Though Microsoft gave us plenty to chew on at its Xbox event last month, the company still had a ton of stuff to talk about at yesterday's E3 press conference. Included in the new information passed along by Microsoft was a release time frame as well as a price for the Xbox One console.
According to Redmond, the Xbox One console will launch in November of this year, which is in line with the company's previous promise of a Holiday 2013 launch and should put it on roughly the same launch schedule as Sony's PlayStation 4 (also set for a Holiday 2013 release). The console will go on sale in 21 markets around the world and each unit sold will include the system, one controller, Kinect and a free 14-day trial for Xbox Live Gold (for new members only). There's also a limited-edition commemorative bundle for those that reserve their units ahead of time. This will guarantee you can get the Xbox One on launch day and will feature "premium" black packaging, a limited edition Xbox One Day One wireless controller, and a commemorative Day One Achievement. There's also bonus content for those that reserve Ryse: Sons of Rome, Forza 5, Kinect Sports Rivals, or Dead Rising 3.
Of course, with Kinect bundled with every unit, things are a bit pricier than the PS4. Microsoft says pricing for the U.S. market will be $499.99 at launch, which is a hundred bucks more than what folks will be paying for a PS4. Even if PS4 shoppers do spring for the PlayStation 4 Eye as an add-on, they'll still end up paying less (it's priced at $59 as a separate purchase).
