SONY’S eagerly awaited PlayStation 5 will launch in November, taking on a new offering by console rival Xbox as video game play booms during the pandemic.

A streamed event showcasing games tailored for PS5 ended with word that two versions of the console would be released on November 12 in Australia, North America, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan and South Korea, then in the rest of the world a week later.

The premium PS5 will be priced at US$500 (RM2,100), while a “digital edition” designed for the trend of games being downloaded from the cloud will be priced at US$400, according to the presentation.

“With PlayStation 5, we are making a significant leap to deliver a truly new generation of transformative play experiences that will redefine expectations for what games can be,” Sony Interactive Entertainment chief Jim Ryan said when the console was first revealed.

Sony has shown off titles being readied for PS5 and provided a glimpse at the console – a dark tower with white sides that encase it like a partially open clamshell.

A “full” model PS5 has a slot for game or video discs, while the digital model does not since titles can be downloaded via the internet or played in the cloud.

“Since we first announced our next generation console last year, we have received astounding support from developers and gaming fans all around the world, and it’s truly humbling,” said Ryan.

Microsoft last week announced its next-generation Xbox game console will launch on November 10, with an estimated starting price the same as that of the PS5.

The new XBox Series X, Microsoft’s flagship console which competes notably against Sony’s PlayStation devices, will be available for pre-orders from September 22. – AFP, September 17, 2020.