Madden NFL 15 Xbox One Bundle Priced, Dated

Microsoft has revealed the official release date and price for the newly announced Madden NFL 15 bundle for the Xbox One. Gamers will be able to get their hands on the deal beginning August 26th, at the end of the month, for only $399.99.

The news comes courtesy of the Xbox news wire, where it was revealed that select retailers will be hosting the bundle and they roll out all the details included in the package.

One of the exclusive features for the Xbox One version of the game is the ability to track your fantasy football teams using the companion app in snap mode. Snap mode enables users to basically have the Xbox One multi-task activities while playing games or watching TV... on your TV.

The combination of the NFL with the Xbox One makes a lot of sense given that American football was one of the bigger features Microsoft touted during the reveal of the console last year. Things, of course, didn't go over so well for the company given the large focus on television and home media over the device's ability to actually play games. This was later rectified at the console's showing at E3 that same year, where the focus was all on games.

Microsoft is showing that they still have strong ties to the NFL, however, and they want to capitalize on it in any way that they can, especially given their deep partnership with Electronic Arts.

The bundle package will include the following items:

• Download code for Madden NFL 15 on Xbox One

• Standard Xbox One console

• Standard Xbox One wireless controller

• Standard Xbox One chat headset

• Special edition Madden NFL 15 packaging

• Token for three Madden NFL Ultimate Team Pro Packs

The post also goes into a bit of detail for some of the supposedly overhauled and upgraded features for Madden NFL 15, including the new point-of-view camera for the defense, enabling users to lock-in on a specific defender and focus on their tactics.

New rushing tools have also been implemented to give players more control over linemen and block defense. It's possible to jump the snap and “disrupt the backfield”.

A new risk/reward feature for tackling (on the defensive side) has also been implemented, enabling players to go for big tackles in an attempt to cause the ball-carrier to fumble, or players can take the conservative route and play it safe with simple takedowns. The former grants players an opening for a big turnaround, where-as the latter is great for keeping the offense from making any major yards on a down.

The presentation of the game has supposedly been upgraded, with more television-inspired presentation for a true television-style broadcast feel to the gameplay, along with new pre-game and half-show vignettes to help bring the realism of the NFL to life.

One of the more interesting features is the crowd-sourced play-calls... which synchs data from millions of players and shows which plays are working best as well as what are some of the fan-favorite tactics during specific situations.

You can look for Madden NFL 15's Xbox One bundle to launch on August 26th for $399, without Kinect. There will also be a Sunset Overdrive bundle due for release as well.