Author: Zackery Cote

Patches and updates are things that gamers of all kinds have become very familiar with. In addition to major post-launch updates and downloadable content, many games receive small patches to fix bugs or tweak functionality. The seventh generation of consoles used patching quite well, as the Xbox 360 alone underwent almost three dozen software updates, and it looks like Microsoft is starting early with their newest system. A launch day one patch will be available for the Xbox One as soon as you plug it in. But this isn’t just some little update to the aesthetics of the menu screen or the functionality of the apps. This patch will be required to use the console at all.

That’s right, folks. According to Albert Penello, Microsoft’s Senior Director of Product Management, “functionally, you will be able to do very little without taking the day one update.” When asked what gamers could do with their console if, for some reason, their Internet connection wasn’t working, Penello told Engadget: “Nothing. You need the Day One update.” This means that even if you buy a hard copy of a video game, a physical disc that you can insert into the system, you will still be unable to play it.

Essentially, the Xbox One console that you break out of the box is an extremely sleek doorstop. This isn’t entirely new information, as it was mentioned back in June that there would be a day one update, but what we didn’t know was that the system would basically be useless until the update was downloaded. Apparently it’s a matter of “differences between the hardware manufacturing schedule and our software schedule,” meaning that Microsoft didn’t want to wait for the new software to start manufacturing the console, but it’s a rather sobering thought that you could buy the system and not even be able to use it. I suppose you should just call your ISP before purchasing the console and asking them outright: “Do you plan to drop service on November 22?”