PS4 release date, news and features

The PlayStation 4 will go on sale later this year and it'll be cheaper than the Xbox One - $399 in the U.S., £349 in the U.K. and €399 - compared to $499 and £429.

These pricing details were revealed along - at long last - with the look of the PS4 console itself, at Sony's E3 2013 press conference.

Sony says the PS4 was designed with an overarching theme of a "frictionless and seamless" gaming experience.

 

We've known that the PS4 will track both the controller in a gamer's hand, as well as their face, since the console's launch in February. But during his GDC talk Norden revealed some interesting ways that this technology will be implemented in games.

PS4's new look

The PS4 itself was shown off for the first time at E3 and it's black, just like the Xbox One. However, it has an angular design and appears to be constructed of a similar plastic to the original PS3 Slim machine.

It looks as though it's slimmer than the Xbox One but we're not totally blown away by the design. What do you think?

PS4 release date

The official PS4 release date is still "November". Sony didn't reveal any more details on the release date at E3 so we're still in the dark with regards to an exact day. However, with Microsoft launching the Xbox One worldwide in November, it seems likely that Sony will be going live around this time also.

In late June, German and Dutch retail outlet Media Markt put up posters advertising the PS4 release date as Wednesday November 13, while Dutch site Bol.com also advertised the same on-sale date. That's two two weeks before the Xbox One release date.

At the end of July, though, Toys R Us seemed to confirm that the PS4 release date will be Friday December 13th, two weeks after the launch of the Xbox One.

PS4 price

Sony announced the PS4 price at E3 - it'll cost $399 in the US, £349 in the UK and €399 in Europe when it goes on sale in November. That's a whole $100 cheaper than the Xbox One.

That price, it must be said, does not include the PlayStation Camera, whereas the Xbox One will ship with the second version of Kinect.