Last week, we timed the boot sequence for the PlayStation 4. Now it's the Xbox One's turn to face the stopwatch. We started the console from both its instant on and energy-saving modes to see how long it'll take players to go from the off position to into a game. As it turns out, it'll be either faster or slower than Xbox 360 owners are accustomed to.
If you opt for the console's energy-saving mode, you'll trade performance for lower energy consumption. We started the console several times using that mode, and it took about a minute from pressing the console's on button to the first moment we were able to navigate a menu using a controller.
Instant on is predictably peppier. When we set our consoles to that mode, it took about 10 seconds for the system to fully power up. That might stretch the definition of the word "instant," but it's far faster than its power-saving alternative. Just to provide some perspective, our Xbox 360 (a Slim model) powered on in about 20 seconds.
So there you have it. The Xbox One boots up in less time, unless it doesn't.