Is there anything more frustrating than taking your new toy or game out of the box and then not being able to play with it for hours and hours? Well, yes, there is. But it’s still pretty annoying. And surprise! It’s something you’re probably going to have to do if you buy an Xbox One.
In a recent Q+A session with IGN, Xbox One’s Chief Platform Architect Marc Whitten admitted that there will be a software update available for download once the new consoles ship out, and you’ll be required to have it in place before you can actually start playing. And it’s a massive download, too, clocking in at 5GB of data in one go. His team is working to optimize this update as much as possible and believes that it will probably only take 15 to 20 minutes, but come on. We all know better, right?
Now, let’s be clear: this is not a problem that’s specific to the new Xbox. The Nintendo Wii U first required an update that took up at least an hour to download, and it’s more than likely that the Ps4 will need one as well. But it sure is going to be frustrating, especially given that it’s practically a guarantee that no one console’s online servers are going to be able to withstand the traffic no matter how much they prepare, which will make the download times even longer. And since Xbox has been pretty regularly provoking the ire of many an already frustrated critic, the Microsoft team is probably going to get a lot more heat for this new development than anyone else has so far.
Still, maybe it’s good they’re getting ahead of this and telling everyone now. That way the only people who’ll actually want the console at the end of the day are the ones who love Microsoft so much that they won’t complain. The less people who buy it, the easier it’ll be for the servers to handle those downloads, right?
Okay, we’re kidding. But seriously, Microsoft. Work on your PR, guys. Either that or just own how bad you are at it. You know, like how DC does.
(via Geek.com, image via Xbox)
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