TOKYO — Local gamers eager to get their hands on a next-generation console will only have to wait until the end of the year after Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 (PS4) will be launched in Singapore in December.

That puts Sony firmly in the driving seat in the race against Microsoft, whose Xbox One will only be available in Asia late next year.

Sony had announced in June’s E3 Expo, in Los Angeles, that the PS4 will initially be launched in North America on Nov 15, closely followed by Europe and Australia on Nov 29.

No pricing details for Asia have been released, but the console will be priced at US$399 (S$500) in the US.

The imminent launch of the PS4 may mean that Sony is able to strike a significant blow against Microsoft’s Xbox One in a race which many believe the Japanese manufacturer is already winning.

At E3, Sony announced a console that was US$100 cheaper (albeit without a comparable camera device) than the Xbox One, which comes packaged with the Kinect add-on.

Sony also said that the PS4 would not require the Internet to work and gamers would be able to trade-in or share disc-based games.

That announcement, which was widely applauded by the gaming community, saw Microsoft attempt to salvage its reputation by making a U-turn on almost all the restrictions on the Xbox One — but the recent news that the 22 launch countries for the console will be cut to 13 saw it take a backward step in the fight for next-generation bragging rights.

But it is in the development of games that the faster release of the PS4 may make a significant difference: Games companies prefer to work on titles for consoles with a larger installed base, so a near 12-month lead-in time will give the PS4 a critical mass of users well before the Xbox One hits the stores. That could mean that developers may want to focus on developing titles for the PS4 as this could offer greater potential sales.

Still, Microsoft retains plenty of support, with fans eagerly awaiting Xbox One exclusive titles such as Titanfall and a new Halo game.

And history shows that while an early launch date can give a console an initial boost, over time the impact may be lessened. Although the Xbox 360 was launched a year before the PlayStation 3, total global sales of the two competing consoles have been broadly similar.

At its press conference, Sony also announced that its new 2000-series PlayStation Vita will be released in Asia in November this year and the PlayStation Vita TV will be released in January. Pricing details for these products were not given.

Sony also announced the launch date of many upcoming game titles, with some, such as EA’s Battlefield 4, available at the Asia launch date of the PS4.