Today Treyarch and Activision announced the long anticipated Hardened and Prestige Editions of Call of Duty: Black Ops, and all of the internet Call of Duty communities made the collected sigh of “awesome”. We noted back in July that online retailers had listed these editions on their stores, but at that time Activision refused to comment. I wonder if we would have believed them if they told us we were getting a remote-control vehicle modeled after the in-game RC-XD killstreak included in the bundle?

The RC-XD included in the Prestige Edition is a fully functioning surveillance device that is remotely controlled and transmits wireless video and audio back to the RC controller in real time. Every last detail is modeled after the in-game RC-XD killstreak vehicle, this is a CoD geeks dream. Take a look:

  • Video & audio sent wirelessly to remote transmitter (200 ft. range)
  • 2” backlit TFT 220 x176 color screen built into RC controller
  • Digital proportional steering and throttle
  • Independent suspension
  • High and low speed settings
  • Custom pistol grip style RC controller
  • Display stand

The RC-XD only comes in the Prestige Edition however, which also includes everything from the Hardened Edition as well as:

  • Call of Duty: Black Ops full game
  • Premium, special-edition SteelBookâ„¢ case
  • Limited edition Black Ops collector’s medal w/display case
  • 4 additional co-op maps not included in the standard edition of the game
  • Special Black Ops Xbox Live or PlayStation Home avatar outfit

Both the Hardened and Prestige Editions are in very limited supply! Activision has already stared pre-orders, so if this is something you want as much as I do, you better get a move on!

I have been a Call of Duty fan since the very first game, and I have been looking forward to Black Ops since it was announced. However, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get a sweet RC vehicle that sends audio and video back to the controller for ordering a special edition. This has to be one of the coolest editions I have seen yet.

So are you going to order either of  the Call of Duty: Black Ops special editions? Which one, Hardened or Prestige? At $149.99 for the Prestige Edition, that seems pretty hefty, but considering you get everything from the Hardened Edition ($79.99), the game itself ($59.99), and then the sweet RC, I think it’s a bargain! Think about it, some RC’s alone are worth that. So what do you plan to do? What do you think of their special editions? Ether way, come release date, I will see you online!

Call of Duty: Black Ops is scheduled to release November 9, 2010 for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC.