A number of countries around the world are getting the standalone 250GB HDD for the Xbox 360. The UK being the latest example. As someone who has the 20GB launch console, I’m keen to see this available in Australia. I asked Xbox Australia about local availability and received the following response:

@techAU We don’t currently have anything to announce RE: 250GB HDD availability in Australia. If/when we do I’ll shout it loud! – jinx

The general trend internationally seems to be that the 250GB Xbox HDD will sell for the same price as the current 120GB model, which as Xbox fans know is pretty expensive. So until we hear different, the only way to get a 250GB HDD on your Xbox in Australia is to buy a special bundle.

The latest BigW catalogue features an unannounced Xbox 360 Elite + Forza 3 bundle. On sale for $398, there’s no details, but the Elite should come with the standard 120GB HDD. This is important to note, given there’s a 250GB version on the way.

Why this wasn’t released on the launch of Forza 3 is bizarre. Personally I’m looking to update from my launch console and I would have bought this bundle if it was available. Now I’ve bought Forza 3, Microsoft have missed a sale opportunity.

It’s currently not on their website, but be sure to check out BigW if your interested. No doubt other retailers will have this bundle in the future.