The Xbox Series X|S will soon recieve a major feature that should hopefully cut down on the amount of time players spend just hanging around waiting for the games to update. Given the prevalence of live-service experiences and developers offering prolonged post-launch support for even single-player titles, substantial patches have become commonplace in the video game industry. While it’s certainly good to get the most out of the games one purchases, some of these updates can be significantly larger than expected, resulting in sitting around and waiting for the necessary files to download.
Per Kotaku, that will soon be a thing of the past as Xbox is looking to roll out a new feature that will allow users to pre-download any updates that may drop for compatible games. Once live, games that support the option will automatically download updates days before they launch, ensuring that players can hope immediately back into the favorite titles. Sea of Thieves is lined up as the first game to sport the “Update Pre-Download” feature but it will likely roll out to Microsoft’s entire catalogue and third-party releases once it launches in its full capacity.
The introductuon of Update Pre-Downloads will no doubt be a boon for Xbox users as it serves as a handy quality-of-life improvement for a problem that’s becoming far more persistent. Having said that, the launch of such a feature isn’t enough to help secure the future of the console as Microsoft’s machine continues to struggle against Sony’s PlayStation 5. With the recent closure of several major studios, including Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, many users are beginning to question Xbox’s future.
While its certainly still accurate that Xbox Game Pass is an excellent deal that offers subscribers dozens of unique games with a single monthly payment, the Series X|S is struggling to maintain a playerbase. Its true that the system offers more customization and an arguably friendly user experience but its main competitor, the PlayStation 5, has a more acclaimed collection of exclusives. With Microsoft’s move to launch some of its Xbox-only titles on the PS5 and Nintendo Switch, rumors continue to swirl that the company may pivot away from hardware and focus on publishing games.
Whatever the case may be when it comes to the future of the Xbox Series X|S, the addition of the “Update Pre-Download” feature will no doubt please those using the consoles. When it will roll out remains a mystery but it’s safe to assume that once Sea of Thieves‘ initial trial runs have been conducted, it’ll likely become compatible with plenty of other games soon after. Finally, the Xbox friend won’t have to sit around and wait while all their companions play the latest Apex Legends season.
Source: Kotaku