The Xbox One and PS4 may have many differences, but they at least have one thing in common – both consoles will require a day one update. These updates will install the latest OS on each console and enable many of the features that have been touted since E3. With that being said, will these consoles function without the day one update?

We don’t know about the PS4 yet, but Microsoft’s Albert Penello told Engadget that your brand new Xbox One is going to need that day one update. He says that the console “will be able to do very little without taking the day one update.” To further push how mandatory this is, he says “it’s not gonna be really an optional thing.”

So, let’s just say that squirrels chew through the cable that delivers Internet to your house and you’re bound to be without Internet for a week. Where does that leave your Xbox One? Penello didn’t go into specifics, but he did say that it wouldn’t be able to play games. Even if you bought a physical disc at a store, it still wouldn’t be able to play it without that day one update. In short, you better hope that those squirrels hold off on chewing through your cables until you download that update.

So, what about the PS4? Will it at least play games if you can’t download its day one patch? Unfortunately, that was one question not covered by Sony’s exhaustive FAQ from last week. We’ve reached out to Sony for comment and will update if and when we hear back.

Even if the PS4 lets you play games without the update, you’re still going to have an inferior system without it. As much as Sony and Microsoft tout that their systems are offline friendly, we’re now in the age of the connected game console. You’re going to need the Internet in some capacity to fully enjoy these consoles and that’s what these day one updates are for.

[Image: Xbox Wire]