The Xbox One will be released on November 29th, 2013 followed by the PS4 which will be released on December 13th, 2013, according to the supplier to high street and online retailer, Toys R Us. Both of these dates are likely to be for the UK release of the consoles but could be worldwide.
Listings for both of the next gen consoles on the Toys R Us website with these two specific release dates appeared yesterday. It’s not unusual for retailers to list placeholder release dates for gaming hardware and upcoming releases, as some retailers stock systems require an actual date in order to be processed. The difference in this matter though is that the retailer have confirmed that these dates are “accurate”.
When contacted by a member of BT Games as to whether the November and December release dates are “accurate, or just a best-guess scenario”, a spokesperson from Toys R Us responded with an email that stated that “I can confirm this information has been given direct from our suppliers and is accurate.”
While this certainly seems like concrete evidence, Sony have commented stating “We haven’t made any announcements other than coming this holiday season” and Microsoft issued the following statement:
“We have announced that Xbox One will launch this November, but have not shared any further details. It’s common practice for retailers to use placeholder dates for pre-order items without an official launch date. Please stay tuned to news.xbox.com, where we share the latest official details about all things Xbox One.”
There have been plenty of previous rumours and placeholder dates for the release of both the PS4 and the Xbox One, but until now we haven’t had a retailer confirm that these dates are accurate. An Amazon listing in June put the Xbox One release date on November 27th, however when Microsoft was asked to confirm the accuracy of the date, they released the same above statement.
Either Toys R Us have listed the actual release dates before the two publishers, earning themselves a slap on the wrist, or somebody at Toys R Us or their suppliers have made a mistake or been given the wrong information. Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone at the retail outlet is about to get in a lot of trouble.
UPDATE: Toys R Us have offered their “sincerest apologies” following the listings of the Xbox One and PS3 release dates on their online store. Read the full statement here.
For more information about the next gen consoles, check out our Xbox One FAQ and PS4 Features & Tech Specs Breakdown.
BREAKING: Xbox One & PS4 Release Dates Confirmed StickTwiddlers