Microsoft Corp. yesterday announced that Zune will introduce the Zune Gears of War 2 Special Edition 120GB device with pre-orders going live today in the U.S. at Amazon.com and Walmart.com. The special edition devices will also be available online at Amazon.ca, BestBuy.ca, FutureShop.ca and TheSource.ca in Canada, for an estimated retail price of $279.991 (U.S./CDN) and will begin shipping to customers starting Nov. 7.

In celebration of the sequel to one of the best-selling Xbox franchises of all time, Xbox and Epic Games Inc. have collaborated with Zune to create this unique portable media player. The Zune Gears of War 2 Special Edition is based on the new Zune 120GB device and features a laser-etched Crimson Omen on the new gloss black enclosure, collectible Gears of War packaging, and 244 pieces of Gears of War media including the original game soundtrack, behind-the-scenes videos, game trailers and concept art galleries, for a total of 1.14GB of content! (Full list after the break)

“This special edition Zune is a great way for Gears of War fans to carry around all their music and videos while sharing their enthusiasm for the game,” said Michael Capps, president of Epic Games.

“Our history of creating special edition Zune devices for our customers helps them stand out from the masses,” said Chris Stephenson, general manager of Global Marketing for Zune at Microsoft. “With the huge success of Gears of War and the high anticipation for the sequel, the special edition Zune is a must-have for fans of the game.”

U.S. pre-orders can be placed at these Web sites:
Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GNBJ2I
Walmart, http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10660517

1.14 GB of Preloaded Content

Videos
–> Gears of War Concept Art Gallery (2:57)–Take a detailed look at the different scenarios, locations, characters, and weaponry that are part of this saga.
–> Race to Launch Documentary (20:04)–Design director Cliff Bleszinski and the Epic Games team take you behind-the-scenes in the days leading up to the launch of the original Gears of War.
–> Chalk Drawing by Kurt Wenner (2:34)–The inventor of 3D street painting creates a stunning illustration at E3 2006, "Emergence Day."
–> E3 2008 Demo (7:17)–Cliff Bleszinski unveils a new campaign chapter, "Sinkhole," during Microsoft’s press briefing in Los Angeles.
–> E3 2008 Trailer, "Rendezvous" (1:05)–A lone figure emerges from the darkness to turn the tide of battle.
–>Campaign Reveal, "Assault" (3:14)–The Gears of War 2 campaign is revealed for the first time through the stunning campaign chapter, "Assault."
–> GDC 2008 Announcement (1:55)–Gears of War 2 is announced live on stage at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
–> GDC 2008 Trailer, "Duel" (1:26)–Two titans clash in this trailer first unveiled at Microsoft’s 2008 Game Developers Conference keynote.
–> GDC 2008–Unreal Engine 3 Demo (6:15)–Tim Sweeney, CEO and technical director at Epic Games, demonstrates the latest advances in Unreal Engine 3 for the Xbox 360.

Photographs
Browse a selection of 244 images, including original art from collectors’ edition art books, behind-the-scenes photographs, Gears of War advertisements, and custom-created backgrounds for your Zune player.

Soundtrack
Listen to the full soundtrack of the original Gears of War game–including 28 tracks to reminiscence the game that started this epic saga.