Xbox One Install Times "Should Be Faster," Microsoft Exec Admits

Part of the reason that Xbox One install times are slower than PlayStation 4 times in some cases, Spencer said, is a result of Microsoft dropping the always-online requirement for Xbox One. He said Xbox One launch titles like Forza Motorsport 5 and Ryse: Son of Rome were developed with the assumption that all Xbox Ones would always be connected to the Internet, but this changed. "The change to having to deal with an offline-only state meant that all the install code-flows weren't as perfect as they could be," Spencer admitted.

[Abash]

I have to say that is my biggest issue with the Xbox One, and I hope they remedy this issue when they make an Xbox One Slim

[christocolus]

Same here, but its not a hardware issue. In the latest ign podcast unlocked Phil said it wasn't an issue with the BD drive inside the console cos both PS4 and Xbx One use the same BD drives, so im guessing it has to do with the OS and if that's the issue then it can always be rectified later via an update.

Glad MS engineers are working on it though.

[donthate]

Slow install is most definitely software issue, because from the outset the hardware between Xbox One and PS4 is very very similar.

At the rapid pace MS has been pushing updates, this will be fixed within months.

For me though, I was never bothered by this because the console already does so much in the background. I am also digital only so maybe that is why.

[Death]

I hated the slow downloads and installs with the PS3. I hate the slow installs and downloads with the Xbox One. If they speed this up I will be very less irritated.

[Gazondaily]

Phil Spencer is a G. I like his honesty.

"Spencer asked him team to install third-party games on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 to measure the differences in install times. He said in some cases, Xbox One install times are in fact faster, but in others, Microsoft's console does "significantly worse."

Hehe pretty cool having an insight like this.

"I'm not defending it at all, because I do think install times should be faster," he added.

[n4rc]

From the article it seems its the games themselves and not the software in the box..

They were developed when the online check was in place so newer games shouldnt share the issue..

Dunno tho... Haven't installed a game since day one.. Lol

[darthv72]

The thing that really irks me is that both the Ps4 and XB1 contain a much better BD drive than even the PS3 had. So the ability to play from the discs would have been a possibility.

Yet both companies went with installs as opposed to giving you the option to play from disc or from hdd. some say its to cut down on the wear and tear of the drives.

They both had their reasons and I hardly think wear and tear was the top of the list.

[MeliMel]

@Septic,

Only in some alternate reality is Xbox One installs faster than PS4.

That why im glad i have both. When i got a game installing i game on my PS4 til it done.

[TheGreatAndPowerful]

With all the updates that the Xbone gets install times are still lagging? I thought they would have fixed this issue by now.

[mikeslemonade]

The installs are slightly faster than the PS3 and that's a real bad thing because PS3 was a crawl.

[Volkama]

@DarthTV, I really don't see any sinister intent to mandating installs, so long at the license is still tied to the boxed product (which it is)?

Reading from the blu-ray drive is massively slower than reading from the hard drive. Even the trashy 5400rpm drives in the consoles. If they enabled playing directly from disc then games would have to be designed around that limitation, and things like streaming open worlds would really suffer.

[XxExacutionerxX]

This is nothing compared to the days of Ps3. I remember trying to play Battlefield 3 only to have to download 5 or 6gb worth of updates before I could start playing. Then you couldn't even do anything while that was downloading. I didn't feel like playing a lot of games on Ps3 because of this.

[u4one]

yeah. the installs break my b&lls. Ha. That rhymed. Seriously though. I hope they get that fixed soon.

[generalthadeape]

Sub-1080p is my biggest issue with the Xbox One, but yeah the impossibly long load times suck, too!

[ChronoJoe]

Yeah my biggest problem too.

For instance I let Alien Isolation play before installing fully. It was broken as hell, the textures weren't even there and I couldn't progress beyond 5minutes of gameplay. Why even let the game run without installation if it doesn't work?

Still, not that huge of an issue, just have to be patient.

[Neonridr]

meh, get up, go walk around the house for a few minutes (to get some exercise), have some food, use the washroom, do an odd errand around the house.

Installs are nothing new to PC gamers. And we are talking about 40-50 GB sometimes.

While it's great that the PS4 can usually install and play games quite quickly (minus MLB 14 - that install was brutal), it wouldn't bother me if I had to wait and extra 10-15 minutes..

[KiwiViper85]

I pop the disk in when I get home from work and at 7pm when my daughters in bed, the game is waiting to be played.

[Sonital]

Totally agree, this kind of information really isn't needed. I'm never going to buy the same game on both PS4 and XB1, start installing them and then marvel at the one that finished first.

More silly, unneeded comparisons..

[Gazondaily]

It bothers me. The X1 installation times are annoying. When you have mates round and you're waiting to fire up again, the installation is just a pain. Obviously we resort to going on YouTube etc but its always annoyed me.

[Automatic79]

I usually watch Twitch or watch TV the game sometimes waits for me. Lol

[Neonridr]

yeah, I can understand when it would be a complete pain Septic. Imagine if you just got home from a midnight launch with some buddies ready to fire up the MCC collection and you end up having to wait like 30 minutes for everything to install.

I was merely speaking from personal experience, that I would just find something else to do for that time.

[josephayal]

The Xbox One is getting betta

[kurruptor]

You mean you bought a beta product?

[ainTgoTTime2bleed]

lol...

[BitbyDeath]

PS4 is only faster because it has a chip dedicated towards that feature. If they did not it'd be the same speed as Xbox.

[RiPPn]

What's your point exactly?

[Bill_Willson_CIA]

and? doesn't change the fact the console install time is way faster!

[BitbyDeath]

Point - Hardware trumps software.

[MetroidFREAK21]

That's like my only gripe with the One... The install and download times are very slow. Glad they acknowledge it, and are trying to get a fix

[Software_Lover]

My downloads are pretty fast. I get my full 60meg bandwidth when downloading (around 5.5 megabytes). Installing does take longer than usual. It seems like it was quicker on the 360. This isn't a problem for me right now as I digitally preorder all the big games so when its time to play, its time to play.

I can see this being an issue for those with disc based games and those that buy digital on day of release. Here's hoping they can rectify this issue.

[Kingdomcome247]

Yeah, me too. The install times improve significantly whenever you disconnect from the internet, but faster times would definitely be welcome.

[bleedsoe9mm]

the worst were the launch games , haven't noticed a huge problem since , maybe i just missed the games with really bad install times

[Xb1ps4]

I'm all digital I haven't bought 1disc based game and don't plan to. Is there a difference between disc instal and digital? My first game was forza 5 and that downloaded pretty quick heck if I remember right I was able to play it before the whole thing downloaded.

I haven't paid much mind to how long it takes I usually just play another game, watch tv, or just do something around the house then by the time I realize it it's ready to go...

I don't understand why ppl are still stuck on physical copies, I get the whole trade thing but really? You rather get 10 dollars back from GameStop than to have that super awesome convenience of going from game to game with ease.... I don't know, to me discs are last gen... It's the equivalent of " you have to swap discs" back in the 360 days..

What will truly kill off digital for me is if I can't transfer them over to the next gen console and play them.. I know that last gen we wasn't able to but this gen is different it was meant to be all digital so they better not have no bs excuse on why we can't transfer games over next gen cause at that point I will never ever buy digital..

[kingPoS]

I'm all for enjoying both disc & digital games.

With a hardcopy I'll never have to worry about a game disapearing due to licensing as Marvel vs Capcom 3 did.

Ever since 2010, the number of digital games on my console have grown so large I have to categorize them by genre.

What's wrong with having your cake and eating it? Isn't that's why home consoles read optical media and include ethernet ports?

Gateway MT6706 2008

[Xb1ps4]

Once you buy a game regardless of licensing issues it will not disappear.. Now if you never bought it and it disappears that's whole other thing and really doesnt harm you since you have it..

I don't know why these consoles have optical drives... I haven't put a disc into my xb1 or ps4... hell for all I know they might not work! Lol... I either stream my movies or buy digital I'm also subscribed to music unl. So yea I have no use for it at all but who knows maybe one day I'll use it..

I embrace digital fully this gen. I just better not get burned with next gen consoles with bc issues at that point I will never buy another digital and go back to the old school days of discs...

But hey you enjoy that cake...

[Kingdomcome247]

I prefer hard copies personally, but with digital you can at least install the game remotely.

[GUTZnPAPERCUTZ]

I thought they were faster than 360, It took me 20min to download Destiny Physical, Is that slow compared to the PS4?

[MeliMel]

Yes, very slow. It took about 30min to install NBA2K15. It took like 3 or 5 mins on PS4. Its like the PS4 caches the games on...its quick no bs. And im not exgerrating they install fast.

[Mrveryodd]

I never noticed.

[MegaRay]

There's an easy fix for this problem:

-Adjust your brightness setting.

[MasterCornholio]

Its slow compared to the PS4 but that's because Sony had immediacy as one of their priorities. However the XB1 isn't slow at all though.