In an announcement made this week, Microsoft said that the deal for the much-discounted Xbox 360 consoles and Kinect motion controllers will be extended to all Best Buy outlets in the US as well as some select GameStop stores, by the end of this month.

Microsoft began offering the discount deal in early May when it announced that an Xbox 360 and Kinect package will be available for only $99 at the company's own online store and at Microsoft Stores. The offer was, however, available for buyers who also signed up for a two-year, $15-a-month, membership for Xbox Live Gold.

Speaking in more specific terms, the deal includes a 4GB Xbox 360 - which otherwise costs nearly $300 - along with the Kinect motion controller. Since Xbox Live Gold members have to pay $15 a month subscription, the discount deal will require the buyers to pay $460 over the life of the two-year contract.

Announcing the extension of `Xbox 360 plus Kinect' discount deal, Microsoft said on Tuesday that all US Best Buy stores and a few GameStop stores will now be selling the discounted $99 bundle, instead of the existing $299 version of the same hardware package.

Stating that Microsoft was "excited to announce the expansion of this program," a company spokesperson said that the extended discount deal underscores "a new retail model that provides yet another way for consumers to get the complete Xbox 360, Kinect, and Xbox Live experience."