Xbox Live: still experiencing technical difficulties

We're starting to think Xbox Live's holiday strategy was modeled after Newtonian physics: what goes up must come down. Although the Live support site shows the service as being "up and running", apparently users are still experiencing intermittent issues, sometimes more dramatic than those officially listed. We don't know about you, but even though only some of us on we were able to get on, even they have been seeing a lot of stalling and freezing -- and the unlucky ones are just completely shut out of Live. How are things going out there? Any XBL issues of which to speak?

P.S. -Microsoft, congrats on the great holiday season. You obviously sold a TON of Xbox 360s and Live service contracts. Now be a doll. Give everyone a week (or, say, a month) of free Live service for the ugliness over vacation, ok? These people paid for their service when the other guys offer it up for free.

Read - Live support site: still having problems
Read - Our post about problems from last weekend
Read - Our other post about outages on Christmas day

Update: Our broham Major Nelson says the Live engineers have identified a fix for the issues and things are on their way to being back on the up and up. Hopefully this time for good!

[brad @ Dec 28th 2007 5:35PM]

in COD4 its been taking a long time to find matches if your with a party

[E-Rock @ Dec 28th 2007 5:39PM]

"These people paid for their service when the other guys offer it up for free."

Stop with the hate. XBox Live isn't the same as the 'other guys' so you shouldn't be comparing on price at all.

[Felkster @ Dec 28th 2007 5:43PM]

Honestly, the most whining I've heard about Live downtime is from Engadget. Is it really news every time an Engadget editor can't get on Live? I mean, not even Joystiq, the GAME blog, deems it newsworthy when the status goes orange. I hate to be negative, but downtime occurs on all services from time-to-time, we're just lucky enough to see a status page from Microsoft. I mean, are you guys going to start blogging dropped calls on your cellphone as well?

[Ryan @ Dec 28th 2007 5:49PM]

Ryan Block is PRO mac, he hates Microsoft and his opinion bleeds thru. After you understand this you can understand his posts.

[nerdtalker @ Dec 28th 2007 5:51PM]

Yeah, good point. What other guys? Nintendo? PS3?

The other consoles' online offerings don't even compare, regardless of whether XBL is having intermittent connectivity. The fact that it's down is just another excuse to launch into a long string of M$ bashing and other scroogery in the absence of any mac news. If anything, the fact that it's buckling under tremendous load is a testament to how popular the service is. I pay for my XBL, and I'm strangely not whining, just fire up Mass Effect or ***gasp*** go outside, really.

What a non-issue.

[Zak @ Dec 28th 2007 6:06PM]

You guys seriously don't think there's a problem when a service that you're PAYING for isn't working? What if it was your cell phone service, I bet you'd be pissed off then. Your internet service? Your cable or satellite TV service? It's the same thing: You pay for these services and you expect them to work.

You guys need to stop knee-jerk defending Microsoft. If a service I pay for stops working, you better believe I complain about it.

[Matt B @ Dec 28th 2007 6:08PM]

So free online with dedicated servers and P2P and getting demos 1 week before silver members don't compare? I'll concede that xbl is more robust for now. But from strictly a gaming standpoint, how do they not compare?

[Shadow08 @ Dec 28th 2007 6:23PM]

Exactly. The others don't offer half as much, hence it being free.


Servers overload, especially during peak periods. Do you guys expect 2 months of free internet when your connection does out for an hour? How about a month of free cell phone service when your phone drops a call? I don't think so.

Things happen. Microsoft is addressing the issue, which is good. It's not like they are ignoring it.

[Ryan Block @ Dec 28th 2007 6:38PM]

Ryan, you serious? Besides not being pro-Apple (seriously, it's old), I absolutely love the Xbox 360. Where have you been?

[JeffM @ Dec 28th 2007 7:28PM]

Personally I have absolutely no love for paying for unreliable service. My cell carrier has dropped two calls in the last year and my internet hasn't had a single ISP related issue since I moved to the San Jose area in August of '05.

I see Engadget's writing on this topic as trying to use their industry clout to call attention to a problem Microsoft is having with their Live service; because Live is a pay service it is fair to say that we all should have higher expectations- they shouldn't be allowed to rest on their laurels because Sony is playing catch-up with their comparable free online service.

[Jhongerkong @ Dec 28th 2007 10:06PM]

@Ryan Block


Ive been reading the Zune review.

[abeandrew @ Dec 29th 2007 4:09AM]

Exactly... its not the same, we cough up $$$ for this, thus it should work.

[hypereric @ Dec 29th 2007 10:16AM]

Amen. Everybody I know that has played the PS3 online or the Wii online is blown away by XBox Live.

It's real simple: cutting edge tech invariably has some problems. The question is whether or not the company that is providing the cutting edge makes good on fixing the problems.

It's like the RROD or, more recently, Rock Band's plethora of hardware problems. When my guitar broke, I was inconveinced while they sent me another one. My drum's bass pedal broke, and I ghetto-ized it with super glue and a yardstick.

And guess what? I didn't return the game .... quite the contrary, I play the crap out of it.

Some people buy Honda motorcycles because they want the low maintenance. Some buy Ducatti's because they don't mind the high (and expensive) maintenance, but want a screaming banshee between their legs.

To each his own.

[Matt @ Dec 28th 2007 5:43PM]

It was done the day before they updated the status as well. They should really just give everyone an extra week for free to compensate. Seriously, they expect people to pay for service which doesn't work?

[Tiptup300 @ Dec 28th 2007 8:58PM]

I've been on just fine for the past week. My friends like to sign in/out constantly thou, during songs on rock band.

[MacDugal @ Dec 28th 2007 5:47PM]

Could not sign on this afternoon at all. I'm in Long Island, NY.

[Evan @ Dec 28th 2007 5:49PM]

Cannot sign in Columbus, OH.

It is getting annoying, since we do pay for it.

Don't worry MS, you still have my heart.

[JimmyMcDuck @ Dec 28th 2007 5:54PM]

Im in reynoldsburg and it works fine and ive been playin with friends from all around columbus.

[Evan @ Dec 28th 2007 6:13PM]

Tried again, works now :)

[Big Sam @ Dec 28th 2007 5:57PM]

I've had issues signing in today. And my friends around the country have had problems too.

[Le Master @ Dec 28th 2007 5:59PM]

Lawrenceville, GA - Down

[kastonie @ Dec 28th 2007 6:00PM]

I've been having problems with my wireless adaptor showing up as disconnected...
the problem started i would say about fall update time...I have to restart my 360 for it to work again...anyone else having that prob? I honestly havent played any 360 online recently except 1 game of team fortress on the 26th to notice online problems.... hmmm

[kastonie @ Dec 28th 2007 6:00PM]

I've been having problems with my wireless adaptor showing up as disconnected...
the problem started i would say about fall update time...I have to restart my 360 for it to work again...anyone else having that prob? I honestly havent played any 360 online recently except 1 game of team fortress on the 26th to notice online problems.... hmmm

[kastonie @ Dec 28th 2007 6:01PM]

manthis double post makes me look like an idiot even though the first time i hit add your comments and nothing happened.....

[CarlJ @ Dec 28th 2007 6:11PM]

I would say the triple post makes you look more like an idiot then the double.
...
...
...
Just Kidding ;)

[Steve Hall @ Dec 28th 2007 6:25PM]

This is suck a pain. I dont get how they can do this to people who pay for their service. Is there some kinda law to back this up?

[Tonyc @ Dec 28th 2007 6:25PM]

OMFG! All day with COD4! It will show your friends online but when you throw in the disc all of it just freezes up. Then if you happen to get a chance to get into a match it takes forever to find one. I agree MS should've known that the overload was coming down the pipeline and prepped their servers for the influx of nOObs..lol. and I just bought a 3 month live card..I want my time back!

[Steve Hall @ Dec 28th 2007 6:32PM]

A few of you are thinking your smart by making comments like "do you want free cell service if they drop a call"!!! That shows you dont have a clue. I do as a matter of fact. When I get dropped calls on my cell phone I get credited for everyone. Last week my Dish Network was down the whole day they came out and realized they made an error when hooking it up, so I get 30 days with no bill. So YES, you pay for a service you have the right to use it and to demand that it work.

[mg @ Dec 28th 2007 6:35PM]

Yep. This is fun. I can't recover my gamertag from xbox live. Basically makes the whole console useless cause I can't even play my saves offline. I definitely want something for all the hassle of entering my damn gamertag info every few hours the last few days. A couple thousand marketplace points would go a long way. I guess some free service would do to. Really, I just want them to be honest about the problem. Saying try again in an hour on the support website doesn't cut it unless it's gonna be fixed in an hour. Otherwise say you don't know when it will be fixed and offer something right then an there.

[Rick @ Dec 28th 2007 6:37PM]

Everyone will love this one. I tried to connect today, it froze in the process. When i rebooted my xbox after a few minutes of waiting, i got the wonderful red rings of death. No one within 50 miles has an xbox pro, so i had to get an arcade and wait until microsoft fixes my pro. To make matters worse, i can't recover my gamer tag. This really sucks!

[ginjaninja @ Dec 29th 2007 4:55AM]

rofl :D

[CharlieX @ Dec 28th 2007 6:39PM]

I WANNA PLAY VIDEO GAMEMEMEMS!!!!! NOWWWW!!!!!!!

[Jagannath A @ Dec 28th 2007 9:46PM]

haha this is what the steam forums are built of :D

[dontmatter @ Dec 28th 2007 6:43PM]

Has been working perfectly fine for me here in Texas

Even On COD4. Perfectly fine

[filmman @ Dec 28th 2007 6:43PM]

In northwestern Connecticut- As of 6:43pm, I'm totally frozen out of Xbox Live. Multiple gamertags are not working. It's a serious problem. It's been spotty at best all holiday.

[qbix @ Dec 28th 2007 6:57PM]

I've been a member since day one, but this has to stop. I'm not paying 50 dollars a year for this. I expect a 99.9 percent uptime. They are getting money from subscribers, so why the hell can't they buy more servers instead of relying on the bare minimum to support a global community? If it's not a load problem, they should hire better engineers and programmers. I like the idea of a free xbox live week, but even better, I'd like the service to work like as expected at all times. Sorry for the rant.

[RavenFox @ Dec 28th 2007 6:59PM]

For the guys who are saying PS3 online service cannot compare then you must be nuts. PS3 uses dedicated servers where it counts. If you dont know what a dedicated server introduces to your online play I suggest you play a PC game for a bit. Also these little knick nacks here and there from live is a ripoff. P2P gaming only? Yeah well the PSN now has the same games as 360 but guess what you play online for free. So before you Xbox lovers talk down the other guy get your facts straight. By the way Im loving Unreal Tournamnet on PS3. Whats that I get mods and maps for free but you wont. Uhh shucks.

[Paul @ Dec 28th 2007 7:05PM]

The message on Support page appears to minimze this issue. I find the status "Up and Running" while I have been unable to recover my gamertag for four days insulting and further frustrating. Remember when video games were fun and you did not have to worry about routine repairs for ROD, 6 week repair downtimes, and a down (paid, mind you) network issues.

After all, who would think the largest giftgiving holiday of the year would increase network volume. Does anyone at M$ do anything other than cash a check?

LIVE... should be redubbed DEAD--beat!

[mg @ Dec 28th 2007 7:10PM]

Yep, the up and running is the kicker. Makes you think they don't care. Coupled with the phone message telling you to try again in an hour and a customer support agent who thought maybe by the morning and it's a lil more than annoying. I use my live for more than gaming, for instance to video chat with my brother. I'm definitely frustrated that I can't do this. Redundancy must not be in M$'s vocabulary.

[nosrednAneB @ Dec 28th 2007 7:21PM]

I thought it was a problem with my internet connection. Apparently not. This is more than a minor issue for me, with multiple times on multiple days, not being able to connect.

Actually, I am DAMN ANGRY that I pay for my connection to Xbox Live and the few times I get a chance to play it, it is offline!! If anyone asks me, they should make Xbox Live Free and just load it up with non-intrusive ads. They already have ads and I don't think we should have to pay to have a crappy connection and put up with ads!

[mg @ Dec 28th 2007 7:27PM]

Agreed on the Ads. Stop charging or stop the ads but first and foremost admit there's a problem and fix it.

[Rick @ Dec 28th 2007 7:42PM]

as much as I love xbox live, it's been a pain in the ass to get on all week. Halo 3 took 30 minutes the other day to load one team slayer match because it kept kicking people out of the lobby due to inactivity on the servers. It got to the point where I stopped playing 360 for a while because of it. Microsoft makes some amazing products, but this sure as hell is frustrating, and I would like some sort of compensation.

[Otis Whitaker @ Dec 28th 2007 7:48PM]

XBOX Live costs $50 a year.
For that, you get advertisemets.
You get no discounts on all of that glorious paid content.
You get no dedicated servers.
You get service that has problems every single time a big demo drops, or any big time of the year. (Without fail. It ALWAYS happens on Live)
Three to Four OS updates a year. Along with BC updates.
BUT BUT BUT TEH FRIENDS LIST! TEH INTERGRATION!
The other online services aren't better, but at least they don't take your money and do jack shit with it.

[epsilon343 @ Dec 28th 2007 8:00PM]

Asking for free play time because of a week of intermittent issues...during the one time of the year when their user base will increase drastically literally overnight seems ridiculous. I've been a member since 2003 and the downtime has been so rare that I would willingly sacrifice some log-in problems for the incredible reliability for the other 99% of the time.

Granted...my 360 RRoD after the update and I haven't been able to play on XBL since then. But even if I did have my console with me at the moment, I'd still be posting this comment.

[CD @ Dec 28th 2007 8:26PM]

Exactly, one of the busiest times of the year when everyone wants to play on their new 360 and can't. MS should have been prepared for the increased number of users. It wouldn't be that bad if it was just for a few hours one night, but this has been happening the last few days not. It's not good enough for a paid service.

[Chris.L @ Dec 28th 2007 8:04PM]

I was playing co-op in Crackdown earlier and had no problems, well there was one, my friend had downloadable content which I didn't have so we couldn't connect until we both had the same content.

[Jorge Rodriguez @ Dec 28th 2007 8:13PM]

If you got a 360 over the break, why dont you do yourself a huge favor and trade it in for a PS3 with free online service that I have never had a problem on.

Does free mean anything to people anymore? M$ is taking your brains people.

If your going to bitch, do it right. tell them your switching to PS3. Or be a dumbass and keep giving them your hard earned money.

[Tim Ficke @ Dec 28th 2007 8:56PM]

Why dont we? Because Xbox Live kicks the Playstation Network's ass and is a million times better. Also, there are a ton more better games for the 360.

[robmania001 @ Dec 29th 2007 3:18AM]

Oh wait. The PS3 has such a sub-standard game library it's laughable. No, I'll stick to my 360 with the fantastic games. We'll see about a PS3 later if Sony ever manages to catch back up with Nintendo and Microsoft

[ck @ Dec 29th 2007 6:03PM]

robmania001: "No games for PS3" a tired old argument. It was true maybe 6 months ago. It's certainly not now.