Xbox One Will Need 15-20 Minutes to Download Launch Patch

[Alorxico]

So, they are admitting right off the bat that their systems won't be ready upon release, let's be perfectly clear on that. They are still working on them.

That, or the "patch" is actually them downloading all your personal information onto their servers so they can spam your loading screen or have pop-ups appear on your in game GUI.

 

[Dylalanine]

I'm not very torn about this. I'm too excited that the PS4/X1's self-updating and "always on/sleep mode" features will get me to my games faster than I can turn my TV and sound system, which is a serious problem with the X360 right now. Load main screen, sign online, select game, load game, select storage device, load title screen, select save game, load game world.

Takes me several minutes to get into Los Santos, and that's without mentioning GTA Online's debatable stability!

 

[Andrew_C]

I could format my laptop and reinstall windows and a few games within an hr without the internet at all. Only install windows and graphics driver and thats it. Mixture of gog.com and disc games still leave a few options. Not to mention it isnt required for the pc to run, just to play certain games. Pcs do more than play games.

And your computer would be pwned within hours of you connecting it to the Internet, within minutes if you are running insane enough to still run XP. Patching isn't just about the latest DirectX and .Net, its also about fixing fundamental vulnerabilities and flaws in the OS itself.

 

[RicoADF]

I could format my laptop and reinstall windows and a few games within an hr without the internet at all. Only install windows and graphics driver and thats it. Mixture of gog.com and disc games still leave a few options. Not to mention it isnt required for the pc to run, just to play certain games. Pcs do more than play games.

And your computer would be pwned within hours of you connecting it to the Internet, within minutes if you are running insane enough to still run XP. Patching isn't just about the latest DirectX and .Net, its also about fixing fundamental vulnerabilities and flaws in the OS itself.

Alas that would then mean that you had an internet and thus the issue of downloading a patch for the system to work isn't an issue. I know what patching is (I work in IT), I was just pointing out that the system works without going online to patch, vs the XBone which literally wont work without the net until you patch due to them having to remove the online requirement. Oh and I use the best Windows on my desktop, Windows 7 (and my laptop has Windows 8 when I was experimenting with it, that format isn't far away though......)

Err what hardware upgrades? As far as I know the console is set and is well into production, heck most of them must be built by now and packed into crates as it's about a month away from release, if their not done by now it won't be in stores in time.

Supposedly, in response Sony's machine being 50% more powerful than the XBO they decided to upgrade the CPU.

They overclocked the GPU from 800 MHz to 853MHz and upgraded the CPU from 1.6 GHz to 1.75 GHz.

Basically, they wasted our time for what has to be one of the least consequential changes to hardware I've seen a company make. They likely did it just to have a few numbers that look higher that the ps4's specs to people who don't understand that modern x86 architecture does not rely on CPUs so much as RAM and GPU. They didn't improve the GPU so much as just make it work harder.

Microsoft essentially isn't trying to sell you a powerful console. They're trying to sell you a service. You buy a box and then they use their cloud servers to make it legitimately powerful. Personally, I'd rather they dropped the mandatory $200 kinect 2 and dumped $100 of that price tag into hardware. Then it'd be a comparable machine at the same price to the ps4. But no, they decided to force consumers to buy a device that cost almost as much to produce as the system itself.

Ah, their not actually upgrading the hardware itself, basically the XBone was (or so Microsoft says) downclocked originally due to issues with it being overclocked (stability issues) and thus they had to bring the speed down to stabilize it. All their doing is overclocking the hardware that's already in the system (via the day 1 patch I assume). Considering they downclocked to reduce stability issues the fact their now upping the speed again in a rushed day 1 patch to try and claim their as fast as Sony even though it will still be slower just reeks of desperation and will only cause issues with systems crashing and (my personal favorite/hoping to see) another RROD incident as the system overheats and burns itself out. Good to see the system will be following in it's fathers footsteps.

 

[immortalfrieza]

But...

...why?

I'd imagine it's because of all the policy roll-backs that they implemented. So to be fair, this is actually kinda understandable seeing as how they need to make it so that the Kinect doesn't need to be plugged in, you don't need an online connection, and all the other stuff that they back-tracked on just to make the console even remotely appealing.

True, but Microsoft could very easily just have the software updates factory installed to the console and skip the whole "wait 15-20 minutes just to use the console" business.

True, but I'm willing to bet its easier and more cost efficient for Microsoft to just put out a patch and have everyone download it as opposed to updating the software on every single Xbox One unit themselves before they are shipped out.

However, I'm also willing to bet that a good amount of the mainstream population will remain unaware of this mandatory update, and those with crappy internet connections will end up returning their units. So in an attempt to save on overhead costs, Microsoft may end up losing more than the amount they were attempting to save.

Well, even if they can't have this patch factory installed for whatever reason on the initial release, they could easily do so for every console produced afterward. However, I'm not convinced that it would cost them much of anything or take much more time to factory install this update right then.

 

[RicoADF]

Well, even if they can't have this patch factory installed for whatever reason on the initial release, they could easily do so for every console produced afterward. However, I'm not convinced that it would cost them much of anything or take much more time to factory install this update right then.

Depends if their still in the factory, the first batch would probably already be in a storage facility or even on a ship heading to their destination. Remember their built in China and shipped all around the world to storage and disribution centres in each country then to the store.

 

[TomWiley]

There is no doubt in my mind that this console generation will, in some way or another, require practically the entire userbase to have a decent internet connection, or at least some kind of internet connection at all.

Even current gen, it seems like every AAA-title needs a major update or post-launch patch, not to mention that Sony and Microsoft seems to rely on most of their userbase being able to update the console firmware regularly.

 

[A-D.]

I actually dont get why people would buy a console nowadays. And this is not me being "PC elitist" here. Had Microsofts plans gone through and Sony didnt say "Nope, none of that" after the initial fallout from the xbone presentation, consoles would also have ridiculous DRM, the kinds that PC Gamers had to put up with for years, if not worse shit, like Starforce and install limitations.

More and more, the sole defining feature of consoles is going the way of the dodo it seems, used to be that consoles were specifically made to play games and that was the whole point, sure Sony gave you a cd-player with the original playstation, a DVD player with the PS2 afterwards, but those were additions to the core function to play games. Now every console has a browser, internet, game-store-thingamabob, tv functionality (xbone), im left to wonder now, why buy a console? I mean if we consider just the idea of "exclusive games" as the sole point, what if those games suck? What then? PC's can do and have done basicly everything that consoles are moving towards now, so why buy one? Just get a PC and call it a day.

At least thats why i didnt buy any of the current gen consoles. They were moving towards becoming a PC, and why should i buy another PC if i already got one? Maybe i just "dont get it" or whatever, but someone please explain to me the logic of buying a PC-box when you can just buy a PC that does basicly the same stuff, if not more.

 

[immortalfrieza]

Snip

Exclusive games is pretty much the only reason these days to even touch a console anymore, and those are becoming less and less as time goes by.

 

[Lightknight]

Err what hardware upgrades? As far as I know the console is set and is well into production, heck most of them must be built by now and packed into crates as it's about a month away from release, if their not done by now it won't be in stores in time.

Supposedly, in response Sony's machine being 50% more powerful than the XBO they decided to upgrade the CPU.

They overclocked the GPU from 800 MHz to 853MHz and upgraded the CPU from 1.6 GHz to 1.75 GHz.

Basically, they wasted our time for what has to be one of the least consequential changes to hardware I've seen a company make. They likely did it just to have a few numbers that look higher that the ps4's specs to people who don't understand that modern x86 architecture does not rely on CPUs so much as RAM and GPU. They didn't improve the GPU so much as just make it work harder.

Microsoft essentially isn't trying to sell you a powerful console. They're trying to sell you a service. You buy a box and then they use their cloud servers to make it legitimately powerful. Personally, I'd rather they dropped the mandatory $200 kinect 2 and dumped $100 of that price tag into hardware. Then it'd be a comparable machine at the same price to the ps4. But no, they decided to force consumers to buy a device that cost almost as much to produce as the system itself.

Ah, their not actually upgrading the hardware itself, basically the XBone was (or so Microsoft says) downclocked originally due to issues with it being overclocked (stability issues) and thus they had to bring the speed down to stabilize it. All their doing is overclocking the hardware that's already in the system (via the day 1 patch I assume). Considering they downclocked to reduce stability issues the fact their now upping the speed again in a rushed day 1 patch to try and claim their as fast as Sony even though it will still be slower just reeks of desperation and will only cause issues with systems crashing and (my personal favorite/hoping to see) another RROD incident as the system overheats and burns itself out. Good to see the system will be following in it's fathers footsteps.

Basically, yeah. But on paper the hardware was a lower number and has now been a higher number. So... upgrade. The CPU was upgraded. It's just a .15 MHz upgrade which means dick all when the competition is 50% more powerful and $100 cheaper and has just as strong a game lineup if not stronger.

 

[Miss G.]

At least thats why i didnt buy any of the current gen consoles. They were moving towards becoming a PC, and why should i buy another PC if i already got one? Maybe i just "dont get it" or whatever, but someone please explain to me the logic of buying a PC-box when you can just buy a PC that does basicly the same stuff, if not more.

I'm only gonna list the things more important to me in my answer:

~ PCs don't have my JRPGs, a genre that I play 99.89% of the time (and I use a MacBook Pro anyway), so they're just as worthless now as a gaming platform to me as they were before my recent discovery that PC gaming does indeed exist outside of MMOs.

~ I love my Sony and Nintendo exclusives. Again they're virtually all JRPGs, but I did get TLoU, Rain, and Puppeteer because they looked interesting and was pleasantly surprised with them all. I plan to try more of the exclusives in these genres, and some of the other ones announced like inFamous: Second Son and The Order: 1886.

~ Other than the Blu-ray player, I don't use my PS3 for more than gaming. I'm not under duress, so its non-gaming functions are quite easy to ignore, but there if I should ever become interested in using them.

 

[A-D.]

At least thats why i didnt buy any of the current gen consoles. They were moving towards becoming a PC, and why should i buy another PC if i already got one? Maybe i just "dont get it" or whatever, but someone please explain to me the logic of buying a PC-box when you can just buy a PC that does basicly the same stuff, if not more.

I'm only gonna list the things more important to me in my answer:

~ PCs don't have my JRPGs, a genre that I play 99.89% of the time (and I use a MacBook Pro anyway), so they're just as worthless now as a gaming platform to me as they were before my recent discovery that PC gaming does indeed exist outside of MMOs.

~ I love my Sony and Nintendo exclusives. Again they're virtually all JRPGs, but I did get TLoU, Rain, and Puppeteer because they looked interesting and was pleasantly surprised with them all. I plan to try more of the exclusives in these genres, and some of the other ones announced like inFamous: Second Son and The Order: 1886.

~ Other than the Blu-ray player, I don't use my PS3 for more than gaming. I'm not under duress, so its non-gaming functions are quite easy to ignore, but there if I should ever become interested in using them.

JRPG's used to be on PCs as well, before the userbase decided they didnt much like them, or rather not enough copies sold, so the japanese developers simply didnt bother further. Its not a suprise that consoles are more common for gaming in japan than a PC is and that is by default their market.

Also, all your points boil down to "Exclusives". Its a good enough reason, yet ever wonder why they are exclusive to begin with? Whats stopping, say Square Enix from porting all final fantasty stuff to PC? Nothing except the idea that "it wont sell well".

 

[kasperbbs]

Either people are desperate to hate on this console or i'm one of the few people that wouldn't be too bothered by this update. I can see how this would be troublesome if the console didn't function without said update, which would upset a lot of people without access to the internet, but Microsoft can't be that dumb, right?

 

[BarbaricGoose]

The sad part is that they're probably going to get a lot of hate for this, simply because it's the Xbox One.

Very true, honestly this is really no big deal. I'm not so picky that I can't wait around 20 minutes.

Except it only takes 20 minutes if your internet connection is good. If it's patchy and slow, like mine is, 20 minutes could be be anywhere from hours to days depending on whether or not the download resumes at its current place if it gets stopped.

Additionally, everyone's gonna be downloading this one patch largely around the same time. People are gonna download it when they get home from work, or school, or at midnight after picking it up at the midnight launch. Servers will be stressed--a lot.

Luckily, I won't be getting a One, so I'll be avoiding all of Microsoft's bullshit.

 

[Miss G.]

JRPG's used to be on PCs as well, before the userbase decided they didnt much like them, or rather not enough copies sold, so the japanese developers simply didnt bother further. Its not a suprise that consoles are more common for gaming in japan than a PC is and that is by default their market.

Also, all your points boil down to "Exclusives". Its a good enough reason, yet ever wonder why they are exclusive to begin with?

I started gaming with Pokemon Gold and the GBC when they came out, so I've never known the JRPG scene to be anywhere else but on the consoles and handhelds I've had since. After checking just to make sure, I was right to stick with Sony and Nintendo because whether or not my genre of choice is on a platform is a pretty big, if not the only, deciding factor for me.

Whats stopping, say Square Enix from porting all final fantasty stuff to PC? Nothing except the idea that "it wont sell well".

I can see that, it doesn't really make sense to go where the money clearly isn't.

Can't say I didn't learn something 'bout my gaming genre today. Now, I'm off to play Journey and avoid Pokemon X & Y spoilers until the 12th.

 

[Do4600]

If it's too much work to update every Xbone before they leave the factory, can't Microsoft at least stick a DVD in the box that has the necessary files?

Because that would mean you wouldn't need a connection to the internet, and that would mean you wouldn't need their subscription service and that would mean you wouldn't watch any of their proprietary TV and advertisements they're going to flood the bastard with on day one.

It just makes good business sense for them to make you dependent on them.