A new video has been revealed comparing the transfer speeds and boot times of an Xbox One equipped with a Samsung OEM 500 GB hard disk drive (HDD), a Samsung 500 GB EVO solid state drive (SSD) and a Seagate 1 TB solid state hybrid drive (SSHD). Remember: Try this at your own risk, since changing the HDD voids your warranty on the console.

Starting from a cold boot, it’s the SSD which has the edge, booting up in 46.1 seconds compared to 48 seconds with the SSHD and 50.5 seconds with the normal HDD.

How about real world gaming performance. Upon installing Call of DUty: Ghosts on each drive, it’s observed just how long it takes to load the first level. The SSD once again wins out, with a 27 second load time, though the SSHD is close at 27.7 seconds. The HDD is at last again, loading the first level in 33.5 seconds. Keep in mind that the hybrid drive calls upon the most used applications and games quickly. So if you’ve recently installed a new game, it may take some time before it functions at par with an SSD.

In terms of pure performance, the SSD wins out but the HDD is certifiably the cheapest option possible. What are your thoughts on the above? Let us know in the comments below.

For instance, if you’ll notice when trying to record using the DVR function and the “Xbox, Record That” command, you’ll only get a 30 second clip. You might think this is misleading, considering that Microsoft boasted about being able to record up to five minutes of video. Penello clarified this on Reddit, stating that, “We are always buffering 5 min. ‘Xbox, Record That’ grabs 30 sec. Think about it like a holy crap moment you want to grab. To get the past 5 min, you would snap Game DVR and get the full 5 min. You can also snap GameDVR and manually record 5 min forward.”

As for those who saw this story about not installing the Day One update, Penello stated that, “No, it’s just that this file is not the day one update. It’s a recovery file. It’s much larger than the day one update, is more complicated to install, and you still have to connect to Xbox Live when you are done. It was never intended to replace the update.”

Meanwhile, on NeoGAF, Albert was issuing clarifications regarding the Xbox One’s hard disk drive management. There was a furore created apparently due to the console itself handling the deletion of files and that too when you’re low on space. Penello stated that the console doesn’t delete things automatically. “I confirmed again. I’m correct. Its possible that Jeff [Gerstmann] misunderstood the question. Additionally, since people asked, a copy of your saves is stored locally for access offline.”

On the issue of HDD management, he gave a long explanation about what data you could and could not manage. “I’ve never suggested that people don’t need storage management. I completely understand why people want to see what storage they have left. It’s a feature that will be enabled later, once we get external storage supported and people need to move things around.

“I do think it’s unlikely to be an issue in the short term, as people probably won’t have enough games to run out of space. But it’s something we know is needed and will be enabled later. In the meantime, we aren’t going to be randomly deleting your files IF you end up running out of space. You can manually delete any file as shown in the screen above. Like 360, that will delete the file but the save game will still be stored.

“Save game files (and Upload Clips) are not user manageable. In order to prevent save-game collision across different consoles and different states, we manage the sync between the local save game and the cloud. A copy of your save game is stored locally and synced to the cloud automatically in the background. If you loose internet connectivity, you can play offline and keep saving no problem. Once you reconnect everything syncs again.

“The data that is ‘automatically’ deleted are things like DVR caching and other OS or system level caches. Hope that clarifies. With the exception of automatic save game syncs, data management features are still there. We need to add HDD capacity views and will have that feature in the future.”

He also confirmed again that you can delete stuff on the fly. “Yes you can. The only thing you can’t see is the amount of storage available on the HDD. You can manually delete things, and when (if) you run out of space you manually delete to make room. We don’t just start deleting things.

“We went with user-upgradable external storage vs. internal replaceable. That feature is coming after launch, and at that point there will likely be more sophisticated storage management.”

And to think, we’re not even past launch day yet! Stay tuned for more details on the Xbox One in the coming weeks.

First off, check your HDMI signal. If that doesn’t work, switch off your console and remove the HDD. Boot up in Safe Mode (indicated by a white lightbar on the controller) and when prompted for an HDD, turn the console off, plug the HDD in and then turn the console on again. It will again appear in Safe Mode and will recover the OS data before starting up like normal.

If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to format your HDD and reinstall the relevant firmware. Keep in mind that the Twitch user above faced issues even with the prescribed steps. Make sure to get your HDD checked in that case.

Have you been facing issues with your console freezing? Have you even pre-ordered your console ahead of launch, which is tomorrow in North America? Let us know below.

Source: Reddit [1,2]

A Twitter user who apparently got his hands on the PlayStation 4 early ahead of its release in North America has tweeted images of the system’s various settings. One picture in particular reveals that the usable space for the console isn’t actually 500 GB when you start off with. Rather, it’s 408 GB. Check it out below.

Gonna need a higger hdd pic.twitter.com/nrIZDz4Rpf

— CJ (@cjcool804) November 12, 2013

As can be seen, space is occupied by various applications and their saved data. However, when you look further down, you’ll notice that the free space left after all these deductions is actually 323 GB. So yes, you’re actually getting a 408 GB HDD in the box.

Other images showcase different start-up settings including how using the PS4 with voice is enabled by default, how to access the resolution, changing the safe area and more. Check them out below.

pic.twitter.com/AcpIy3Fhnf

— CJ (@cjcool804) November 12, 2013

pic.twitter.com/yAoQRWp4hz

— CJ (@cjcool804) November 12, 2013

That’s a default setting pic.twitter.com/yqo44X2GHP

— CJ (@cjcool804) November 12, 2013

Bout to redo the boot up video cuz I fucked up the other 1 pic.twitter.com/dwJc2ICUrz

— CJ (@cjcool804) November 12, 2013

What are your thoughts on the HDD space? Let us know in the comments below. The PS4 will launch on November 15th in North America and November 29th in Europe.

According to a confirmed Xbox One dev on Reddit regarding the console’s noise levels, “It’s super quiet to the point I have to put my ear right up to it to hear the fan and hard drive whisper.”

The same dev talked about the dimensions for the console and Kinect 2.0, including the length of the motion camera’s cable. The issue of the Kinect 2.0’s fan was also addressed, as the dev stated that, “Under normal operations, the Kinect runs cool enough that the fan doesn’t need to be on. I was told it turns on after the internal temperature gets past a certain point. I’ve never actually seen it turn on.”

How’s that for a quieter console? Of course, decibel levels are yet to be revealed so we currently won’t know how the Xbox One compares to the PlayStation 4 until the former releases on November 22nd. So stay tuned for more details.

“In order to provide the best possible experience for such a massive and detailed world, the game will have installation requirements on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3 systems. For Xbox 360, Grand Theft Auto V will ship on two discs; Disc 1 will be used for a one-time mandatory install and Disc 2 will be used to play the game. After the install, players will be able to enjoy both Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online without any need to switch discs.

“This initial install will require an Xbox 360 Hard Drive or an external 16GB USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of free space. If using a USB flash drive it must be at least USB 2.0 with a minimum 15mb/s read speed and formatted for Xbox 360 use. A new USB flash drive is recommended to ensure optimum performance. For PlayStation 3, the game ships on one disc and will install content as soon as you insert the game. The install is roughly 8GB, and players will be able to play as soon as the install is complete.”

Grand Theft Auto V is set to release on September 17th worldwide.

That means that if you purchase the console from the United States and games from a PAL region, everything will work perfectly fine on the PlayStation 4. There won’t be any distinctions or shut-outs as far as games are concerned. And no, the Xbox One is not region-free.

President of Sony Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment Shuhei Yoshida also announced on Twitter that the hard disk drive for the PlayStation 4 would be upgradeable, just like on the PS3, followed by a “heart” emoticon. We’re not joking.

And yes, PS4’s HDD is upgradable like PS3 <3

— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) June 11, 2013

Sony has certainly achieved a significant leg-up over Microsoft, which didn’t slouch in terms of the games shown at E3 2013 but which has been under fire in regards to privacy, used game resale and an always-on Kinect (plus, it costs $100 more than the PS4).