Microsoft has dropped the price of its Xbox One console in the UK to below the recommended retail price of the PlayStation 4 for the first time in the next-gen battle.

You can now buy the standard edition, without the Kinect sensor, for £329.99 - £20 cheaper than it was before.

That price is for an Xbox One console and one controller, but you'll still have to cough up extra for a game. However, if you also have an Xbox Live Gold subscription, or plan to get one, you'll be able to download a couple of free games currently and an extra one per month as part of the Games with Gold scheme.

When the Xbox One was launched, it cost £100 more than the current lowest price. That came with a Kinect sensor but was considerably more expensive than its main rival, the PS4, which retailed for £349.

READ: Xbox One review

However, while that has never deviated in price - adding bundles instead of lowering the cost to the consumer - Microsoft has enforced numerous bumps downwards for its machine in order to compete with a Sony console that is seemingly striving further away in unit sales.

A Microsoft spokesman told Eurogamer that this is only a UK incentive for now and suggested that its strong winter games line-up could see a rise in fortunes for the Xbox One. "We are always looking at ways to offer the best value for our customers," he said. "This is a UK only retail promotion which coincides with our upcoming releases including Forza Horizon 2, Sunset Overdrive and Halo: The Master Chief Collection."