Microsoft has started testing a smart download client that automatically searches for the fastest available content server whenever an Xbox game or update is installed. The system is designed to improve both speed and reliability across Xbox consoles and PCs using the Xbox app.

Few things are more irritating than paying for a game, starting the installation and discovering that the download is using only a small fraction of the bandwidth available at home. Xbox players have dealt with that mismatch for years, leading to a flood of guides built around custom DNS addresses, manual network settings and other unofficial workarounds. Microsoft is now attempting to remove the need for those tricks by changing how its own distribution network chooses the route used for each download.

Xbox Is Testing a Smarter Way to Handle Downloads

The feature is currently rolling out to members of the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring within the Xbox Insider programme. Microsoft describes it as a smart download client intended to optimise the installation and updating of games. The trial covers more than the company’s consoles: compatible laptops and handheld PCs running the Xbox app can also use the system when enrolled in the relevant preview channel.

Shortly after an installation begins, the client identifies the content-server groups capable of supplying the selected files. It measures the connection available from each one and sends the download through whichever server is performing best at that moment. That choice is not locked in for the rest of the process. The tests are repeated periodically, allowing the client to switch routes if traffic conditions change or another server becomes faster while the game is still being installed.

The same preview update includes broader stability and performance improvements, along with a fix for downloads that could become stuck before completion. Early testers have reported better results on several types of hardware within the Xbox ecosystem, suggesting that the benefit comes from Microsoft’s revised server selection rather than a device-specific optimisation. No general release date has been announced, although the fact that the system is already functioning for Alpha Skip-Ahead users means a wider rollout could begin before the end of the year.

Source: 3DJuegos