I didn't read all the answers so maybe these have been answered, but my understanding of game updates is that they are patches that fix/add to the respective game, some of them being mandatory, especially for network play. So my questions are: are there no patches/game updates on the Xbox or Wii/WiiU? And if there are, are the updates smaller on the Xbox than on the PS3 for the same multiplat game that is bought 3 years after it's release? Does a freshly bought fortza 4 not require a hefty software update for it to work/or to work online?

I'm not fond of the Dualshock 3, or the XMB, but besides that it's nice. PS4 looks great too...except that online fee.

Yeah that was the longest one by far I've ever seen.

360's updates are super short 9/10 times.  Wii U updates are long and slow but you can play the game while they install.  Sometimes, they update and install and the only way you know is that the game will tell you that the update has been added.  There are still times where I time it wrong and have to sit through a lenghty install, though.

No idea why Sony's are always so long.  I do think I remember them being bigger in size, though.  My "nephew" got Madden and NBA 2K something Christmas before last.  He was so excited to play.  We always had Christmas at his grandma's house.  The games updated for HOURS!  That was the worst I'd ever seen.  MGS4 and LBP1 and 2 were pretty substantial, too.  Also Heavy Rain had an install (not an update) that was so long,  it taught me  how to make Oragami while the game installed.  I'm serious!

There's a way to delete Xbox 360 updates.  I did it before but I can't remember the process.  I'm tempted to delete the updates for something like Halo 3 just to see how it compares to pretty much any PS3 title.  But, I'm not that bored.  I'm gonna play me some Wind Waker HD!

7.9MB.

If anyone know the size of a PS3 multiplat game patch, I can tell you the size of the 360 version's.
I only own exclusives for my PS3 so I can't do it.

If they waited until now to play the PS3 exclusives, they have already proven their patience. ;)

There are two kind of title updates.

One that is up to about 3-4MB which is stored in the cache, but there is only so much space there so the console deletes these small updates if you haven't played the game in a long time. Alternatively deleting the whole cache will also delete all title updates that are stored there.

The other kind is handled like DLC. For bigger files where it wouldn't make sense to download them again they're saved permanently on the HDD. Unless you delete them manually of course.

The only thing that takes up some time is installing the cars on the second disc (still takes less time then downloading and installing all the updates on GT5) but that is not manditory since you can play the game without doing it.  You can even buy the game without the second disk (esential edition) but if you are a car guy that version is BS since it comes with almost 200 less cars and if you buy them online down the road it going to cost you a lot more then buying the two disc version from the begining.

Thanks for all the answers. I think I remember a while back someone complaining that the update to let's say COD on PS3 was much larger than the same one on X360. Sounded weird at the time. But I guess it's possible that the update of game data is much easier for the MS console than for the Sony one.

PS3 download speeds suck... Or my friend's ISP sucks. Wait... USA ISP sucks...