Xbox Live Faster, More Dependable Than PSN - Report

Network speed and reliability are two important factors for any online service, including Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Now, Microsoft has released the results of an independent study that claims Xbox Live is generally faster and more reliable than PlayStation Network.

This means "you're getting the fastest, most dependable multiplayer experience possible," Xbox's head of operations Dave McCarthy said in an Xbox Wire post.

Xbox Live and PSN, as well as other online gaming networks, go down from time to time whether that be the result of an attack, maintenance, or something else entirely. McCarthy said it's great to see the new report, from IHS Markit, speak positively about Xbox Live. He also spoke briefly about how Microsoft remains committed to further improving its network and online services to benefit gamers.

"We recognize it is an ongoing journey that requires considerable investment, feedback, and improvement," he said. "Managing and maintaining a network is complex and there is an army of individuals who work tirelessly on Xbox Live, because at the heart of it, they are gamers just like you. Our goal is to try and see bumps in the road before they start, or get through them as smoothly as possible. Just know that we have a team who works 24×7 to optimize your gaming experience."

According to the IHS Markit study (read the full thing here; PDF), Xbox Live was faster than PSN when looking at the time it took to log into the network service and game servers, as well as the speed at which uses could join friends in a party and upload images.

As for multiplayer itself, the study gave the edge to Xbox Live when it came to how often the service was successful in allowing players to log in to game servers and stay in a match to completion without an interruption. Overall, Xbox Live ranked higher than PSN for the "overall experience" category; this measured things like the speed at which you can invite friends to a party and voice chat quality.

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"We're always looking for ways to make sure your experience is the very best, and this is just a small milestone in the journey to delivering the best possible gaming experience this year and beyond," McCarthy said. "In fact, right now, we’re working hard to bring new features like Clubs, Looking for Group and Arena on Xbox Live as well as cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10 PC to make it easier than ever to connect with people who have shared interests over Xbox Live. We look forward to sharing more as these features roll out worldwide."

The IHS Markit study was conducted in June and July of 2016; it got its results from tests that used top-selling games that feature matchmaking support. You can read the full report here, while some of the slides can be seen in the gallery above.

Apparently not tracked in this survey were download speeds. Xbox One and PS4 users alike might agree that speeds could be better, especially given how big some games have become.

What do you make of the survey's findings? Let us know in the comments below.