Microsoft on Xbox One -- "There is not a better experience you can buy this holiday"

With just 15 days left before the Xbox One hits store shelves, Microsoft has spoken out to say its next-generation console will be the best gaming experience money can buy this holiday. Speaking with GamesIndustry International, Microsoft Canada's Xbox marketing director Craig Flannagan downplayed competition from the PlayStation 4 and Wii U this holiday season.

"Xbox One is going to start ahead, in terms of the experience we can deliver," Flannagan said. "And because we're built for the future, we're going to stay ahead. I think there is not a better experience you can buy this holiday, and there will not be a time this generation where there's a better experience you can buy than Xbox One."

Flannagan said the upcoming console generation will be "pretty long," and this suits Microsoft well because "we're built for the future," he said.

"This is a console that will last you, conservatively a decade, if I had to put a bet down today," Flannagan said.

This is not the first time a Microsoft representative has spoken confidently about the Xbox One's chances against the PS4 this year. In September, Microsoft director of product planning Albert Penello explained why the Xbox One is worth $100 more than the PS4.

"I think we do more. I think our games are better. I think as people start to experience Kinect and see what it can do using voice, I think that's better," Penello said at the time. "I think the ability to have an all-in-one system where you can plug in the TV, that's better. I think we'll have a better online service."

"I just believe that we're going to have a better system," he added at the time.

The Xbox One launches November 22, while the PS4 will come to market first in North America on November 15.