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Microsoft apologizes for 360 'cleaning' with Bill Gates-signed replacement


Most companies in the gaming industry never really atone for their egregious errors -- if so, Nintendo would have sent us a check for the $180 in hard-earned allowance money that we blew on the retina-singeing Virtual Boy by now. However, our poor investment in Nintendo's unwieldy system can't compare to the tragedy endured by Nathaniel, whose personalized 360 was wiped clean during a RROD repair. Luckily, Bungie jumped to the rescue with an equally collectible Halo care package -- and a recent delivery from Microsoft served as the caboose to Nate's apologetic gravy train.

Included in said delivery was a handful of games and, most notably, a new 360 signed by the Xbox team, Bungie (including replacement artwork by Rooster Teeth Comics' Luke McKay) and, with the flourish of a solid gold pen, Bill Gates. Whether you call it an act of kindness or a lesson in public relations, we think it's a neat gesture from the folks at Microsoft -- a gesture young Nathaniel will only enjoy for the next four months, of course, at which point the button above Gates' John Hancock will blink a menacing scarlet, leaving Nate with a highly collectible paperweight.