Microsoft has launched the long-awaited Xbox One in Australia, beating Sony's Playstation 4 to the punch by a mere seven days.
The console costs $599 and succeeds the Xbox 360, which launched in Australia more than seven years ago. The Playstation 4 replaces the Playstation 3 and will retail for $549 when it is released on November 29.
Both consoles boast upgrades providing richer graphics and more immersive gameplay than their predecessors, and both are looking to capture a broader market than gamers alone.
Microsoft and Sony are positioning the consoles as broader entertainment devices for the internet-era. They want to take over the digital living room.
In addition to playing games, for example, Xbox One users can watch TV shows and films, listen to music, surf the web, and converse via Skype.
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The console also comes with advanced voice and gesture recognition technology allowing it to recognise different users and respond to commands.
In short, no more remote controls.
"This is the beginning of a new generation of games and entertainment and a new generation of smart TV," said Microsoft's entertainment unit executive Yusuf Mehdi when Xbox One was first unveiled.
Australians appear keen to snap up the consoles, said Foad Fadaghi, a senior analyst with technology firm Telsyte.
One in five of 1000 people surveyed by the firm in the first week of November said they were keen to buy one of the consoles in the next six months.
Overall, however, there was twice as much interest in Sony's offering than Microsoft's, the survey found.
Fadaghi said this was partly due to superior marketing.
"Playstation 4 was announced in early in 2013 and has benefited from greater awareness amongst potential buyers," he told AAP.
In their push into the digital living room, the two consoles are also competing for film, TV and music consumption against Apple TV, Google's Chromecast, and a range of other devices.
But in the lead to up Christmas, the relative success of the consoles might simply depend on which is able to stay in stock, Fadaghi said.
Customers may opt for their second preference if only to ensure they have a new console over the holiday period.
The Xbox launched in 370 retailers around the country, with 22 launch titles including Call of Duty: Ghosts, Halo, and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.
