Skyrim Xbox 360 installation causes graphical issues; patch incoming

Bethesda has commented that due to the way The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim makes use of dynamic streaming and caching of textures on Xbox 360, you may get better visual performance running off the disc. The company is working on a title update to fix the prob

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Since Microsoft began allowing installs on the Xbox 360, you may have gained the habit of making that your first step before starting to play any new title. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim hits stores today, and while it may be tempting to hit the Install button, you might be better served by waiting -- at least for now.

A post from Bethesda staff on the company's forums suggests that your game might look better without the install, due to the way it handles dynamic streaming of the textures.

"We've seen a few reports of certain textures temporarily scaling down on the Xbox 360, and not scaling back up," the post reads. "We have verified that this issue does not occur when playing off the disc and when the game is fully cached (not installed)." The post goes on to state that a title update is coming to fix the problem for those who install the game.

Having tested the differences, the game does seem to look better when running off the disc, but it also increases load times. Until the title update hits, you may have to choose which feature is more important to you. Speaking personally, my own review sessions were performed almost entirely with the game installed, and that clearly didn't make me think worse of it.

Editor-In-Chief
From The Chatty
  • reply
    November 11, 2011 12:30 PM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Skyrim Xbox 360 installation causes graphical issues; patch incoming.

    Bethesda has commented that due to the way The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim makes use of dynamic streaming and caching of textures on Xbox 360, you may get better visual performance running off the disc. The company is working on a title update to fix the prob

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      November 11, 2011 12:49 PM

      Why anyone would want to play an RPG as mammoth Skyrim on a console is beyond me... this is what you get with outdated hardware

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        November 11, 2011 12:52 PM

        [deleted]

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          November 11, 2011 12:56 PM

          Playing a game as massive as Skyrim at 2560x1600 on Ultra at 60fps is worth it... get a new chair. It's that kind of thinking that's put the gaming industry in the position its in... watered down games being made for consoles first, then the PC gets (if it even does) an inferior port.

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            November 11, 2011 12:57 PM

            [deleted]

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            November 11, 2011 1:16 PM

            Why do these things always have to turn onto a console vs PC pissing contest? This gets really annoying.

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              November 11, 2011 1:19 PM

              Love on it... it's discussions that need to take place or we'll all be playing The Elder Scrolls VI on iPads and iPhones

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                November 11, 2011 1:20 PM

                [deleted]

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                November 11, 2011 1:23 PM

                a console on a big tv is nothing like ipad gaming.

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                  November 11, 2011 1:27 PM

                  You're missing the point... its the trend of making games more and more watered down is what the consoles are doing... Dungeon Siege III is a perfect example... a once PC franchise, now pushed onto consoles to "sell more copies" and the game winds up being a super simplistic piece of crap... this is happening over and over again... The Elder Scrolls games were once PC titles... if the series had started on console, I would care less, but taking a series as deep an as expansive as an Elder Scrolls game and shoehorning it onto a console and mapping everything to a controller does the franchise a disservice.

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                    November 11, 2011 1:29 PM

                    [deleted]

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                    November 11, 2011 1:29 PM

                    [deleted]

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                      November 11, 2011 1:32 PM

                      Accessible = watered down... you just reaffirmed my point

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                        November 11, 2011 1:45 PM

                        Ugh you pc guys are so annoyin, so your tellin me if consoles didnt exist gaming would be better as a whole? Nooooooo

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                          November 11, 2011 1:50 PM

                          If it weren't for us PC guys, you wouldn't be enjoying your Skyrim... follow that games roots back to its origin

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                            November 11, 2011 3:25 PM

                            Except consoles like the Atari and the NES popularized gaming and set the industry in motion.

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                          November 11, 2011 1:51 PM

                          [deleted]

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                          November 11, 2011 1:52 PM

                          And for the record, I have a 360 and a PS3... but the point is, the game is running into issues on the console cause it's too big to be on it... 5400RPM laptop hard drives to stream a game as big as Skyrim ridiculous

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                            November 11, 2011 1:53 PM

                            [deleted]

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                              November 11, 2011 1:56 PM

                              I didn't mean file size, bro. I meant that a measly 5400RPM laptop drive in a console (or worse, streaming it off a DVD drive) is a joke when you're trying to stream that much data to and from the system memory... bro.

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                                November 11, 2011 2:35 PM

                                Something tells me you have no idea how streaming of assets as it relates to game performance actually works in reality.

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                                  November 11, 2011 2:41 PM

                                  You're right... I don't... I also thought a Yugo was as fast as a Porsche simply because it had a faster engine... so dumb of me

                                  Faster disk = faster load times, less skipping/stuttering in-game, smoother frame rates and less crap like texture popping in RAGE

                                  But yes, I have no idea

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                                    November 11, 2011 2:49 PM

                                    In this situation, it's pretty clear that this is an oversight that can be easily fixed through optimization of the code, hence the fact that a title update is coming soon. This issue has not occurred with any other Bethesda game on the 360 (games that are just as "big" as Skyrim). Sure, they are pushing the limits, but improved code goes a long way.

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                    November 11, 2011 2:25 PM

                    dark souls wants to have a word with you.

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                      November 11, 2011 3:27 PM

                      It's more like Dark Souls wants to bow and then stab in him the face.

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                November 11, 2011 2:15 PM

                Good god I would love a TES game on the iPad

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              November 11, 2011 1:40 PM

              It would be fine if they would add business logic to the discussion, or even a mention of the continual cycle of pc/console hardware leapfrog that has been going on for quite a while.

              Instead, the argument is always as if PC gaming was great until this round of consoles came out, and then it all went to shit.

              Intelligent discussion is too much to ask.

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              November 11, 2011 6:38 PM

              no shit. I'm a PC gamer as much as the next guy, but I enjoy playing games on my 360 too. I picked up Skyrim for the 360 and I'm enjoying the shit out of it.

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              November 14, 2011 9:24 PM

              Because if PC gamers just gave up and stopped fighting then no one would make games for it.

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            November 11, 2011 1:55 PM

            [deleted]

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              November 14, 2011 5:09 AM

              You have it backwards.... Whats terrible is seeing upscaled graphics stretched out to 1280x720 on 50 inch TV. *That* looks like ass.

              Its the little chunks of ignorance that makes up PC users wonder why you guys keep playing this garbage on consoles.

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            November 11, 2011 2:43 PM

            no, what gets us in this position is the XBOX360 version of everything outselling every other version. that plus Microsoft's stupid rules about feature parity across different versions.

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          November 11, 2011 12:56 PM

          How can people stand to play video games while sitting on a couch on the other side of the room? Is it even possible to see what is going on?

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          November 11, 2011 1:13 PM

          Are these the same terribly uncomfortable chairs you sat in when you played Diablo 2 till 4 in the morning, or Half-Life one for so long in one sitting that you started falling asleep and nearly headbutted the desk, or populous until you couldn't look at your dinner without trying to smooth out your mashed potatoes?

          I've never understood this argument. I have a comfortable chair and a $300 set of THX rated speakers. It doesn't matter if my TV is 2.5x bigger than my monitor, I'm not sitting 18" from my TV.

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            November 11, 2011 1:19 PM

            I have never understood that stance either, but I'm also less engaged when just sitting on the couch like that playing a game like this. Feels more like a passive experience.

            Best way to fully immerse myself in a game like this is to get up close and personal with it. Helps that my chair is great for extended periods of sitting and my LCD is an IPS and that I can tweak the fov. A 100inch projection setup wouldn't even compare.

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              November 11, 2011 2:43 PM

              what kind of chair do you have? I need to get myself a new office chair...

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                November 11, 2011 7:09 PM

                I couldn't tell you. Something I got at Office Depot years ago. I spent a while there trying a bunch of different chairs out until I found one that was super comfortable for my height and such.

                Not something you want to buy online!

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              November 12, 2011 11:34 AM

              [deleted]

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            November 11, 2011 2:07 PM

            Too much sense.......

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            November 11, 2011 4:20 PM

            [deleted]

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          November 11, 2011 1:14 PM

          [deleted]

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          November 11, 2011 1:36 PM

          GAMING ENJOYMENT COUCH REQUIRMENT ARGUMENT HERP DERP!

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          November 11, 2011 1:42 PM

          Seriously, this argument is just as fucking retarded as what Prothean posted.

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          November 11, 2011 2:32 PM

          I sit on a cheap piano seat when I use my computer.

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          November 11, 2011 2:37 PM

          COMFY COUCH!!

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        November 11, 2011 12:58 PM

        Why would you want to play with PCI Express slots when you can use Monster HDMi cables? That's why I got the console version.

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          November 11, 2011 1:11 PM

          Lol...pc ftw.

          I had a buddy bring over his monster hdmi cable once and we compared it to my $10 hdmi cable using a ps3 played a bluray and a game. Want to know what the difference was? Price.

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        November 11, 2011 12:58 PM

        what is the point of this post? what does it bring to the discussion? jesus

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          November 11, 2011 1:03 PM

          What does Jesus have to do with this discussion?

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          November 11, 2011 1:07 PM

          Don't bring jesus into this!

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          November 11, 2011 1:13 PM

          He's being a shithead but he has a point - it's becoming an all too frequent occurence that the console version of some game has issues just like the PC version does.

          If you're willing to weather it, that's fine, but if you moved to consoles because "this kinda shit doesn't happen there, everything just works" it's becoming increasingly apparent that this attitude is wrong.

          Now granted, it's far more likely that they'll be able to patch it and get things working perfectly - it's not like the RAGE on PC situation where there's a million different configurations - but there's still that certification process to go through. If this same thing happened on the PC they could have a patch on Steam by day's end.

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          November 11, 2011 1:22 PM

          Jesus died for all our Skyrims!

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        November 11, 2011 1:18 PM

        Because the hardware running a game really does not impact the enjoyment much

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        November 11, 2011 1:25 PM

        i look forward to scrolling past this thread for the next 17 hours.

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          November 11, 2011 1:47 PM

          [deleted]

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            November 11, 2011 2:45 PM

            Yup, I used to enjoy reading the comments.. Now it's just the articles pretty much

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            November 11, 2011 2:45 PM

            Yup, I used to enjoy reading the comments.. Now it's just the articles pretty much

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            November 11, 2011 6:11 PM

            This is why the industry will leave behind these people. Bitch, bitch, bitch holier than thou bullshit, while 9.3 million people have fun playing a game.

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        November 11, 2011 1:31 PM

        [deleted]

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        November 11, 2011 1:52 PM

        Because some people don't have super awesome computers and like playing on their consoles better than building computers to play games. It really isn't the big deal you are making it out to be. It is a CHOICE you have which format you want to play the game in. If you don't like consoles, good for you, play it on your PC.

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          November 11, 2011 5:54 PM

          hear hear! preach on my lady! My brother has an awesome super computer and enjoys games at max resolution and max graphics because he has a high paying job. Me, on the other hand, barely scrapes an existence together by himself but can still enjoy an awesome game like Skyrim on the Xbox 360.

          to condone and hate someone because of different hardware or a different platform is stupid.

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          November 11, 2011 6:04 PM

          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

          My PC is a 7 year old Core2Duo E6400 (6 years old? can't remember) with an okay video card.. my system can not handle Skyrim the way I'd want to play it. My Xbox360 on the other hand? ....

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            November 13, 2011 11:59 PM

            Well, with the money of the xbox you could have tweaked the pc to run games much better than a console.
            Or better, you could have bought a monster new pc, for a bit more dollars, pay it in some months, and pay the difference with all the money you save when buying pc games (usually 10 dollars per game).

            There really isn't a more expensive platform, if you pay less for one thing you pay more for another thing, comparing pc and consoles.

            And well, in this game if you buy it for console you are going to loose a really big portion of the game, that are the mods.

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        November 11, 2011 2:40 PM

        Really? It looks amazing on 360 and playing on my couch is pretty damn comfy compared to slouching over a computer desk for hours on end (Which the game almost requires you to put into it).. Besides a lot of us can't afford gaming rigs so it works out more economic to play on console. Developers pretty much cater to the console gamer these days anyway and after reading about so many PC gamers complaining of bad ports, I'm kind of glad I don't own a computer for gaming. I'll stick with comfy couch + 360 combo :D

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        November 11, 2011 5:52 PM

        geez, get off your high horse. Not everyone has a decent PC to handle Skyrim nowadays. In the end, everyone will enjoy Skyrim to each of their own. I can enjoy the game on my decently sized HDTV and Xbox 360 and my office chair.

        To condone someone because of simply inferior hardware is stupid. All gamers will enjoy a game for their own reason.

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      November 11, 2011 12:55 PM

      i played for an hour and a half last night and didnt notice any problems. i guess that's because i didn't install it.

      game looks amazing on the 360 btw

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        November 11, 2011 1:18 PM

        i think this was one of the issues that warcrow ran into in his review. he had taken some pictures of it too

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      November 11, 2011 1:57 PM

      [deleted]

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        November 11, 2011 2:08 PM

        [deleted]

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        November 11, 2011 2:20 PM

        I don't see any advantage to playing on console unless gamer score is really important to you. I suppose you know it will run, if it doesn't Red Ring vs on pc the chance something goes wrong. Other than that the interface is probably easier to use on pc, it should run faster, look better, and offer mods, and not require the purchase or use of a disc. I guess you don't get rumble, but you could use a 360 controller on pc if rumble is important.

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          November 16, 2011 11:58 AM

          I have it for both ps3 and pc. If you noticed the graphical difference was not much. Frame rates will differ, but that also depends on the computer. The console, however, is cheaper than the gaming pc. It is nice chilling on my couch with my controller in my hand surrounded by my sony hd bravia surround sound with amplified 2 12 inch subwoofers for more boom and a 53" 1080 hd tv dazzling my face. Basically, most people have a better entertainment set up with their tv and console vs the pc.

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      November 11, 2011 2:42 PM

      I love the retarded descriptions of console gaming from the PC crowd and the retarded descriptions of PC gaming from the console crowd in these threads. They remind me of the shitty infomercials you see at 3am on the Food network where some fucking moron in black and white manages to strangle himself with a corded phone or something completely retarded like that. This website is started to suck.

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      November 11, 2011 2:43 PM

      OH MY GOD SHACKNEWS FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

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      November 15, 2011 11:08 AM

      Kind of hilarious that a console has the worst bug.

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