Now playing: Watch this: The Sony PS4 will be $399 for the holiday season

Sony's next-generation console not only had its hardware shown off on Monday, but its price too.

At the tail end of its E3 press conference, Sony said it would charge $399 for the PS4 in the U.S., which it plans to launch in time for holiday shopping in the U.S. and Europe. The price is 349 pounds in the U.K. and 399 euros in other parts of Europe.

The price comes in $100 less than what Microsoft plans to charge for its Xbox One -- news that was delivered earlier Monday.

Sony

Alongside the price reveal came the unveiling of the actual PS4 hardware, which differed from several previous leaks. The black box is physically larger than Sony's latest "slim" PS3s and sports a two-toned black body that can be used in portrait or landscape. It also has a blue band around the side that's a bit of a throwback to Sony's initial PS2 model.

Sony refrained from bringing up comparisons of its own price to Microsoft's Xbox One, though it took a few other cracks at its rival. Jack Tretton, SCEA's chief executive, made knocks at Microsoft's controversial always-on connectivity requirements with the Xbox One, as well as the company's licensing management, which adds new limitations to what gamers can do if they want to resell or trade their games.

"When a gamer buys a PS4 disc. They have the rights to use that disc," Tretton said. "They can sell it to another person, lend it to a friend, or keep it forever."

Tretton added that the system did not have to be connected to the Internet for gamers to play and would not stop working if users hadn't authenticated -- two details that also brought big applause from attendees.

Those differences, along with the price and the third-party game lineup with many exclusive add-ons, are all things Sony hopes will help sell its next game console when it hits store shelves. When exactly that is, remains to be revealed.