Amazon UK has updated product pages for both Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 to warn that pre-orders placed after 13 November will not arrive in time for Christmas.

The Xbox One page has the following notice: "Please note: Due to high demand, customers who ordered this Xbox One Standard Edition console from August 15 may receive their console after release date. Orders placed up to and including August 14 will be dispatched to meet the release date. Orders placed from November 13 may not be delivered before Christmas."

The PS4 page has the following notice: "Customers who pre-ordered this console from August 7 up to and including November 13 will receive their consoles before Christmas. Customers who pre-order this console from November 14 will receive their consoles after Christmas."

So, this is certainly a bit of bad news. Especially for parents who might have been waiting for their next paycheque before placing an order. Now it seems they'll have to try their luck on launch day if they want to get one of these machines as a Christmas present. 

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In the US, Amazon's product pages currently don't have any warnings about holiday arrivals. Then again, they also don't offer pre-orders for either next-gen console. The PS4 will go on sale tomorrow in the US for $399. The UK has a release date for 29 November, with the console costing £349.