downtime posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Err, wait. Scratch that. Reverse it. This is a helpful PSA reminding you, dear reader, that the PSN will be down for regularly scheduled maintenance for at least part of the day today. Servers are going down for a hasty sprucing-up at 8:00 PST, and are expected to stay down "for several hours." In the meantime, why not step outside? It's a beautiful day today -- unless you live in select parts of the midwest, which is currently experiencing a phenomenon meteorologists are referring to as "razor rain." You guys should probably hide in your bathtubs or something.

The PlayStation Network is expected to go down for a few hours on April 21st, according to a notice on the European PlayStation forum. The "essential maintenance" will begin at 7AM BST (or 2AM EST). There's no indication this will be a global outage, but don't be surprised if your late-night gaming sessions get suddenly interrupted.

[Thanks, bob!]

[Via Joystiq]

Original Story: Users are emailing us en masse that Xbox Live has just stopped working. Reports are circulating from users across the globe that the online service is no longer allowing players to connect. Xbox Live recently underwent a 26-hour offline maintenance on Monday but throughout the day today users complained of issues from downloading content, playing online games and in minor cases connecting at all.

Xbox.com also appears to be having issues as it is not displaying player profiles and is loading pages slowly. Currently, Xbox.com's support page does not list the service is experiencing any issues other than TruSkill and EXP rewarding problems associated with Halo 3. We'll keep you posted as details come in.

Original Update: According to the Xbox Technical Support phone line Xbox Live is experiencing network issues that are keeping some customers from accessing the service. Microsoft is aware of the issue and is currently working on it and recommends users attempt to reconnect in one hour. Don't shoot the messenger.

Xbox Live is back online. You know, we know it. But how well is the service performing after its 26-hour downtime? Reports indicate that some services are not working as expected but some say the online service is working fine in all areas. Who to believe?! X3F has consulted billionaire scientists, NASA specialists and the world's best sandwich makers for answers and created this poll in response. Uh, the sandwich makers are only here because we're getting a little hungry though ... they aren't voting on this one.

Early this morning when Xbox Live was reactivated from its 26 (or so) hour slumber, Halo 3 users in Matchmaking discovered a problem. Users were angered to find that their Halo 3 TrueSkill and EXP were not being rewarded properly after each match -- that is to say it didn't work at all. According to Bungie and the Xbox.com support page, the problem is being investigated and hopes to be solved as soon as possible. Bungie noted that the issue may appear, at first, to be an EXP ban but users will be able to tell the difference when a very specific warning message is displayed. X3F will update you as soon as it learns more.

Cue the "Welcome Back, Kotter" theme music! Xbox Live has returned to normal saving gamers unable to play their favorite online titles from boredom and saving Microsoft at least a few more hate letters to read. After hitting a speed bump during the maintenance, which only served as a stepping stone toward the New Xbox Experience, the Live service is back online.

Remember there are no new features added to the Xbox 360 or Xbox Live service at this time. We expect some connections to be a little bumpy as millions of fans attempt to reconnect at once but things will smooth over time.

So, the question now remains. Is Xbox Live working for you?

Quick update for anyone who decided to stay up and sneak in a few games of (insert your multiplayer game of choice here). According to Major Nelson, the scheduled Xbox Live maintenance is running later than originally expected. Originally scheduled to end at 11:59PM PT, according the Xbox.com support page, Major Nelson says the team will have an update on the status at 2AM PT. Maybe you should hit the sack and dream of a beautifully performing Xbox Live for the morning because we imagine updating and reactivating a service with 10 million plus Gold and Silver members might take longer than anyone thought.

For more information on the Xbox Live service tune into X3F or keep an eye on the Xbox.com support page.

[Update: The service is now online.]

[Update: Microsoft's support page has been updated thanking gamers for their patience reminding this update is important as the company plans to roll out exciting new features - also known as the New Xbox Experience - in the future. Remember, this is not the new system update but an important stepping stone. Another update coming at 2AM PT as the Xbox support team works "around the clock."]

You fire up your Xbox 360. Set yourself comfortable in a chair. Scroll down the dashboard menu and select your copy of (insert your online shooter of choice here) and... wait... what the?! XBOX LIVE ISN'T WORKING!

Oh, yeah! Remember kids, Xbox Live is down all day today until early tomorrow. The 24-hour downtime on Xbox Live will help prepare for the New Xbox Experience. The NXE will completely change the Xbox 360 dashboard you know and love into something Microsoft believes will be much cleaner and appealing to a wider audience.

So the new dashboard is totally coming out tomorrow, right? Sorry. This downtime is just prep. No new features are expected when the Xbox Live service returns. What will you be playing for the next day?

The PLAYSTATION Network will be down tomorrow, June 24th, from the hours of 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. Just as a heads up, you won't be able to access the Store and/or play online games on the PSN. During the downtime, read a book or play on your PSP. Or, if you're at work, this shouldn't affect you, now should it?

Is this maintenance to implement firmware v2.40?! We'll find out tomorrow!

[Thanks, TC!]

[Update: This is just a regularly scheduled maintenance; it has absolutely nothing to do with firmware updates. We're sorry for any confusion.]

Well, it only took two days after the initial update but Xbox Live seems to be back to normal again. According to the support page on Xbox.com the service is fully functional and thank goodness!

Xbox Live is sure to be tested this Tuesday when Grand Theft Auto IV hits store shelves. Will the service be up to the task? We'd like to think the tech ninjas at Microsoft have been preparing for this very situation, but don't ask us to put money on it. What? Gambling is wrong, that's why.

Update: According to the Xbox.com support page, Xbox Live is up and running but some users may encounter issues with matchmaking and voice communication. Apparently technicians are working on the issue as we speak ... uh ... I mean type.

Reports are coming in from readers that Xbox Live is currently encountering intermittent connection issues, by that we mean playing online, voice communication and even connecting to the service seems to be touch-n-go. The support page for Xbox.com has verified the service has hit a snag, while Major Nelson updated the situation at 11PM EST letting Xbox Live users know that "[the] team is updating [the support page] as conditions change."

While we understand the frustration our readers are feeling we'd like to echo a comment made when Live was down on Monday, better it be now than on or after April 29. No excuse we know, but we're trying to find that silver lining.

Yesterday Xbox Live was scheduled to go online at 1:00PM EST after an 8-hour hiatus for maintenance. However, like any guarantee, Xbox Live suffered from staggered connection issues well into the evening. According to the Xbox.com support page and Major Nelson, Xbox Live was back to business early this morning. Today, in a rare poll, we wonder what your experience is like. Fire up the Xbox 360 and connect to Live, play a game or two online and let us know what your experience is like now that the dust has settled on the connection problems.

Update: Major Nelson updated his initial post letting XBL users know that the tech team is aware of some issues with the rolling restarts. They are looking into the situation. Again, we ask that you be patient and just think about all the dudes you'll be shooting on April 29.

According to Major Nelson, the scheduled maintenance for Xbox Live that left the service offline since early this morning is complete. Before you fashion your trendiest riot clothes and pitchforks we'd like to remind you that while the service maintenance is complete users may experience rolling restarts around the globe. As an example, the service has restarted for our own Dustin Burg but has left this Canadian out in the cold (see what I did there?) with connection issues.

If you are experiencing connection issues we ask that you be patient before flooding our inbox with "ZOMG, they broked Live" news tips. Looking for something to do? May we suggest checking out X3F TV! While our Nielsen ratings aren't anything to write home about, we can at least assure you our gaming related videos are more entertaining than watching anything that Spike TV does with this industry in mind.

From 8AM-11PM PST on April 14th, the PLAYSTATION Network will be down for "scheduled maintenance." According to the US PlayStation Support site, the Store will be completely inaccessible as Sony makes the background changes necessary to accommodate the Store redesign. Once the downtime is over, a new firmware update will be available for all to download.

It's unclear whether or not online gaming and friends lists will be affected by this maintenance. Don't be surprised if you won't be able to enjoy a bout of Warhawk or Call of Duty 4 while Sony does their magic.

[Thanks, Ralle! Via N4G]