There's been so much talk about next-gen consoles improving the ways people play games that some forget there are still certain hard limitations. For example, both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X feature SSDs, which can improve loading times and other areas of games in significant ways. But on the other hand, both non-digital versions of the PS5 and Xbox Series X are still limited by their disc drives when it comes to installation. By all accounts, little if any improvement has been made in that regard.
As part of GamesRadar's preview coverage of the Xbox Series X, it was asked whether game installation from a disc had been improved. The answer, as expected, is no. The exact response is that it, "basically takes as long as it would on an Xbox One." They mention how Titanfall 2 on Xbox Series X took about 35 minutes to install. Given the expectations for next-gen consoles, waiting 35 minutes for any disc-based game to install would be understandably frustrating.
This answer is expected, of course, and should be entirely understandable by anyone who has owned a console this past generation. The fact of the matter is that disc drives have are limited in nature. An Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive used in the Xbox One S and Xbox One X has the same limitations as the ones used in either Xbox Series X and the PS5. In the future, a new type of optical disc storage format may be made with improved data rates, but this generation isn't able to make meaningful improvements when it comes to disc drives.
Another problem that's only going to be compounded this generation is the size of games. Games, especially with the 4K resolution textures demanded by next-gen consoles, are only growing bigger, a nd disc drives aren't getting any faster. As such, game installation time from discs may actually increase this generation, as games grow bigger and bigger.
There is an alternative in this generation, of course. The PlayStation 5 Digital Edition and the Xbox Series S both drop the disc drive entirely, and the standard PS5 and the Xbox Series X can be used entirely digitally, too. That comes with its own problem, though. Not everyone has reliably fast internet speed, so downloads may take as long or longer than a disc-based installation.
Ultimately, the issue isn't one to stress too much over. It's just something for PS5 and Xbox Series X early adopters to keep in mind. Yes, both consoles' SSD technology will improve in-game loading significantly, but downloading games and installation games from discs are still limited in the same ways the PS4 and Xbox One generation is.
The Xbox Series X releases November 10, followed by the PS5 on November 12.