Download Game Vs Disc Xbox One

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.

Learn about buying and using digital versions of Xbox One games. With digital content that don't come with the disc-based edition of the game. Yes, after you license and download the digital version, you can redownload the game. How to install disc games as digital (Xbox One). And go to manage game Take the disc out of your Xbox One. Longer to install than disc games due to the process of how you download it. Xbox One Game Install Sizes List. The list of Xbox One launch games is organized in alphabetical order for your convenience. Take a look at the total install size per video game for both download & retail games. Xbox One games can be massive in size, and take hours to download. Rather than waiting for games to download when you’re ready to play them, you can remotely start game downloads on your Xbox One from a smartphone or web browser. Jun 20, 2017. Buy it as a download through the PlayStation Store or Xbox Games Store depending on your platform, or as a physical disc from Amazon. There are pros and cons to both option, so let's consider which one is right for you.

Install-to-play times

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.

Game loading

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.

Next page: Console boot times, and overall speed

Best answer: If you value convenience, Xbox Play Anywhere, or Game Pass above all, digital is your best bet. If you're motivated most by getting the best price, then you should buy physical games.

Amazon: Xbox gift card (From $10)
GameStop: Pre-owned games

Some folks, including those who work here at Windows Central, have gone all digital to rid their lives of clutter, and that is a very valid reason. Some of us on staff have in excess of 250 titles in our collections, and that'd make for a mountain of physical discs and cases.

Download Disc To Xbox One

Digital doesn't also mean you have to stop buying games at your favorite retailers. You can go into a store or online to somewhere like Amazon or the Microsoft Store and hand over your cash in exchange for a download code, or for Microsoft Store credit to spend through your console.

Embrace your laziness and get rid of clutter with digital copies.

Then there's the ever-growing population of ID@Xbox titles from smaller developers. More often than not these are only available in digital form from the store. Likewise, if you want to take advantage of Xbox Play Anywhere or Xbox Game Pass, you're 100% reliant on digital downloads.

Physical discs might seem like they would have an installation speed advantage — for most gamers, the Xbox can read off the disc faster than it can download the full game from the internet — but that advantage has been mostly scuttled by the massive first-day download patches that have become par for the course for practically every major game release these days.

And finally, for those of us who hate getting up, digital copies allow you to fully embrace your laziness. You don't need to extract yourself from your comfortable spot on the couch to pop a new disc in. That physical discs install fully to the Xbox's hard drive and still require you to insert the disc to play makes a case for digital even stronger.

For digital

Xbox gift card

Keep your account topped up with credit.

Not only are gift cards great gifts for your loved ones, but they're a great way to keep your account topped up to buy games with, and a good alternative if you'd rather not leave a credit card attached to your account.

The case for physical is essentially a monetary one. As you're giving someone money for an object, you're not as limited to where you can get your games from as if you're buying digital. Sure, download codes are sold in a number of places, but discs are sold in more.

One of the big things you will nearly always see with physical copies of games is that prices drop a lot quicker than their digital counterparts. There are some ancient digital games on the Store that are still full price but can be had for peanuts somewhere like Amazon or your local game retailer.

Buying physical opens you up to buying pre-owned or trading in your finished games.

In-store deals are frequent among traditional retailers, and it's unlikely a week will ever pass by without there being something worth snapping up.

Buying physical also opens you up to buying pre-owned from places like GameStop and eBay, while also being able to trade in your finished games for money off something else. Once you've completed a digital title, it just sits there, paid for and with no further benefit to you. You can sell a disc online or trade in for credit on the next hot new game.

And of course, some of us enjoy having a collection, especially considering that special, collectors editions of games often come with a physical copy, not a download code. See the Rage 2 collectors edition as an example of that.

So which is best?

There's no right and wrong answer. Only you can decide what is best for you. Our recommendation is a little bit of both. It doesn't matter how you get your games just so long as you're getting what you want and you're happy with what you've paid.

There are distinct financial benefits to be had from buying physical copies which can't be ignored, but there are plenty of good and valid reasons for going digital. You can't go far wrong keeping your options open.

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Xbox gift card

Buy digital games with credit from a physical store.

There are plenty of reasons you might want to have both digital games and the ability to buy from someone who isn't Microsoft, and topping up your account with a credit code is a great way to do it.

Pre-owned goodies

GameStop pre-owned games

Save a bundle buying pre-owned physical games.

Buying physical games gives you the opportunity to save a packet and buy pre-owned. And then the opportunity to trade-in yourself when you're done. Everyone's a winner!

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Richard Devine

Richard Devine is an Editor at Windows Central. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently you'll find him covering all manner of PC hardware and gaming, and you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Xbox One Disc Vs Download

Should you buy digital or physical Xbox One games?

For digital

Xbox gift card

From $10 at Amazon

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