Xbox Dons Blue for Best Buy

By Patrycja Malinowska, Path to Purchase Institute

Best Buy teamed with Microsoft Corp. this holiday season to stock an exclusive blue-colored SKU of the manufacturer's new Xbox One wireless video game controller.

The consumer electronics retailer leveraged the exclusive on Black Friday by offering the controller free with purchase of a one-terabyte Xbox One S console.

A feature in the retailer's Black Friday circular promoted the incentive alongside an offer to bundle the console, a wireless controller and a download of Electronic Arts' Battlefield 1 video game for a $50 savings. An interior feature offered the same bundle deal with Mojang's Minecraft game.

Earlier, Best Buy promoted the controller's exclusivity in multiple circular features in October and November. The features dangled a free Prima Games eGuide of the shopper's choice with purchase of the device. Shoppers who pre-ordered the device before it rolled out to select regions on Sept. 27 earned an eGuide bundle.

A Sept. 18 post on Best Buy's gaming forum introduced the controller as the first designed for Windows 10 computers and tablets due to built-in Bluetooth technology that lets it pair seamlessly without the need of a USB stick. The post also touted product attributes such as custom button mapping and double wireless range, and delivered a 360-degree view of the item.

Media reports have identified the controller as a fan-favorite color from Xbox Design Lab, which lets gamers customize the colors of the device for a premium price.

In stores, the SKU has been stocked rather unceremoniously within Best Buy's in-line Xbox display.