Real Zune from Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is being given away for free

A real, unpackaged Zune – the unlikely trending gadget seen in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 – is being given away for free.

Music is a central component of what makes James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies so successful, and is just one of many reasons the trilogy is arguably the best in the MCU. 

Each film is underscored with an eclectic soundtrack of pop, rock, and soul, with Peter Quill’s mom’s mix tape providing the soundtrack for the first movie. 

But in Vol 3, Chris Pratt’s character has traded in the Sony Walkman he previously used for a Zune, Microsoft’s 2006 MP3 player that was discontinued in 2011. And it looks like one person will soon be able to listen to up to “300 songs”, Guardians style, very soon…

Microsoft giving away real Zune from Guardians of the Galaxy 3

Although Zune digital media players were discontinued all those years ago, Microsoft managed to find one in its back rooms untouched and still in its packaging. And it’s now being given away as part of a new competition. 

Taking to Twitter, the tech giant wrote: “In honor of @MarvelStudios’ #GotGVol3 we’re giving away this never opened Microsoft Zune. We have no idea if it works. Like and RT for a chance to win!”

The tweet also shared the official rules of how to enter the Zune sweepstakes, which explain that the competition is currently open and will close on May 17, 2023, at 11.59pm PT. Those who enter must be a legal resident of the 50 United States and be age 18 or over. 

All you have to do to be in the running is simply like and retweet Microsoft’s designated promotional tweet containing the #ZuneSweepstakes hashtag during the entry period. “Retweets must be in the exact form as the original tweet to be eligible to receive an entry,” it added.  

Of course, you can still buy Zunes online. But since they’re no longer in production, you’re looking at a couple of hundred bucks for an already used product. 

As well as excitement among the fans, Microsoft’s competition has sparked a nostalgia-fuelled conversation in the comments section, with streams of messages from people sharing their old Zunes online. 

“Would be pretty epic to win,” wrote one. “Can go with my still working 30GB OG Zune. Had to put the guardians soundtrack on it.”

Another said: “Zune was the best! I wish it had survived the era!” While a third added: “I still have my Zune and randomly found the power cord last weekend. I’ll have to try and power it on to see what had been on the playlists.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is in cinemas now. You can read our review here, while for more on the movie, head to our dedicated GOTG page, or check out the below articles…

Best Easter Eggs | Pete Davidson cameo | Who dies? | Counter-Earth explained | Number of post-credits scenes | Avengers: Infinity War reference | Phyla-Vell explained | Is Yondu in GOTG 3? | Chris Pratt wants to return | Lylla, Teef and Floor explained | Does Rocket die? | Doctor Moreau influence | Adam Warlock, hero or villain? | High Evolutionary explained | Soundtrack details | Description of post-credit scenes | All actors and characters | Runtime explained | Why Rocket is the MVP | Is it streaming? | What is Blurp? | Ending explained | GOTG movies ranked | Will there be a Vol 4?