At today's Kinect Star Wars panel at Comic-Con, Microsoft and LucasArts revealed what may be the most extravagant special edition console to ever hit the market. The $450 Xbox 360 Limited Kinect Star Wars Bundle (full details at Major Nelson's blog) includes an R2-D2-themed console (with custom Artoo sounds that play when the system starts u pand the disc tray is ejected), a controller designed to match C-3PO's color scheme, a while Kinect, a 320 GB hard drive, Kinect Star Wars, and standard system/Kinect accouterments (a wired headset and Kinect Adventures). Now that we've studied the system's specs and screens, we've got positive and negative thoughts on the system.

LIGHT SIDE

This system design is pretty much the ultimate Star Wars video game accessory. Choosing the droids may anger fans of darker characters like Han and Darth Vader, but when it comes to design, the more vibrant colors and striking patterns of Artoo and Threepio make them the best choices. What really could be done with a Vader-themed console? An airbrushed painting of his head on the side of the system? Even if they're cartoony, and the system is a bit outrageous-looking, it's instantly recognizable. Major props to LucasArts for their attention to detail, as Gizmodo's look at the system revealed Leia's famous recorded message on the inside of the tray and Artoo's manufacturer's name printed on the back.

We brought this up when the Gears of War system bundle was announced at E3, but it bears repeating again - the ability to integrate sound effects into newer-model Xbox 360s is very welcome. The ability to integrate R2-D2 sound effects, as minute as it might be, has probably nudged quite a few prospective buyers into opening their wallets for pre-orders, and we're hoping the Xbox higher-ups realize that customizing Xbox 360s with game-related sound-effects is something that fans would almost definitely take to. At the very least, they'll be more popular than faceplates.

Finally, we have to give props to Microsoft for not skimping on some of the lesser-recognized aspects of the system. With all of the Star Wars-related bonuses, Microsoft could have netted a bit more profit by dropping the headset and Kinect Adventures from the bundle. However, both have been part of their respective bundles from day one for a reason - they continue customer engagement with the system. Still, an HDMI cable would've been nice...

DARK SIDE

While we'll hold off on final judgment of Kinect Star Wars until the game is reviewable, we're willing to wager that the game and the Kinect are the lowlights of the bundle for most gamers. At $450, the Kinect Star Wars bundle will be the priciest Xbox 360 model on the market, due in large part to the additional hardware and software features that have been tepidly received thus far.

Even though the Kinect has brought many new gamers into the Xbox 360 fold, we're pretty sure that a majority of this system's potential audience are already Xbox 360 owners. For them, it would be nice if Microsoft actively worked with trade-in-based retailers to soften the sting of trading up. Even though we like the new features only available with the newer Xbox 360 system models, we would've loved to have seen something like this earlier in the console's lifecycle when there were more free-agent customers and a surer bet for Star Wars fans in terms of a bundled game (like The Force Unleashed or Soul Calibur IV).

Finally, we're going to have to dock points for the missed opportunity that is the Kinect sensor. The plain white design seems as though it's an empty canvas that LucasArts and Microsoft forgot to fill. Gizmodo's reveal mentioned that the sensor brings to mind the series' cannon fodder, the Stormtrooper, which we think should've been explored further by all parties. The black eyepieces on the trooper's helmet could have been replicated with minimal design elements necessary. Heck, we would have liked the Star Wars logo originally planned to adorn the Kinect. As it is, it's no more impressive than the stock black Kinect already on the market.

What do you think of the Kinect Star Wars bundle? Will you be buying it? Why or why not? Please let your voice be heard by posting in the comment section below, replying to us on Twitter, or writing on our Facebook post.

Images courtesy Major Nelson.