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Kotaku: Installing Xbox One games takes way too long

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Feb 28, 2006
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Kotaku: Installing Xbox One games takes way too long

Link to article: http://kotaku.com/installing-xbox-one-g ... 471191836?

Holy smokes, the PS4 installs exponentially faster than the Xbox One.
We wanted to test the install times of both new consoles, so we plugged a PS4 into an Xbox One's TV input and watched them race to install a game. You can see in our video, there's a big difference in the two systems.


Both the Xbox One and PS4 require all games to be installed from the disc, due to the increasing size of games and the relatively low speed of optical drives. So both consoles have a feature that allows you to launch a game as soon as enough content is installed to begin running it, while the rest of the data continues to install in the background. Our test was how long it takes to launch the game from the time you insert a disc, with a normal console connected to the internet.

We tested six multiplatform games on both consoles and every time, the PS4 was under a minute while the Xbox One install was several minutes long and required downloading an update before beginning the installation. When you include downloading those updates for each Xbox One game that happen in the background on PS4, the install times can get as high as fifteen minutes before you can even launch the game.

Remember that this is only a test of how long the games initially take to install. Once the games are fully installed, they take about the same amount of time to boot up on either console.

So here's the general idea: You put in a game to install it, a progress bar comes up, and at some point you can launch the game and start playing while it keeps installing.

On PS4, after inserting a disc, you'll be shown a progress bar that ends when you're able to launch the game, and if there's a day-one update, it downloads in the background, and you can install it when you want to play online or whatever the case may be for that update.

On Xbox One, you insert a disc and are shown a progress bar showing the percentage of the full installation, and when enough is installed to run the game, you'll see a message that says "Ready to Start!" The only difference is that the installation from the disc doesn't seem to start until you've downloaded and installed the update.1

Now, there's another big difference here. Both consoles will let you know when the game is ready to launch. But once you get into the game, some parts may not be finished installing. For ACIV and Battlefield 4, that would mean the multiplayer modes (on both platforms). However, it seems that Xbox One lets you launch a game even before some singleplayer content is ready. I tested this with Madden 25 on Xbox One. Once the game was "ready to start" most modes like Connected Franchise or Practice were locked off until the game was completely installed. However, after installing the same game on PS4, those modes were playable after the initial install, which took 38 seconds.

We tested Assassin's Creed IV on two different Xbox Ones, and had the same issue, resulting in standing in that beautiful Animus loading void while it installed the last bits of singleplayer content required to start the story. Although in that case it only required a couple of extra minutes to get those modes. Unlike Madden, the full disc didn't need to be installed. On both consoles, the game has a timer or progress meter in the main menu telling you the progress of the full install. So at least you aren't left blindly guessing when you'll be able to play.

Since all of the games we were testing required an update, we factored this into our times. On the PS4, they happened in the background and didn't affect our ability to install or begin the game, while on Xbox One, the installation from disc wouldn't begin until after the update finished.

I was using an Xbox One connected via Wi-Fi, getting about 9-11Mbps download speed, so we ran a test with another Xbox on a faster internet connection installing Assassin's Creed IV to see how much of a difference that could make in downloading the update. To give you an idea of the time difference the 300-500MB updates added, we tested installing Assassin's Creed IV on two consoles with the internet disconnected.

How Long Your First Install Will Take On PS4 And Xbox One

Assassin's Creed IV: Xbox One (offline, no update): 5 minutes 50 seconds
Xbox One (with update, fastest connection): 7 minutes 2 seconds
Xbox One (with update, 10Mbps connection): 10 minutes 32 seconds
PS4: 42 seconds

The rest of these were tested on our office Wi-Fi which is around 9-11Mbps. It may have been faster on a wired connection, but you can compare your own connection speed here.

These are our results:

Need For Speed Rivals: XBO: 09:25 (including update)
PS4: 00:32

Just Dance 2014: XBO: 08:48 (including update)
PS4: 00:45

NBA Live 14:
XBO: 16:26 (including update)
PS4: 00:35

FIFA 14:
XBO: 16:06 (including update)
PS4: 00:34

Madden 25:
XBO: 9:38 (including update)
PS4: 00:38


Do you have an Xbox One or PS4? Time a test, and let us know what you get. Include your internet speed, and make sure to note any other important information. Like if you timed from putting the disc in to launching the game, or actually getting to gameplay, or some other metric
42 replies
Deal Guru
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sandikosh wrote: What is the speed of the Xbone if it doesn't need an update?
No clue, but in order to install onto the harddrive, you need to download the update first.
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Yeah, I remember putting in the disc for KZ on my PS4. I went to grab a snack and by the time I walked back the game was already at the main menu.

I appreciate it because I just wanted to get into the action ASAP instead of waiting. Didn't even bother updating the console. Just went straight to Killzone and bam. Took me less than 2 minutes to get the system up and running and the game.
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Jul 27, 2007
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yeah the download updates on the xbox one games have been massive. 1 gig for BF4 and COD4, I have no idea what they're for either.
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jeffyjaixx wrote: No clue, but in order to install onto the harddrive, you need to download the update first.
In that case, it is an apples to oranges comparison.
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sandikosh wrote: In that case, it is an apples to oranges comparison.
I think it's clear that the "installing" that both Kotaku and I are referring to here is the installation process and not "installing" in the literal sense so no, it's not an apple to oranges comparison because we're talking about the time duration it takes to install and play the games.
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Dec 12, 2006
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There are so many things about the XB1 that offer PS3 levels of ***** with this being right at the top of the list.

I didn't experience this problem first hand as I went almost all digital except for one disc game and I pretty much loaded everything up and went back to work well it downloaded/installed but I watched my brothers copy of Ryse take what seemed like an hour to install. You could "play" it after 4% but there wasn't a whole lot you could actually play.

Hopefully this something that is can be improved upon.
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Jul 26, 2013
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PS4 harddrives perform even faster if you swap them out for a Hybrid or SSD.

Remember, unlike with Xbox 1 and Xbox 360, you are allowed to use any harddrive you want with PS4, it won't void the warranty. Make sure its compatible (sata, 2.5 inch).
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XtremeModder wrote: Way too impatient
16 minutes is not impatient when you just want to play the game you've probably already waited awhile for. It's really unacceptable when the other side is doing in nowhere near that time either, they need to improve this.
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May 31, 2009
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I agree the wait is a pain. It is like Playstation and XBox swapped install times from the past gen to this gen. 15 minutes seems about right for my XBoxOne installs and KZ on my PS4 seemed almost instant
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Penalty Box
May 12, 2011
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don't notice a difference
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SuperDuperFox wrote: PS4 harddrives perform even faster if you swap them out for a Hybrid or SSD.

Remember, unlike with Xbox 1 and Xbox 360, you are allowed to use any harddrive you want with PS4, it won't void the warranty. Make sure its compatible (sata, 2.5 inch).
Except here aren't too many compatible drives. With the Xbone, any external hard drive should be compatible, so WD, Hitachi, Seagate, etc. drives should all work once the option is enabled. Laptop drives for the PS4 though...dunno...
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DougO wrote: Except here aren't too many compatible drives. With the Xbone, any external hard drive should be compatible, so WD, Hitachi, Seagate, etc. drives should all work once the option is enabled. Laptop drives for the PS4 though...dunno...
Any 2.5" hard drive will work as long as it's SATA, has 160gb or more and no taller than 9.5mm.
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it's a one time install, don't see what the big deal is. not like you have to do it everytime you play the same game.
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Sep 8, 2010
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rfdghost wrote: it's a one time install, don't see what the big deal is. not like you have to do it everytime you play the same game.
The point of the article is about the amount of time it takes to play a new game from disc insert. So yes it will happen every time you insert a brand new game. End of the day for some it's not an issue and for others it is, however when your direct competitor is doing the same thing at a much quicker timeframe, it does not look good. It kind of adds more to the notion that the XB1 was built with gaming as secondary on the priority list.
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You know how good the other system is when you point out every miniscule "fault" in it.
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Lol so the PS3 had long installs.. was gaming not the priority then too?
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Well i think the difference between the x1 and the ps4 is that once the xbox is done installing the game, it only uses the disc to authenticate that you own it. The rest of the time, it's loading of the hard drive. I'm sure the reason the ps4 loads so quickly is because it's loading the game from the disc, then doing a background cache of needed files to make it run quicker. But ultimately the ps4 is running from the disc far more than the x1. This is also probably why with the x1, once you install the game from the disc, you can just buy the digital license from the store and not have to download the game whereas the ps4 requires you to download the full game digitally.

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