Microsoft’s forthcoming Xbox One console will not be released in Asia until late 2014, despite the fact that it will launch in the West in November this year, it was revealed last night.

The console, whose parade was rained upon somewhat by Sony during its own press conference at E3 yesterday, was initially thought to be coming to Asia soon after launching in North America and Europe. Asian gamers keen to pick an Xbox One up, however, are in for a long wait, with Microsoft representatives quoting “late 2014” as the console’s launch window in the East.

Although Microsoft has since gone on record to state that it fully intends to release the console in Japan at some point, it is thought that incredibly poor sales of its current hardware in Japan have prompted the company to step back from the territory for a while in order to devise a new marketing strategy.

This leaves us in the rather unusual situation where Sony may be left without a main competitor in the next-gen hardware race in its native Japan. While the 3DS continues to see strong sales, and promises of upcoming titles for the Wii U will likely bolster the struggling home console’s performance, Nintendo’s approach to gaming and hardware in general puts it and Sony on a quite different playing fields, with either company’s products often appealing to markedly different consumer bases.

Source: Engadget Japan