Xbox One: Microsoft accidentally ships a 'very small number' of consoles two weeks early

Leaked console showed 17 second boot time and large game downloads

A general view of the Xbox One, at the Violin Factory in south London, ahead of the consoles release in November. (Sean Dempsey/PA Wire)

Microsoft has confirmed that they accidently shipped a “very small number” of Xbox One consoles to consumers more than two weeks ahead of the official launch date.

One of the most visible gamers to receive the console early is Moonlight Swami, a US resident who frequently vlogs on YouTube about video games and sport.

Swami has uploaded several pictures of the leaked console including a video of the unboxing. He has also confirmed the boot-up time (17 seconds) and the need for a ‘day one’ patch, 500MB in size, that must be downloaded before any services can be accessed.

Many games and services are not yet up and running, with Swami only able to download beat-em-up title Killer Instinct. However, preview screens do indicate that download games will be costly in terms of data: Forza 5 is a 31GB download whilst Call of Duty: Ghosts is 39GB in size.

Microsoft’s Larry Hryb has given the company’s official response, noting that “We love that @Moonlightswami is excited about Xbox One and we can’t wait for him to enjoy it closer to launch."

“We’re pleased to see the initial response to Xbox One has been so positive, but given we are still putting the finishing touches on our games, UI and online services, as well as confidential partner and media agreements, these consoles units will be restricted from connecting to Xbox Live until closer to our launch date.”

The Xbox One will cost £429 and will hit stores on 22 November. The rival PS4 will be available from 29 November for £349. Microsoft recently released their most extensive look at the console's new dashboard and UI features.