While Microsoft may have stated up, down and sidesaddle that the 250GB version of its Xbox 360 HDD would remain exclusive to special console bundles (e.g., Modern Warfare 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction), it would appear that the particular drive will arrive as a standalone accessory sometime soon. As spotted by eagle-eyed Joystiq reader Rodney in the Spotlight section of the Xbox 360 Dashboard (pictured above), the accessory should be available at "participating retailers" rather soon -- the ad's wording indicates that the HDD might already be on store shelves (as of this writing, Amazon has the product listed without a price).

We can't say we're exactly shocked by the news (though it is of course odd to see a reveal through our Xbox's Dashboard) as we've been hearing rumblings about a standalone version of the 250GB HDD for quite some time -- one even popped up on the aforementioned retail websites earlier this month bearing ... today's date! We've asked Microsoft for pricing and release info, but until the West Coast wakes up, we've got this thrilling hi-res gallery of the advertisement for you just below.

[Thanks Rodney!]