Microsoft Announce Xbox One Price Drop To £300

RTXZVH6 (640x424) — IN PHOTO : Xbox One (C) with the Kinect motions sensor (L) and the controller is pictured during a press event unveiling Microsoft's new Xbox in Redmond, Washington May 21, 2013. REUTERS/Nick Adams

Microsoft announced on April 13 that it has cut the price of the Xbox One to £300 in the U.K. This has made it £50 cheaper than Sony's PlayStation 4.

"This is a UK-only retail promotion and offers great value for fans looking to buy an Xbox One ahead of the launch of 2015’s highly-anticipated games like "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt," "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" and "Batman: Arkham Knight," along with Xbox exclusives such as "Rise of the Tomb Raider," "Forza Motorsport 6" and "Halo 5: Guardians."" Said a Microsoft spokesperson, according to IGN.com. (Watch the video for Xbox's upcoming games for 2015 below.)

Digitaltrends.com reports that price cuts in the U.S. and U.K. have been introduced as temporary, only to be made permenant later on. However, Xbox U.K. tweeted that “The best games. The best exclusives. The best time to buy an Xbox One. Now starting at £299.99,” hinting that this might be temporary.

The best games. The best exclusives. The best time to buy an Xbox One. Now starting at £299.99 http://t.co/Tbep7mapLC pic.twitter.com/uezLFTujkw
— Xbox UK (@xboxuk) April 13, 2015

The console was launched in the U.K. in 2013 and priced at £430. Microsoft lowered the price ahead of the release of "Titanfall" in February 2014 to £399.99. Then in June 2014, the price was further lowered to £350, with the removal of the Kinet sensor. Sony's PS4, meanwhile, has the same price of £349.99 since its release.

Retailers in the U.K. have been already been selling the Xbox One for less than £300. However, according to Metro.co.uk, this does not mean that they'll lower the price even further. The report also states that while the PlayStation 4 is sold at some places for £300, in most places the console is sold at around £320.

Recently Microsoft had promised to update the Xbox One's power wastage after it received criticism from environmental activists. The Natural Resources Defense Council, considered one of the most powerful U.S.-based environmental groups, had criticized Microsoft for the console's power draining Instant-on mode.

The report also states that Microsoft said the feature is essential because it solves interruptions caused by system and video game updates. It also added that the Instant-on mode was necessary for the "Xbox on" voice command that powers the system on from the standby mode.

Video: The Best Games of 2015 Live on Xbox One