Microsoft is speeding up the boot time of its Xbox Series X / S consoles. In the latest Xbox Insider test builds of the Xbox dashboard, the cold boot startup time has been reduced by around 5 seconds. Microsoft was able to speed up the boot sequence by creating a shorter bootup animation.
Xbox testers noticed a faster bootup time recently, and Microsoft confirmed the changes on Friday. Josh Munsee, director of Xbox integrated marketing, says the company created “a shorter boot up animation (~4s) from the original boot up animation (~9s), helping to reduce the overall startup time.”
Xbox Series X / S owners will only benefit from the speedier boot times if they have their consoles set to Energy Saver mode instead of Standby mode. Energy Saver mode means the console fully powers off, instead of entering a standby state. This means you can’t power on the console and immediately start playing, but Energy Saver is friendlier for electricity bills and the planet.
Microsoft’s changes will make it quicker to boot up in Energy Saver mode, taking the Xbox Series X / S boot process from around 20 seconds down to around 15 seconds (including the time between pressing the power button and seeing the animation). It makes the Energy Saver mode even more appealing, especially after Microsoft made it the default option for new Xbox consoles earlier this year alongside adding support for downloading updates in the background.