a flash of unimpressiveness?

Be still my heart!

How about concentrating on getting the kinks out of the original design, getting that rumored "nano" Zune out and making the Zune 2.0 something really stunning (I'd suggest multitouch, but that'd be redundant, right)?
You know, instead of releasing limited editions of what's already there?

Seriously, who are they targeting? Compulsive collectors of obscure editions? That's a HUGE market, right there. :P

@ onec

I highly doubt the marketing team is taking very much away from the development team to make some special edition deigns.