Xbox Live Traffic Up 80% Since Arrival of Gears of War

Razor05 · 12-05-2006, 05:25 PM

As per TeamXbox:

Xbox Live Traffic Up 80% Since Arrival of Gears of War
By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar"
Dec. 5th, 2006 9:07 am

Sandvine, an Internet research company, has observed an approximate 80% increase in the number of hosts using Xbox Live and an approximate 30% increase in Xbox Live traffic after the release of Gears of War. Below is a press release with further details:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sandvine Identifies Surge In Xbox Live And iTunes Traffic

North American service providers observe 80% increase in Xbox Live users

London and Waterloo, Canada; December 5, 2006 -Sandvine Incorporated, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sandvine Corporation (TSX:SVC, AIM:SAND), identified a surge in Xbox Live and iTunes traffic on North American broadband networks following the release of new Xbox games and iTunes 7.

Through the use of its intelligent broadband network solution, Sandvine observed an 80% increase in the number of Xbox Live users across a sampling of North American-based broadband service providers' networks during the first week following the release of six new Xbox games. On November 7, 2006, Microsoft released six new games for Xbox, including the highly anticipated release of Gears of War, which sold 1-million copies in the first two weeks.

This spike in Xbox Live traffic following the launch of a highly anticipated game is reminiscent of Halo 2's release in 2004 (www.sandvine.com/news/pr_detail.asp?ID=65), marking the first boom in online gaming and resulting in the sustainable popularity of Xbox Live.

On September 12th, Apple released iTunes 7, enabling users to download full feature-length films onto their iPods. Based on data available to Sandvine at that time, North American broadband service providers saw an approximate 140% peak increase attributed to iTunes bandwidth usage in the wake of this release.

"The effect Gears of War and other games are having on networks indicates to service providers that online gaming is not just a craze. Their networks must be equipped to protect this increasingly valuable traffic from the effects of a best-effort network," says Dave Caputo, president and CEO of Sandvine. "Other multimedia applications like video downloads onto iPods are increasingly becoming popular, so service providers need to identify these trends early in order to proactively ensure there is adequate capacity to support the extra bandwidth usage."

Sandvine will be demonstrating real network trends and customer data in the Canadian Pavilion at ITU Telecom World Hong Kong from December 4-8, 2006. Visit Sandvine's booth in Hall 2003 for a tour of Sandvine's DPI-based policy solutions or (www.sandvine.com/solutions/xboxlivereport_1.asp and www.sandvine.com/solutions/itunesreport_1.asp) to view the latest Xbox Live and iTunes network charts and trend analysis.

ABOUT SANDVINE

Sandvine's award-winning network equipment helps DSL, cable, and emerging broadband service providers characterize what is really happening on their networks, enabling polices that improve customer satisfaction, reduce operational costs and increase profitably. Sandvine's DPI-based policy solutions are both application and subscriber-aware, empowering service providers to better manage network traffic congestion, mitigate the proliferation of malicious traffic, and deliver QoS-prioritized multimedia services. With 65 customers in 30 countries, Sandvine is enhancing the Internet experience for millions of broadband users worldwide. Sandvine is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sandvine Corporation (TSX:SVC; AIM:SAND). www.sandvine.com

360kid · 12-05-2006, 05:34 PM

Either www.g4tv.com or www.gamespot.com had an article that for the first time since Halo 2 launched it is not the top XBL game anymore. It has taken 2nd to Gears of War. I will try to find it again, it has to be one of those two sites since they are the ones I use. Just read it last night. I'll try to get it and post it, I know how skeptical people are around here without the link posted.

360kid · 12-05-2006, 05:37 PM

Found it: GOW ousts Halo 2 on XBL as the number one played game.

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/acti...ml?sid=6162101

Razor05 · 12-05-2006, 05:43 PM

Yep, we had this posted here.

360kid · 12-05-2006, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor05

Yep, this was posted awhile back.

Yeah that happens alot. The info is useful here in this thread as well just in case someone hasn't seen it yet.

Sorry for stealing someone else's thunder.

Razor05 · 12-05-2006, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 360kid

Yeah that happens alot. The info is useful here in this thread as well just in case someone hasn't seen it yet.

Sorry for stealing someone else's thunder.

Heh, your not stealing anyone's thunder. It happens all the time. Unless your right on the info when it first comes out, there's a chance it might get double posted. No biggie.

Type A · 12-05-2006, 06:27 PM

Wow, this is excellent news. I understand the concern for bandwidth usage increasing...but its only going to get worst! How do you suppose this will affect XBL? Think they are ready for a continuing onslaught?

Razor05 · 12-05-2006, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Type A

Wow, this is excellent news. I understand the concern for bandwidth usage increasing...but its only going to get worst! How do you suppose this will affect XBL? Think they are ready for a continuing onslaught?

Hmmm, maybe they'll have to upgrade the servers?

Cygnus · 12-05-2006, 10:05 PM

I doubt it. GOW is most likely peer-2-peer. Hopefully this means that GOW was a big console seller. We should know this in a few days.

beezdeez · 12-06-2006, 10:31 AM

Wait until Christmas when everyone gets the game as the gift. They may have sold over 1-mil units, but my guess that there is still a hefty share of those units hiding in mom's or the wifey's closet.

When I check the leaderboard, it says that the all-time in execution or warzone is out of 350,000 people. There have got to be more people playing than that.

MrRadman11 · 12-06-2006, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beezdeez

Wait until Christmas when everyone gets the game as the gift.

That's when I'll be playing it!

Razor05 · 12-06-2006, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beezdeez

Wait until Christmas when everyone gets the game as the gift. They may have sold over 1-mil units, but my guess that there is still a hefty share of those units hiding in mom's or the wifey's closet.

When I check the leaderboard, it says that the all-time in execution or warzone is out of 350,000 people. There have got to be more people playing than that.

Would that be just for ranked? If so that wouldn't take into account all of the unranked matches.

12-05-2006, 05:25 PM	#1
Razor05 HD = 65 beautiful inches Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 3,296	Xbox Live Traffic Up 80% Since Arrival of Gears of War As per TeamXbox: Xbox Live Traffic Up 80% Since Arrival of Gears of War By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar" Dec. 5th, 2006 9:07 am Sandvine, an Internet research company, has observed an approximate 80% increase in the number of hosts using Xbox Live and an approximate 30% increase in Xbox Live traffic after the release of Gears of War. Below is a press release with further details: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sandvine Identifies Surge In Xbox Live And iTunes Traffic North American service providers observe 80% increase in Xbox Live users London and Waterloo, Canada; December 5, 2006 -Sandvine Incorporated, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sandvine Corporation (TSX:SVC, AIM:SAND), identified a surge in Xbox Live and iTunes traffic on North American broadband networks following the release of new Xbox games and iTunes 7. Through the use of its intelligent broadband network solution, Sandvine observed an 80% increase in the number of Xbox Live users across a sampling of North American-based broadband service providers' networks during the first week following the release of six new Xbox games. On November 7, 2006, Microsoft released six new games for Xbox, including the highly anticipated release of Gears of War, which sold 1-million copies in the first two weeks. This spike in Xbox Live traffic following the launch of a highly anticipated game is reminiscent of Halo 2's release in 2004 (www.sandvine.com/news/pr_detail.asp?ID=65), marking the first boom in online gaming and resulting in the sustainable popularity of Xbox Live. On September 12th, Apple released iTunes 7, enabling users to download full feature-length films onto their iPods. Based on data available to Sandvine at that time, North American broadband service providers saw an approximate 140% peak increase attributed to iTunes bandwidth usage in the wake of this release. "The effect Gears of War and other games are having on networks indicates to service providers that online gaming is not just a craze. Their networks must be equipped to protect this increasingly valuable traffic from the effects of a best-effort network," says Dave Caputo, president and CEO of Sandvine. "Other multimedia applications like video downloads onto iPods are increasingly becoming popular, so service providers need to identify these trends early in order to proactively ensure there is adequate capacity to support the extra bandwidth usage." Sandvine will be demonstrating real network trends and customer data in the Canadian Pavilion at ITU Telecom World Hong Kong from December 4-8, 2006. Visit Sandvine's booth in Hall 2003 for a tour of Sandvine's DPI-based policy solutions or (www.sandvine.com/solutions/xboxlivereport_1.asp and www.sandvine.com/solutions/itunesreport_1.asp) to view the latest Xbox Live and iTunes network charts and trend analysis. ABOUT SANDVINE Sandvine's award-winning network equipment helps DSL, cable, and emerging broadband service providers characterize what is really happening on their networks, enabling polices that improve customer satisfaction, reduce operational costs and increase profitably. Sandvine's DPI-based policy solutions are both application and subscriber-aware, empowering service providers to better manage network traffic congestion, mitigate the proliferation of malicious traffic, and deliver QoS-prioritized multimedia services. With 65 customers in 30 countries, Sandvine is enhancing the Internet experience for millions of broadband users worldwide. Sandvine is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sandvine Corporation (TSX:SVC; AIM:SAND). www.sandvine.com __________________ Panasonic TH-65PZ850U Sony KDL37XBR6 Panasonic TH-37PX50U Cambridge Audio Azur 640R & 740C Paradigm Studio 60's, 20's, CC-590 & Seismic 12 Panasonic DMP-BD35 Toshiba HD-XA2 & A35 Motorola VIP1200 Monster HTFS1000, PB2100 AA 1154a MW2 LE Xbox 360 & Halo3 LE + HD-DVD GT: Razor59 Sony PS3 slim GT:Razor_59 Sony PSP

12-05-2006, 05:43 PM	#4
Razor05 HD = 65 beautiful inches Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 3,296	Yep, we had this posted here. __________________ Panasonic TH-65PZ850U Sony KDL37XBR6 Panasonic TH-37PX50U Cambridge Audio Azur 640R & 740C Paradigm Studio 60's, 20's, CC-590 & Seismic 12 Panasonic DMP-BD35 Toshiba HD-XA2 & A35 Motorola VIP1200 Monster HTFS1000, PB2100 AA 1154a MW2 LE Xbox 360 & Halo3 LE + HD-DVD GT: Razor59 Sony PS3 slim GT:Razor_59 Sony PSP Last edited by Razor05; 12-05-2006 at 05:46 PM.

12-05-2006, 06:27 PM	#7
Type A 1080 Optical Supporter Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Panama City, Fl Age: 38 Posts: 2,724	Wow, this is excellent news. I understand the concern for bandwidth usage increasing...but its only going to get worst! How do you suppose this will affect XBL? Think they are ready for a continuing onslaught? __________________ Mitsubishi HC3000U HD projector Dual Optoma 106" screens Harman Kardon AVR-7000 receiver Bose 901 VI, 301 IV, VCS 10 Bose AM-6 Series III Sony STR-DG600 receiver JVC GR-HD1 HD camcorder Xbox 360 Pro / PS3 40 Gig HD DVD 0 / Blu Ray 15 Games 18 / Games 2 Gateway 901x HTPC (modified) Sling Box Pro w/HD Connect Cable Dish 211 receiver w/Absolute HD pack HP Pavilion dv-6000 laptop (HTPC2GO) Link-Theater Gallery - 100,000+ views Link-55 Restoration Updated 6/21/08

12-05-2006, 10:05 PM	#9
Cygnus The Bringer of Balance Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,832	I doubt it. GOW is most likely peer-2-peer. Hopefully this means that GOW was a big console seller. We should know this in a few days. __________________ Toshiba 57H81 Kenwood VR-616 Comcast DCT6412 III XBox 360 GamerTag Sec0nd2N0n3

12-05-2006, 05:34 PM	#2
360kid Life Is Expensive Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 838	Either www.g4tv.com or www.gamespot.com had an article that for the first time since Halo 2 launched it is not the top XBL game anymore. It has taken 2nd to Gears of War. I will try to find it again, it has to be one of those two sites since they are the ones I use. Just read it last night. I'll try to get it and post it, I know how skeptical people are around here without the link posted.

12-05-2006, 05:37 PM	#3
360kid Life Is Expensive Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 838	Found it: GOW ousts Halo 2 on XBL as the number one played game. http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/acti...ml?sid=6162101

12-06-2006, 10:31 AM	#10
beezdeez High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 256	Wait until Christmas when everyone gets the game as the gift. They may have sold over 1-mil units, but my guess that there is still a hefty share of those units hiding in mom's or the wifey's closet. When I check the leaderboard, it says that the all-time in execution or warzone is out of 350,000 people. There have got to be more people playing than that.