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

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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