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Xbox One ships early in US, then gets blocked

It seems Microsoft wasn't keen on anyone spilling the console's beans ahead of launch...

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

Now here's a strange situation. US electronics shop Target has shipped some Xbox Ones early, with punters getting their hands on the device two weeks ahead of the release. Though one customer wasn't as lucky as you might think.

@Moonlightswami played with his console and shared his findings on Twitter. But Microsoft wasn't keen on anyone revealing details early, and blocked his console, Engadget reports. That's right, Microsoft locked it down.

The Xbox One isn't supposed to go on sale until 22 November in the US and UK -- that's still almost two weeks away. So Target has jumped the gun in quite spectacular fashion. Microsoft is obviously peeved at @Moonlightswami leaking info early -- despite the company's marketing blitz detailing every aspect of the device -- so blocked the console. Seems a bit harsh.

I've asked Microsoft to comment on the situation and will update this story if I hear back.

So what info did the early gamer reveal? Nothing too revelatory, but a couple of interesting titbits. From booting up the console to getting to the dashboard takes 17 seconds, according to his calculations. And much like the PS4, you have to download a software update before you can get started. The Xbox One's weighed in at 500MB, which is a little more than the PS4's 300MB one.

But that's nothing compared to the games. Hook the console up to Xbox Live Marketplace, and you'll see titles tip the scales at as much as 43GB (NBA 2K14). Though FIFA 14 is only 8GB.

Much like the PS4, you can start playing a game while you're still downloading it. The console also has featured challenges for some games, where you have to perform certain activities during a set time period.

As well as banning @Moonlightswami's console, Microsoft apparently took down the YouTube video of him unboxing it.

In the UK, the Xbox One won't have iPlayer at launch, though Auntie is working on it. 

Are you looking forward to the Xbox One? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.