Microsoft has confirmed the long-running rumour that they are to release a brand new red Xbox 360 to coincide with the release of Resident Evil 5 on March 13th.

The console will be available as part of a limited edition bundle that features a red console, wireless controller, a huge 120GB hard drive, black headset, a copy of Resident Evil 5 and an exclusive Xbox 360 dashboard theme (redeemable online via an Xbox Live download).

The official RRP of the bundle is still under wraps, although UK retailers GAME have the bundle listed for pre-order at £229.99. Microsoft have also hinted that the bundle will only be available from ‘select retailers’. No further information has been made public at this time.

In related news, Capcom producer Jun Takeuchi has announced that the RE5 demo has been downloaded in excess of four million times since its release on Xbox Live in January. It was released on the PlayStation Network store in early February.

One thing still eluding the title, however, is widespread critical acclaim. Websites, blogs and forums all over the web have pointed out flaws in the game’s control system, as well as concerns over the AI and level design. This level of scrutiny isn’t helped by the fact that the game’s predecessor, Resident Evil 4, was one of the most successful games of the last generation and has also achieved significant success on Nintendo’s current generation Wii console.