Xbox One to possibly launch 8 November: report

Microsoft’s upcoming super-console, the Xbox One might launch 8 November, a full week earlier than the confirmed 15 November launch of Sony’s PS4. This is according to Kotaku, which has dug up a Walmart company-wide email that lists a midnight launch for the Xbox One on the night of 8 December.

The site’s source is someone who works on the physical marketing for Walmart and the email is a list of all midnight specials planned by the US mega-store in the near future. Is this just a push for Microsoft to get its console out before the competition? If you look closely though, you’ll see that next to the word “midnight” there is no “confirmed” tag as indicated by the other products on the list, such as the PS4 and GTA V.

Again, nothing has been confirmed. This is a random report by a nameless source and as such, Microsoft could change the launch date at any time. In the past, the Xbox 360 launched a full year before the PS3 on 22 November 2005. Sony’s PS3 launched 11 November 2006, giving Microsoft plenty of time to gain the upper hand in the gaming market. After almost a decade, both consoles are now almost on an even keel in terms of sales. According to rankings site VGchartz, the Xbox 360 and PS3 are on 78.17 and 78.67-million sales respectively. Perhaps the upcoming console war will end up in a draw come 2023.

Image via Kotaku