Xbox One: Microsoft announces price, release date

Microsoft Monday announced the price and release date for its highly anticipated Xbox One console, as the first day of the weeklong annual videogame expo E3 kicked off.

The console is set to launch in November at $499 in the U.S., a price higher than most gamers had expected.

The announcement was met with some groans from the audience, mostly hard-core gaming enthusiasts, who had hoped for a cheaper price tag. The 8 gigabyte version is priced higher than Nintendo's new Wii U 8GB model, which costs $300.

Microsoft also announced exclusive game titles coming to the new console, including an Xbox edition of "Minecraft" and a new "Halo" game, which will be released in 2014.

Sony was set to possibly detail pricing of its new PlayStation 4 at a presentation at E3 later in the day.