PlayStation 4 release date set, Xbox One games announced at GamesCom

At the GamesCom conference in Cologne on Tuesday, Sony and Microsoft each made major announcements regarding the release of their competing new consoles, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Sony announced that the latest PlayStation would go on sale on November 15 in the United States:

In its presentation, which was also live-streamed, Sony said that it has seen over 1 million pre-orders for the $399 console so far, meaning that there will be quite a bit of shopping and shipping come mid-November. The game industry is facing a busy holiday season, with the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s next console, the Xbox One, set to compete head-to-head for space on gamers’ TV stands. . . .

The PlayStation will be launching in 32 territories, though it will reach Europe a few days after it hits the United States, on Nov. 29. Sony made several announcements about the console, including that it will be integrated with the social game-streaming network Twitch and that players who buy digital copies of games such as “Battlefield 4,” “Call of Duty: Ghosts” and “Watch Dogs” will be able to upgrade to PlayStation 4-compatible versions of those titles at a discount.