Definitely sounds like a deal between MS and ATVI when you think about it.
Bill Gates - "Hey, not only do we want the game released on Xbox first exclusively, can you make it so that Elite is available ONLY on new devices? We need to sell some more product, please."
That said, the app is "free" other than you have to drop another $400 - $500 for the device to put the "free" app on.
