Gamescom 2013: The battle is on with Microsoft's Xbox One as Sony announces PS4 launch date

 

Laura Davis
Wednesday 21 August 2013 05:59 EDT
Comments
(Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Huge announcements in the gaming world will be taking place this week at Gamescom, the biggest gaming conference in Europe.

It has today been revealed at the conference in Germany that the PlayStation 4 will be launched in 32 countries - on 15th November in the US and 29th November in Europe.

Microsoft failed to announce a launch date for their rival the Xbox One earlier this week - although it will be launching at some point in November. The launch will also take place in 13 countries - eight less than intended - and fans in other countries, including Russia, will apparently be able to purchase the console from 2014.

While PlayStation has been less successful than both the Wii and Xbox 360 in America, PlayStation races ahead of Xbox in Europe.

When it comes to global sales - they're just about equal.

So will the launches at the end of 2013 see one race ahead of the other?

Let's see how they compare so far:

Xbox One:

  • It will cost £429
  • Over 20 titles will be available at launch, including Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag and Call of Duty: Ghosts - which will have its own dedicated servers and a multiplayer mode
  • All pre orders of the Xbox One will include a free copy of FIFA 14
  • Fifa 14 will also feature an Ultimate Team option exclusively on Xbox for legendary past footballers such as Pelé to play against current players
  • Xbox Live Trending will show what your friends and the community are playing - as well as recommendations for new games based on what you've already been playing
  • Gamers will also be able to share their gameplay footage online
  • Microsoft will also offer free Xbox One development kits to video games makers to encourage smalll teams to make indie titles
     

PlayStation 4:

  • PlayStation 4 will be £80 cheaper than Xbox One at ₤349
  • Launch games will include 15 new launch titles exclusive to PS4, and a big focus on indie titles
  • A new free to play service 'Little Big Planet Hub' will be available
  • PlayStation 3 and PS Vita will drop in price to $199 in the US (approx £127 in the UK) - which will also allow immediate remote gameplay from PS4
  • Those who buy PS3 versions of Call of Duty: Ghosts, Assassin’s Creed IV, Battlefield 4 - will be able to buy PS4 versions for discounted price
  • Twitch will integrate with PlayStation for gamers to share their gameplay - or simply spectate

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in