PS4 and Xbox One game install, load, and boot times compared

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Now that Sony’s PS4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One are out in the wild, you’ve probably seen or heard — numerous times — that the PS4 is the more powerful, more games-focused of the two, while the Xbox One is the more media-focused. We’ve been testing the two consoles side-by-side, and wanted to compare either’s install time, as well as the time it takes from inserting the disc to being able to play the game.

For our initial testing, we used*NBA 2K14, as it is currently the next-gen game that looks most like something from the next generation, so it felt appropriate. The results were more interesting than you might think.

[h=3]Install-to-play times[/h]Both games install automatically once you put either disc in its respective console. After you skip through the splash screens on the PS4 version, you can instantly begin a Quick Game. That’s the only option, but that will differ from game to game.*Killzone Shadow Fall, for instance, doesn’t have a sports-style quick game option, but the game sequentially loads levels. During install, the Xbox One took about six to seven minutes before you could load the game and access the same Quick Game option.


As for the total installs, both are 43GB on your console’s HDD, about one-tenth the size of the stock 500GB hard drive. The PS4 full install took 36 minutes, while the Xbox One install took ten minutes more. The tests, however, were much more interesting than that. The PS4 was downloading a 2.3GB update (at about 1MB per second) during the full game install. We could not find this information on the Xbox One. It’s entirely possible the Xbox One version lumps the full install and update download together into one progress bar. However, we received and played the Xbox One version of the game days before the PS4 version. So, it’s also possible that — even though we removed the Xbox One install data before reinstalling it to perform our comparison — the Xbox saved the 2.3GB update data and it wasn’t lumped together into the full game install progress bar. So, the results remain a bit up in the air due.

Whatever the Xbox One was or wasn’t doing behind the scenes, the PS4 version still not only installs 10 minutes ahead of the Xbox One version, but gives you control of the game instantly, whereas the Xbox One takes about six minutes.
[h=3]Game loading[/h]Now that*NBA 2K14 has been fully installed and updated on both consoles, we tested how fast a Quick Game loads from the menu to the second you have control of the game. Interestingly, even though the Xbox One takes longer to install and allows you to play during, once the game is fully installed, that version loads about six seconds faster than the PS4 version.



Console boot times
While we had the stopwatch out, we tested the boot times. We actually previously tested the boot times and found the Xbox One to be about ten or so seconds faster, but we then realized that it wasn’t a cold boot. Basically, when you select “console off,” after holding down the Guide button, the Xbox One actually means “enter standby.” So, our initial test wasn’t accurate. We found you can turn the Xbox One off by holding down the power button the console — not through the Guide button “console off” option. When both consoles cold boot, the PS4 turns on in just 20 seconds while the Xbox One turns on in about one minute and ten seconds. When both consoles boot from standby, the PS4 turns on in about three seconds, while the Xbox One takes about 12.

We actually found it difficult to keep the Xbox One powered off. The console would either “secretly” be in some kind of standby mode, or it would power itself back on after you held down the power button on the hardware. However, when you hold down that power button the first time, the console boots to a green screen rather than the black standby screen with the white logo. During that green screen, if you hit the power button again, the console will power off and not turn itself back on.

Realistically, you likely won’t power down either console in your day-to-day life, so the standby numbers are the ones you’ll be experiencing more often — if not the majority of the time.



Conclusion
The PS4 turns on (from both standby and powered off) and installs NBA 2K14 significantly faster than the Xbox One, and it also gives you a playable portion of the game instantly, whereas the Xbox One took about six minutes. Interestingly, though, after the full install the Xbox One loads a Quick Game about six seconds faster than the PS4. The PS4 and Xbox One did appear to load each menu at the same speed, and both can multitask back to each console’s respective dashboard in an instant.

The PS4 appears to be the faster machine overall. It’s worth noting that each game will have different load times since they’re developed differently. Killzone Shadow Fall, for instance, doesn’t load at all. However, when you come home with a new game after a long day of work and all you want to do is take your shoes off and play it, the PS4 will help you achieve that goal significantly faster. If you have an Xbox One, those extra minutes aren’t the end of the world. Go make a sandwich or give you parents a call to see how they’re doing.


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