We have some further good news for Xbox Skyrim players on Xbox 360 now, as we’re pleased to say that the Skyrim 1.8 patch is now ready to update on Microsoft’s console. The update had previously been available in beta format for PC users, but now Xbox 360 users get to enjoy further bug fixes and improvements ahead of their exclusive Dragonborn DLC content which lands early next month.

Prior to the game’s release, many Elder Scrolls fans were talking about how the PC version of the game would be the lead platform, following on from the excellent Oblivion game before it which was definitely a PC lead platform game ahead of Xbox 360 and PS3.

This time around though, the tables have surely changed, with Microsoft’s financial clout insuring that Bethesda prioritizes the Xbox 360 game, with the DLC expansion packs so far for the game landing on the Xbox 360 first, before appearing on PC more than 30 days later – with obviously Dawnguard on PS3 still missing in action.

Whether you are a fan of these tactics from Bethesda is irrelevant at the moment, as Bethesda has made it clear that their focus is only on the Xbox 360 at the moment, with Dragonborn set to make Xbox 360 users very happy indeed as another DLC expansion that has only been mentioned for their platform at launch.

Now it gets even better. The next time you hop onto your game, you’ll see that the Xbox 360 1.8 patch is now ready for installation and the file size is a very small one, at just 25MB. In case you didn’t see the changelog for the PC 1.8 update, you’ll be pleased to hear that one of the main fixes involves a crash when using vampiric grip.

An issue related to Arnleif and Sons Trading Company has also been solved, while there is also general stability and memory improvements that should make your game a lot smoother if you are still experiencing crash problems. Bethesda has detailed the list of changes in a new blog post here.

Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, there is no release information on when the same patch will be landing on the PS3 version of Skyrim. As you can imagine, PS3 users have again taken to Bethesda’s comments section to let their frustrations be heard towards the developer, with Bethesda actually deciding to respond to a few comments on this occasion.

We see that they were asked the direct question whether or not they ‘care’ about the PS3 fan base, to which Bethesda replied they care about all platforms, but adding that updates will take longer on PS3. If you are a disgruntled PS3 user as well, it is well worth checking out some of Bethesda’s explanations in the comment section, including a reply to a user who questioned Bethesda’s business practices.

So there we have it – a new update for Xbox 360 users and nothing as of yet for PS3 users. We’ll let you know when the PS3 1.8 update is ready to go, or if the situation changes on the PS3 Dawnguard release problems.