Microsoft is addressing a long-standing issue Xbox fans have been complaining about since at least 2013 with a new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S update. Right now, the update is limited to Xbox Insiders, but this should change in the coming months. In other words, before the end of the year, the update should be live for all Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S owners.
Slow download speeds are something that has plagued console users since the dawn of time. In the Xbox 360 era, when digital games, patches, and online games all really began to take form and proliferate, slow download speeds were excusable because everything was still new and many had very slow Internet. In the Xbox One generation, this was no longer the case, and the slow download speeds of the Xbox One became a point of vexation for many. And this has continued with the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The good news is Microsoft is aware of this and has come up with a creative way to alleviate the issue.
In the aforementioned new update for Xbox Insiders, users should note there is “a new feature” to optimize game install and update speeds by introducing what Microsoft calls “a smart download client.” How it works is that when a game download begins, the client will automatically check which content servers are available. This also works for updates. Then, from here it will test the connection speed of each to select the best and fastest available connection at the time for install. And it will keep running these checks during the install, bouncing around if need be. It’s unclear if this is going to tax the system at all, but it seems like the software is doing the heavy lifting.
In premise, this is interesting, but it remains to be seen how effective it is in practice. Whatever the case, it confirms Xbox is working to improve this aspect of the console experience, which it needs. Download times aren’t as bad as they were during the Xbox One, but they still aren’t great, and it’s not simply because of Internet speeds; though that is, of course, a factor. It is just not the sole factor, like some think.
Download speeds on Xbox consoles are a topic you can find many Reddit posts about every year, dating back many years. So, if this smart download client can make a meaningful difference, it’s going to be one of the most noteworthy updates of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S generation. And of course, this bodes well for the next Xbox.
While the broader Xbox base waits for this update to go public, there was recently a new update for everyone that had roughly a dozen new features, making it the biggest update to the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S of 2026.
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