The PS4 release date is upon us, with the Xbox One rival now available in the US ahead of its UK arrival tomorrow, November 29.
With the US the first territory to be offered Sony's next-gen gamer, the PS4 is now on sale through American retailers, while avid UK-based gaming fans will be able to snap-up the next-gen console when the clocks tick into midnight this evening.
With Sony holding a special midnight launch party for gaming fans in London's Covent Garden this evening, a range of UK retailers have all confirmed they will fling open their doors in the early hours to let wannabe owners snap up the indemand console.
In the build up to the UK's November 29 PS4 release date, PS4 pre-orders have hit fever pitch in recent weeks. Demand for the console has been so high, online retailer Amazon has already confirmed that new orders will now not be shipped until after the Christmas period.
“Customers who pre-order this console from November 14 will receive their consoles after Christmas," an Amazon spokesperson has confirmed.
The PS4 release date was officially announced by Sony during its Gamescom 2013 press conference back in August.
Some of the major retailers having confirmed their plans to hold PS4 midnight openings include specialist retailer GAME, supermarket chains Tesco and Asda, as well as a fleet of further high street stores up and down the country.
Landing in UK two weeks after its global launch debut in the US, tonight's PS4 UK release date will see the console go head-to-head with the Xbox One release date, a launch that has been set one week earlier on November 22.
Making the PS4 release date announcement, Andrew House, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment stated: “PlayStation 4 will be launching in 32 countries this holiday season and will be made available in North America on the 15th of November and in Europe on the 29th of November.”
He added: “2013 is the year when interactive entertainment takes a massive leap forward with the launch of the PS4.”
Watch our PS4 vs PS3 video as we go hands-on with Sony's next-gen console.
With the PS4 release date and price now confirmed, the Sony branded console seemingly has the edge over its Microsoft produced rival, with the Xbox One release date set for November. What’s more, the PS4 price is £80 cheaper than that of the Xbox One, heading to retailers priced £349 compared with the Xbox’s £429 price tag.
The PS4 is set to be bestowed with a raft of new and exclusive games at launch, with the likes of Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag and Infamous Second Son all to be made available for the PS3 follow on.
Further PS4 games set to feature at launch include the likes of Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4 and FIFA 14. A number of further high-profile games are all set to hit the console in the near future too with Bungie’s Destiny topping the eagerly awaited list.
Read More: PS4 vs Xbox One
