November 8, 2013

2 min read

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Xbox One practically unusable without day one update

(Credit: Microsoft) Microsoft's Xbox One will have very little functionality out of the box when it launches later this month.

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Microsoft's Xbox One will have very little functionality out of the box when it launches later this month.

Speaking to Engadget in an interview published on Friday, Microsoft's senior director of product management, Albert Penello, said that owners of the Xbox One "will be able to do very little without taking the day one update." When pressed on what users could do with the Xbox One before the update is added to the console, Penello said "nothing."

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That Microsoft is requiring Xbox One buyers to download the day one update is no surprise. The company announced all the way back in June that the day one update would be required. This is the first time, however, that Microsoft has confirmed that the console will be practically useless until the software is patched.

The issue is that Microsoft has been producing Xbox One units for quite some time in anticipation of the console's launch on November 22. In the interim, the company has been working on updating the Xbox One's software and ensuring that built-in applications will work properly on the console. Out of the box, the Xbox One's software is incapable of running those applications. Exactly why it ostensibly wouldn't allow for playing games, however, is unknown.

This month is a big one for gamers. In addition to the Xbox One's launch on November 22, Sony will be offering up its next-generation console, the PlayStation 4, on November 15.

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