Last night Microsoft announced the pricing and release information for its next generation Xbox One console at the E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles. MS announced that the One will be launching in November 2013 with the UK, US and non-specific parts of Europe getting the console first.
In the UK the console will sell for £429, the US for $499 (yeah, we can’t work out the silly price difference either!) and in Europe it’ll retail for €499.
However, fans of Xbox in Asia will have to wait quite a bit longer as The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft is delaying its Xbox One launch there until late 2014, a full year after the console debuts in the US and UK.
Microsoft have said that the delay is part of a “staged approach” for the Xbox One and historically they’ve not done as well with their console in Asia. Sony generally has a magic touch across Asia so it’s understandable why Microsoft would like to delay the release… but by a whole year is a bit much.
The Asian markets concerned include Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and India but there was no mention of Japan and if they would get the Xbox One before the others. Japan is home to Sony and Nintendo, so it’s a pivotal area for MS if they are looking for worldwide domination. An extract from the WSJ article highlights another potential trouble for Microsoft’s new console in Japan;
Another limit on the Japanese launch has been attributed to the Xbox One’s need to have the Kinect Sensor attached and in use… with Japan’s average home size much smaller than the average US and European there is a question as to will the Kinect Sensor work in more cramped living spaces.
Speculation aside we are happy to see the Xbox One coming to the US and Europe in November, but with Sony undercutting the Xbox One by £80 with its £350 PS4 and a similar release time penned in, has Microsoft already lost this console war?