Paris (AFP)

The video game planet has been waiting for the event for months: Microsoft is putting its new Xbox Series console on sale Tuesday, two days before the launch of Sony's PlayStation 5, marking the transition to a new generation of machines.

The two consoles, each available in two versions at different prices, will notably compete for the hearts and wallets of players during the holiday season, traditionally lucrative for the gaming industry.

Microsoft thus offers the Xbox Series X, a "premium" model at a price of 499 dollars, and its little sister the Xbox Series S, with lower display performance, no disk drive and with reduced dimensions like its price: 299 dollars.

The American had sold half as many copies of its previous console, the Xbox One, than its Japanese rival PlayStation 4, both of which were released in late 2013.

Seven years after their last duel, Microsoft hopes this time to catch up with its competitor even if the new Xbox will not be able to benefit from its launch of its flagship game "Halo Infinite": its release has been postponed to 2021, the pandemic having affected game development.

The Ampere Analysis firm predicts sales of 13.5 million Xbox Series X and S by the end of 2021 against 17.9 million PS5, which will be able to surf on the contrary on new titles to accompany its launch, at the image of the highly anticipated "Spider-Man: Miles Morales".

Aware of the need to also eventually offer an attractive game catalog, Microsoft broke its piggy bank at the end of September by securing control of Bethesda Softworks, the publisher of the hit series "The Elder Scrolls" and "Fallout" ", for 7.5 billion dollars.

- Stores closed -

"There is no doubt that Microsoft is better placed to compete with Sony compared to the Xbox One and PS4 generations," said Piers Harding-Rolls, analyst for the firm Ampere Analysis, who believes that its "tiered price" strategy will allow it to 'achieve "different types of console player".

Another advantage is its positioning towards a “video game Netflix” with Xbox Game Pass, a subscription service for dematerialized games which already has more than 10 million users.

This new chapter in the history of video games opens however differently from previous launches with great fanfare, with strong queues in front of stores around the world, because of the coronavirus and the new restrictions imposed in several countries.

"The pandemic has had a considerable impact" on consumer behavior with "massive adoption of e-commerce," notes Morris Garrard, analyst at Futuresource, estimating that the majority of purchases will be made via orders delivered directly to homes.

Sony has also warned that it will not sell any console in stores on the launch days of the PS5 (Thursday for several countries in Asia-Pacific and North America, then November 19 for Europe) "for the safety of players and vendors ".

"Please don't plan to camp" outside the shops to avoid crowds, the Japanese group pleaded last week.

Combined with a demand boosted by lifestyles that have become more home-like with the health crisis, this massive online transition "will further expose distribution to interference," Garrard told AFP.

"There will inevitably be people who will use bots (automated computer programs, Editor's note) to scan all the sites" and "as soon as new stocks are put on sale, they will leave in a few minutes".

According to the analyst, "many of those who want to get a console may not have the opportunity for three to six months."

To mark the launch and ride the excitement of fans, including those who won't have a console, Microsoft has hosted a series of online events in multiple countries, starting with a countdown to midnight overnight. from Monday to Tuesday in New Zealand, the first country to switch to the new date.

It then plans a global presentation of the games on its new console, which will be streamed from Tuesday midday in the United States (19:00 GMT).

© 2020 AFP