Xbox One launch due at midnight

The hotly-anticipated Xbox One will go on sale at midnight tonight.

Microsoft’s latest games console will be released through a series of midnight openings at games retailers across the country.

It will also be officially unveiled at a glitzy central London event with live outdoor performances and appearances by TV and sports stars.

The Xbox One, christened “Xbone” by some gamers, is the successor to 2005’s long-lasting Xbox 360 and the third device in the Xbox family after Microsoft entered the console market in 2001.

Events in New York and Los Angeles will feature music from Deadmau5 and rapper Macklemore, while actors in zombie costumes from the game Dead Rising 3 will invade Times Square.

High street retailer Game said it was preparing for midnight launches at hundreds of towns and cities in the UK and Ireland.

The Xbox One has a 500GB hard drive, an eight-core processor and a beefed-up version of Microsoft’s Kinect system, which allows a camera to track and interpret human body movements.

The website for the new Xbox Fitness game says Kinect “detects micro-fluctuations in your skin optically to read your heart rate, absolutely touch free, from up to 10 feet away”.

Exclusive launch titles include sword-and-sandal adventure Ryse: Son of Rome and racing game Forza Motorsport 5, as well as versions of currently available games such as Call of Duty: Ghosts and the pirate-themed Assassin’s Creed IV.

The device, which retails for approximately €499, will face stiff competition next week when Sony releases its Playstation 4, costing less at €399.