In an announcement which implies that the Sony next-generation game console - PlayStation 4 (PS4) - will be comparatively cheaper than rival Microsoft's new Xbox One, Sony said at the E3 trade show that the cost of its console in the US will be $399. In the UK, the console will be priced at £349; and, across Europe, the device's cost will be 399 euros.

In comparison, Microsoft's next-generation Xbox One - the pricing of which was announced by the company at the same event earlier in the day - will cost $499 in the US, £429 in the UK, and 499 euros across Europe.

In addition to announcing the price of its forthcoming PS4 console, Sony also unveiled what the console will exactly look like, and said that no restriction will be imposed by the company for the play of second-hand games on the device.

Meanwhile, noting that the scale of the apparent difference between the costs of the PS4 and the Xbox One came as a big shock to the attendees of the E3 event in Los Angeles, Stephen Totilo - gaming news site Kotaku's editor-in-chief - told the BBC that the "big headline" is that the cost of the PS4 will be $100 less than that of the Xbox One when the consoles hit the US.

Totilo also said: "Microsoft is going to need to look again at its price or explain why it offers better value, such as the inclusion of its Kinect sensor."