Microsoft attacks PlayStation 3 launch with Gears of War

Microsoft has revealed that Gears of War will be released on November 12 in the USA and November 17 in the UK.

That puts the Epic Games title directly up against PlayStation 3, which launches on November 17 in both the US and Europe.

Gears of War is one of the Xbox 360's most highly anticipated exclusives, and will be considered the heaviest possible blow - short of price cut or the premature emergence of Halo 3 - Microsoft could land in the battle against PS3.

The company declined to state the obvious about the launch timing - preferring instead to remind us how many trade-show awards the game has picked up so far - but it's made no secret in the past of its desire to upset Sony's launch plans.

Originally the plan was to have Halo 3 ready to combat Sony. Speaking to Time Magazine last May, chairman Bill Gates said the rival console would "walk right into Halo 3" when it launched.

Much has changed since then, however - Gates withdrew his remarks and said Halo 3 would be released when it was fully prepared, while Sony shifted its launch window from "spring 2006", eventually confirming the November date during its E3 press conference.

Whether it's still "perfect" - as Gates envisioned the clash of Sony's next-gen console and Halo 3 - remains to be seen, but hype is certainly on Gears' side, and the game's likely to shift huge quantities amongst the Xbox 360 hardcore.

Microsoft hopes to have ten million 360s in the marketplace by the time Gears of War launches, and sell 15 million total by the end of June 2007.