xbox-one
The Xbox One is set to launch in 13 markets, the United States and United Kingdom included, on Friday, November 22, 2013, Microsoft confirms today, ending months of speculation. Also included in the initial launch are Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, and Spain. The announcement goes on to reveal that “many more markets will follow in 2014.”



The post also confirms that the Xbox One development team, in its ongoing tinkering with the upcoming tech, was able to squeeze out improved processor performance. The console’s CPU was previously confirmed to run at a speed of 1.6GHz, but that number has been boosted up by roughly 10 percent, to 1.75GHz. Knock yourselves out with that detail, techheads.



Gamer historians will note that the November 22 launch is the same date that the Xbox 360 launched in 2005. That’s not a coincidence. It’s also one week after Sony’s previously confirmed November 15 launch date for the PlayStation 4.



We previously learned that the Xbox One will be launching with a robust lineup of games, covering a cross-section of first- and third-party titles, both on disc and available for download only. Big ticket blockbusters to watch for are Dead Rising 3 and Forza Motorsport 5, along with third-party ports of Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and Watch Dogs.