Sony sets up face-off with Microsoft by announcing sale date for PlayStation 4

Sony has set the date for its upcoming face-off with Microsoft, announcing the PlayStation 4 will go on sale in November.

The next-generation games console will be available in 32 countries at launch, Sony said at a press conference at the Gamescom exhibition in Germany, going on sale in Europe on November 29th, costing €399.

North American gamers will get the console two weeks earlier on November 15th.

"The launch of PlayStation presents an opportunity to transform the gameplay experience into something more engaging and social," Sony computer entertainment president Andrew House said.

At its press conference the company showed off the user interface for the PlayStation 4, and announced a price drop for both PlayStation Vita and the 12GB PlayStation 3 console to €199.

The company also announced strategic partnerships with some of Europe’s biggest telecoms providers in a bid to improve online gaming through the PlayStation platform. Among the first partnerships, which will improve broadband speeds for gamers, will be tie-ins with Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Virgin and ONO.

Lead architect on the PlayStation 4 Mark Cerny predicted a renaissance of gaming on the PlayStation 4, and said the launch line-up for the console was the strongest in PlayStation history. Among the launch titles are Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Minecraft and War Thunder.

The launch of the next generation of consoles will be the first time that Microsoft and Sony will go head to head directly.

As yet Microsoft has not revealed the date the Xbox One will go on sale, although it has confirmed that 13 countries will get the console in November, including Ireland.

At Gamescom Microsoft unveiled its line-up of games for the Xbox One in November, including Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag, EA's Battlefield 4 and Capcom's Dead Rising 3. Microsoft will also make available some of its own titles, such as Forza Motorsport 5, and tried and tested third-party franchises such as football game Fifa 14, Call Of Duty: Ghosts and Just Dance 2014.

More than 20 titles have already been confirmed for the launch of the console.

Gamescom opens to the public tomorrow and will run until Saturday.