Microsoft has announced the release date of its next-generation gaming console, the Xbox One, to be on November 22, the same date the Xbox 360 launched back in 2005.
The console will initially be available in 13 countries: The U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The company confirmed that the remaining markets where the Xbox One will be available will come out sometime in early 2014.
The timing of the release will beat rival Sony's next-generation console to market, the PlayStation 4 in every market except North America, where the console will be out on November 15.
"The culmination of many years of listening to you, our fans, developing innovative technology, and partnering with the best game and entertainment partners in the industry has brought us to this point," said Xbox's marketing vice-president Yusuf Mehdi. "There is still a lot more work to do, but the teams are making excellent progress and are focused on launch."
Mehdi went on to confirm that an additional number of Xbox One Day One Editions have been made available for pre-order, meaning Europeans looking to get a free copy of FIFA 14 with their console still have a chance. He also took time to confirm rumors that the console's CPU has been upgraded from 1.6 GHz to 1.75 GHz, according to IGN
The Xbox One has undergone several changes since it was first unveiled at this year's E3 2013 gaming conference. Fans reacted poorly to the decision to require the console to be constantly connected to the Internet and Microsoft's new policy on trading and selling used games. In order to stay competitive with its rival, the PlayStation 4, Microsoft had to remodel some of those key features to meet fans demands.
Despite the public relations setback, the Xbox One's release date announcement has sparked the first real console war since 2006, the last time both companies had new gaming machines on the market, according to BBC News.
The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will still reach most markets around the world before the holiday season. Microsoft's console is priced $100 higher than its competitor, with the Xbox One running a price tag of $499.
Tell us which one you'll be purchasing in the fall and why in the comments section below.
