Die-hard Microsoft fans that put in the time, money, and energy to get their hands on an Xbox One for  launch on November 22nd will probably want to jump right into gaming after they finish unboxing the next-gen console. However, much like the Nintendo Wii U, Microsoft has a day one update scheduled that users will need to download before they can start playing games, recording gameplay or upgrading Call of Duty: Ghosts to their new system.

Now, following details that gamers who want to purchase Sony's PS4 exclusive, Killzone: Shadow Fall as a digital title will face a 50GB download, we now know that Microsoft's day one Xbox One update will take 15-20 minutes download.

Microsoft's Xbox One Chief Platform Architect, Marc Whitten, spilled some details about the update to IGN in the latest "Ask Microsoft Anything" Q&A.

According to Whitten:

"We are optimizing Xbox One so that the day one update is as fast as possible. While we’re still finalizing the details, we expect that the download will take between 15 and 20 minutes for most users."

The update is necessary due to the differences in manufacturing schedules versus the software development schedule - meaning that the hardware will have been sitting in a box waiting for deliver while the software was still being fine-tuned by Microsoft programmers.

Gamers that are planning to drop $500 on the new console may be frustrated with a 15 to 20 minute download time, especially since that's only for "most users" but as long as the update stays relatively close to the estimated time frame it's understandable and should be bearable. In comparison to the Wii U launch update, 15 to 20 minutes should be a walk in the park. Nintendo fans that picked up the Wii U on day one are likely still recovering from the hour-long release day update from last November. The exact size of the Xbox One update has not been revealed, so it's hard to say how it will stack up next to the notorious 1 GB Wii U update. Regardless of the exact size, the software is sure to be the first major stress test of the Microsoft servers in a live next-gen console launch.

Whitten also confirmed that, much like the Xbox 360, the Xbox One's dashboard will be updated once or twice a year after the initial launch. He explained that the software developer will continue to listen to user feedback and attempt to deliver the dashboard experience that customers want and enjoy. Users will be able to access Facebook and Twitter through the Xbox One's Internet Explorer web browser at launch, but Whitten couldn't comment on whether or not the Xbox One would offer specific apps for either social networking service.

So far, Sony hasn't announced any plans for a day one PlayStation 4 update.

How will you spend the 15-20 minutes waiting for your day one update to download?

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The Xbox One launches on November 22, 2013.

Source: IGN

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