The next-generation Xbox One video game console will hit the shelves on November 22, Microsoft announced Wednesday, warning of possible shortages at specific retail locations that have sold out of available pre-order units.
The Xbox One is priced at $499 and launches a week later than Sony's rival console, PlayStation 4 ($399) in the U.S. and other regions. Last month, Microsoft said that the console would not appear in eight additional European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland) until 2014, because the company is still implementing voice support for the various European languages for the console's various voice-activated features.
Xbox One has received more pre-orders than any previous Xbox console, Yusuf Mehdi, vice president Xbox marketing, strategy and business, said in a statement. Though Microsoft hasn't shared how any numbers consoles have been pre-ordered or how it will meet demand, Mendi told Xbox Wire that the company would "enable some incremental, additional units for the day one release."
The Xbox One is $499. Sony announced in June at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles that the PlayStation 4 will debut for $399 in the U.S., £349 in the U.K. and €399 in Europe.
The Xbox One launch date also confirms the release date for the console's 23 launch titles, which Microsoft revealed last month at the Gamescom game industry conference in Cologne, Germany.
Yannick LeJacq is a contributing writer for NBC News who has also covered technology and games for Kill Screen, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. You can follow him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq and reach him by email at: Yannick.LeJacq@nbcuni.com.