Sonic the Hedgehog Star Shows Off His Ultra-Rare Special Edition Xbox

Forum 4 years ago

Sonic the Hedgehog Star Shows Off His Ultra-Rare Special Edition Xbox

Ben Schwartz, voice of the titular video game star in the 2020 film adaptation Sonic the Hedgehog, may have no need for the upgraded specs of the Xbox Series X for now. His secret weapon? The actor apparently owns a rare current-generation Xbox One X featuring the Blue Blur. The console’s hardware is no different from a normal Xbox One X, but hopefully having Sonic’s image on the cover will lend the device the character’s unrivaled speed. If it does not, the Sonic actor may have to begin the arduous task of re-transferring his games to a new console in November.

Schwartz showed off his limited-edition Xbox One X in reaction to the official reveal of the Xbox Series X. The launch information for Microsoft’s most powerful next-gen Xbox got formally posted to Twitter early this morning in a half-expected, but entirely extraordinary move. The announcement followed on the heels of the company’s confirmation of an earlier leak that roared through the gaming community the just day before which correctly reported the Xbox Series S price and release date.

Twitter was abuzz with reactions to the Xbox Series X news, but Schwartz’s tweet was notable not only for his characteristic humor, but also for the limited edition Xbox console he showed off. Along with a photo of a ultra-rare Sonic the Hedgehog Xbox One X, Schwartz feigned exasperation at having "JUST transferred" his games onto his current-gen console. The actor’s response was, in part, waving the flag for the character – he starred as the classic gaming icon in the film (which is getting a sequel, after all) and is a bonafide fan of the Sonic series. However, the machine in the picture is also noteworthy, as it was the grand prize for the movie’s promotional sweepstakes, for which there was only one lucky winner. That means there probably are not too many of these floating around, and Schwartz may have been gifted one in a veritable handful for his role.

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie was well timed, placing the character back into the public consciousness just in time for the game franchise’s 30th anniversary next year. It seems like Sega has some big plans on the horizon, which will hopefully excite fans of the games, who deserve a break after two decades of mostly flops. The publisher promises 2021 will be a Sonic celebration, with multiple new game announcements, special events, and additional digital content allegedly incoming, all of which can be assumed to be coming to Xbox consoles given Sega's and Microsoft's close collaboration over the years.

Nintendo recently celebrated a similar milestone with Mario’s 35th anniversary and, with the somewhat disappointingly time-limited festivities still fresh, it is difficult to imagine Sega will be able to pull off the series of major events it looks like it is aiming for. However, even if physical events are not on the schedule, many fans – like Ben Schwartz with his special Xbox – will be excited to get their hands on new Sonic the Hedgehog games and content.