XBOX ONE hitting North American shelves on NOVEMBER 22.

Steve Ballmer is ready.

It looks like all my mewling about possibly being stuck in the prestious generation for a week or so won’t come to pass. Microsoft’s XBONE won’t strike shelves preemptively, rather the company has opted to drop their console a week after Sony does theirs.

The Xbox One launches in 13 markets including North America on November 22. After leaving it in the limbo of a November release window for a few months, Microsoft pinned a concrete release date on its next-gen system, one that’ll see it arrive on North American retail shelves behind the PlayStation 4, due on November 15. On the other hand, the PS4 hits Europe one week after the Xbox One on November 29.

To recap, the Xbox One’s 13 launch markets are Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland, all initially on the launch list, won’t see the Xbox One arrive until 2014.

As for the price, the Xbox One lands at $500 in the US, €500 in Europe, and £430 in the UK. The console’s Standard edition includes the system, new Kinect sensor, Chat headset, and controller, as well as necessities including an HDMI cable, power supply, and Quick Start guide. Day One editions are also available at the same price, swapping out the Standard controller for a unique Day One controller with chrome d-pad, while also bundling in a Day One achievement code along with special packaging. In Europe, all Day One pre-orders score a free copy of football sim FIFA 14.

So that’s it: We have dates and prices for both Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen consoles, meaning we can finally plan the rest of our lives accordingly. Phew!

[Joystiq]