Will Microsoft lower the Xbox One's expensive $499 price tag before its November release?

As the anticipation builds for the Playstation 4, which sits at a more tolerable $399, analysts have started asking the question of whether the extra $100 is worth it. In the years-long rivalry between Xbox and Playstation, it could be argued that neither console has ever stood out as such a clear-cut winner that an extra $100 is necessary.

Designtrend.com said that analysts previously reported that Microsoft might lower the price before the Nov. 22 launch. Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi, who spoke at the Citi Global Technology Conference on Tuesday, said he expects things to be just fine.

"We're looking to break even or low margin at worst," he said. "As we can cost-reduce our box as we've done with 360, we'll continue to price reduce and get even more competitive with our offering."

In any event, Xbox One still has to find a way to counteract the better deals that are being offered by the PS4.  Playstation fans can pay $100 extra -- or the same price as the Xbox One -- and get a bundle package that includes a Jet Black 500 GB Playstation 4 console, Killzone: Shadow Fall, the Playstation 4 Camera, and two DualShock 4 controllers. Xbox fans will get a Kinect 2.0 in its own package, but that still doesn't seem as enticing as the Playstation deal.

The release dates (Nov. 15 for the PS4 and Nov. 22 for the Xbox One) will be so close to Black Friday that we can expect to see huge profits for both consoles early on, but how will it be when the holiday rush settles down?