Gamers Flock To Shops in Freezing Conditions For Microsoft's Xbox One Midnight Release.

DIE-HARD gamers will be braving the weather tonight as they take to the shops for the release of Microsoft's gaming console Xbox One.

Game at Lakeside already has dozens waiting to get their hands on the new console [TWITTER]

Supermarkets and game retailers will have queues right through to the early hours of the morning with the eagerly-awaited multimedia system going on sale at midnight.

The console goes on sale at 500 shops across the country, including 300 shops of the UK's leading games retailer Game.

Game unveiled a pop-up store in London's Trocadero which will be set up until the weekend.

Hundreds of shoppers were given the chance to play the console a couple of hours before its release.

Martyn Gibbs from Game said how excited fans with the arrival of the Xbox One.

He said: "Last night was incredible. You could almost taste the excitement - gamers have been waiting for Xbox One for years and we saw a massive turnout at the midnight openings at more than 300 Game stores across the UK."

Leading up to Christmas, the Xbox One is going head-to-head with Sony’s new PlayStation 4, which goes on sale in the UK next week at £349.99 - £80 cheaper.

With the release of the Playstation 4 so close, the pressure to succeed is piling on Microsoft officials.

Leicester Square was lit up today as part of Xbox One's official launch party.

The square was transformed into a gamers' paradise with actors dressed as game characters and celebrities performing for the crowds.

Live performances from stars Sway, Katy B and Plan B topped the event.

Tottenham and England football star Andros Townsend was also there to try out the new console, giving the winner of a FIFA 14 competition a final challenge.

SQUARE: The launch was a big hit in Leicester Square [JEFF MOORE]

CELEB: Plan B testing out FIFA 14 on the new console [JEFF MOORE]

Some lucky gamers got the chance to try out the new console on the big screen.

Mohammed Hassan, 20, from Plaistow, east London tried out FIFA 14 on the new console.

He said: "The graphics were immense and the gameplay was brilliant. The perfect game."

Developers Microsoft have said that UK fans spend as much as £1.8 billion on video games.

This huge amount is more than Britons spend on the cinema fees, DVD's and music downloads.

Phil Harrison from Microsoft said: "We're proud and excited that Xbox One is going to be the biggest launch in Xbox history.

"Xbox One is a complete, all-in-one system which has the best games, the best online service in Xbox Live, the best entertainment experiences and is built for the future.

He added: "With the strongest line-up of games we've ever seen for a new console, pre-orders from fans across the UK are at unprecedented levels.

"The games industry is evolving and growing fast, and we are proud to have so many British developers and creators helping to drive the new Xbox One era."