PlayStation 4 Release Date Leaked, Shipping Earlier than Expected

When announcing the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One prices at E3, neither Sony nor Microsoft divulged an actual release date, speaking in the general terms of “this holiday” for the PS4 release date and “in November” for the Xbox One. Amid the deluge of third-party game info that week, we reported that EA may have leaked the consoles’ release date as November 19 when announcing Need for Speed Rivals. Turns out the PlayStation 4, at least, may release at least one full week before that, which would be welcome news to those with PS4 pre-orders already in hand.

In-store advertising, as shown in a photo taken at the Amsterdam store of the large European retailer MediaMarkt, shows the PlayStation 4 hitting retail on November 13. If Sony plans a worldwide PS4 release date, that would put the PlayStation 4 release date in North America and Asia on track with that European date. On the other hand, if North America will get the PS4 earlier than other territories, the PlayStation 4 may very well release even earlier, giving it a significant jump on the Black Friday sales.

Several outlets have reported that Sony instructed GameStop to continue taking pre-orders, although the stores we contacted indicated they were completely sold out of PlayStation 4 launch-day consoles. Amazon, however, still has some available in bundle format only, so if you want to get a PlayStation 4 the day it launches, you’ll need to place your PS4 pre-order at Amazon.

The logic behind thinking the PlayStation 4 may launch in North America before the leaked release date in Europe of November 13 is based on history. The PS3 launched in Japan on November 11, 2006, followed by a North American release on November 17 that same year. It didn’t go on sale in Europe or the rest of the APAC region until March 23, 2007. Presuming Sony follows a similar pattern for the PS4 release date, the next-gen console could hit Japan and North America in early November.

A worldwide release date makes sense this time around, particularly considering the long runway of production time Sony has reportedly had for the PlayStation 4. If the display in the Amsterdam MediaMarkt store is accurate, the PS4 could release one full week earlier than the previously-leaked EA release date. Unless, of course, November 19 is the Xbox One release date. In that case, it will be interesting to see how Sony leverages its one-week lead time, or whether Microsoft responds by moving up its console’s release date to hit retail the same time the PS4 arrives. Currently, Amazon is still accepting Xbox One Day One pre-orders, regardless of their ship date.