In a bit of a double whammy of bad news, the Xbox One day one patch will be required to do basically anything with the console and even then, if you’re in the UK, you won’t be able to use the TV features – a core part of the system – until next year.
Speaking to Engadget, Microsoft’s senior director of product management Albert Penello said “Functionally, you will be able to do very little without taking the day one update,” before explaining exactly what you could do when asked. “Nothing. You need the Day One update.”
Nothing. You can’t do anything with your Xbox One unless you’ve got an internet connection handy once you’ve bought it. You see, the console contains a rather dated version of the operating system, and the console has been worked on until the very last minute.
So, that means you can’t even come home with your new console, plug it in and start gaming without connecting it to your router and going through the update process. “You’re gonna need to take this update. It’s not gonna be really an optional thing” Â further explained Penello.
The PS4 will feature a similar day one update, which adds a host of features, though you’ll still be able to play games and do other things without that.
Meanwhile, TechRadar are reporting that the Xbox One TV Guide won’t be available at the UK launch, and it’ll take until next year before you can use Kinect functionality to control your television channels.
The reason for that is because they’re still working out deals with providers, in order to make the best integration possible. “We’re testing all the boxes. You can imagine how many there are in the UK” said Xbox senior project manager Terry Farrell.
You can still use the HDMI pass through to hook up your box with your Xbox One, but you won’t be able to utilise the Xbox Guide functionality until some time in 2014.
TheDemocrodile
Wasn’t it a major advantage that consoles had over PCs that you could simply plug in and play on your consoles? Now i see massive installs and updates that’d piss off even the most hardened of PC gamer.
I launched GT5 after a six month absence the other week because i fancied a quick race, it took two hours to download and install the updates by which time my desire to play it died completely.
Pity, simplicity was a consoles biggest advantage.
double-o-dave
Similar thing happened to me when I tried to warm up with BF3 before I bought BF4. All I wanted was a quick flee on the game not realising I was gonna have to wait over an hour for a system update to download and install, then a game patch to download and install. By the time it had finished I had to go out.
DeadlyChipmunk
You could’ve just turn off wifi and ran it without patching surely?
double-o-dave
Not if you wanna play online :)
ron_mcphatty
Terrible news and very poor from Microsoft. No doubt their expensive lawyers will get around the issue but selling a games console that, at the point of sale, doesn’t function as a games console sounds very much like a breech of the Sales of Goods Act…
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/shropshire/con1item.cgi?file=*adv0043-1011.txt
boeboe
Christ
boeboe
heh!
The Von Braun
:-) Last time i had to sit and wait for machine to fanny abart just to play a game at Xmas was when folks bought me an Atari 800XL from Dixions.No turbo-loaders, so 22 mins waiting for a 48K game to load, hoping i would’nt get boot error, before it loaded.
With PS4/Xbox One it’d be sat there waiting for patch to download, instal, console to reboot all the while hoping servers could cope (had issues with 360 downloading firmware updates in past) and my net connection is good.
Somehow those hours spent cleaning and realigning tape heads does’nt feel so painful now…..
Welcome to the Next Generation indeed.
Lets hope retail staff are fully briefed or there’s going to be a shitstorm of angry phone calls/emails etc:I bought this console and it won’t work…Dear BBC/Which? Magazine, i wish to complain……
NotSmartEnough
This is significant. It sounds like day1 Xbox1 units will be useless without a connection to Microsoft’s servers. You can’t just buy the console and a disk-based game and use it without the patch.
This is different to the Ps4 where the day1 patch isn’t mandatory and only enables extra features.
I think that retailers will be required to point out this restriction when selling Xbox1.
double-o-dave
I’m no expert in law or the sales of goods act but I reckon if they don’t have ‘Internet connection required’ stated ‘very clearly’ on the packaging they’ll be in sh*t no matter how good their legal team is.
Broonba
I realise that most of the nextbox buyers will have Internet access but ffs. Buying a new console & then hoping that the servers aren’t being hammered buy all the buyers on launch day is a pretty shit scenario to be facing. Thank fuck I’m buying a PS4.
JR.
‘Its not gonna be really an optional thing.’ Why do MS let these idiots speak for them? No wonder the console is a mess.
Starman
I can’t accept that someone would even buy an X1 that doesn’t have internet in their house. This is being taken way out of proportion. Legal action? Yeah that’ll go well!
MaD dOctoR 79
not everyone who buys consoles keeps up to date with gaming news, and not everyone who owns a console plays online or has internet access
so accept it!
double-o-dave
“I can’t accept that someone would even buy an X1 that doesn’t have internet in their house”
Are you serious??? Come on Starman, sometimes you have some valid points but that is completely narrow minded.
In fact… I can’t accept that anyone would even buy an X1. Lol
Starman
This is 2013 not 1993, most people have internet now and why would anyone without internet spend £430 on a console which has most of its features tied to being online? Also regarding legal action, I didn’t see anyone saying the ps4 better state that a online connection is needed to enable bluray playback or they’ll get sued.
NotSmartEnough
Starman,
The Ps4 blu-ray issue is different: it’s not the machine’s primary function and Sony will send a disk with the activation stuff on for those users who don’t have internet access.
Starman
My point is the bluray symbol will be on the box, so if its not clearly saying on the box that a update is needed then they too could have a problem. As a few others have said, a disc should be included with the console, however I suspect the disc would also be out of date.
double-o-dave
The PS4 doesn’t come bundled with bluray movies, like stated above, it comes bundled with games as it’s primary function is a games console. The Xbox comes bundled with games which are unplayable without an Internet connection.
Starman
But if it advertises bluray on the box which it obviously will, then your argument against the X1 also works against ps4. False advertising.
double-o-dave
The game discs are bluray.
Starman
Makes no difference. If the box shows the bluray symbol its advertising it plays blurays discs, unless it states any exceptions.
double-o-dave
It does play Blu-ray Discs. Games are on bluray discs
Starman
Ok I’ll try be clearer, it only plays certain blurays without the update, if this isn’t stated on the box then its false advertising.
double-o-dave
Surprisingly enough, from what I’ve seen the blu-ray symbol isn’t actually on the PS4 box packaging.
freezebug2
Surely the simple solution would be to include a set up disc with every console shipped or street-camped for, as I said should be done with the PS4 half-OS, which would cater for those people without internet (for whatever reason)
As well as the inevitable strain on net resource come the launch day traffic bottleneck there are other contributary factors to consider including the day to day mundane internet connection problems that people have.
But then again, this solution would be too simple!
Rockstar132486
well upon reading all your comments its just made me feel that tiny much better! NOT ! might aswell ring M.S up on phone and tell them what i really think :) they won’t like what they will hear let me tell you i am NOT paying £400+ for something that isn’t goin to Brrrrrruuuuuuuuum up! fuk that right off……