After a lengthy outage that stretched for several hours on Tuesday, July 2, Xbox Live services are back online.

What Widespread Issues Plagued Xbox Live During Downtime?

According to Variety, the problems began around 2:00 PM ET, with players reporting difficulties signing in, playing online games, downloading content, and utilizing other Xbox Live functionalities.

User reports surged on Downdetector, surpassing 23,000 within a short timeframe. Notably, over 75% of these reports pinpointed login issues.

Xbox Immediately Launched an Investigation Regarding the Outage

By 3:00 PM ET, Xbox officially acknowledged the disruption, stating they were "aware that some users have been disconnected from Xbox Live" and were actively "investigating" the cause, The Verge reported. Furthermore, their status page confirmed a "major outage" impacting account and profile services, potentially leading to login problems, disconnections, and limitations on features requiring sign-in.

A Long Wait for Resolution

Unfortunately, resolving the issue proved more time-consuming than anticipated. Many gamers expected it to last for just an hour or two, but it's longer than everyone could think of.

Although Xbox initially anticipated a swift fix, the outage persisted until roughly 9:00 PM ET. While the exact cause hasn't been revealed, Microsoft is likely conducting a post-mortem analysis to identify and prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Related Article: Phil Spencer Drops Hints on Xbox Handheld-Is It a Confirmation That it is Coming Soon?

Downdetector Paints a Clear Picture

Downdetector, a website tracking online service outages, mirrored the user experience. Reports spiked around 2:15 PM ET, with login issues dominating the complaints.

Interestingly, other Microsoft services, including Minecraft and the Microsoft Store, also witnessed a surge in user-reported errors during this period.

Back to Xbox Gaming

Despite the inconvenience, Xbox Live functionality has been restored. Players can now sign in, access online features, and resume their gaming adventures without interruption. Hopefully, the cause of this outage will be addressed to minimize the risk of similar disruptions in the future.

This month, Xbox gamers can now take advantage of the cloud gaming through Amazon Fire TV sticks integration. This means that you can play your favorite Xbox titles without buying the console itself.

All you need here is an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a Fire TV stick, and of course, a dedicated gaming controller that you can connect via Bluetooth.

This on-the-go setup favors players who often go outside. The good thing is that, anywhere they travel, they can carry this gaming setup, given that they have a stable internet connection. It's even better with Fire TV's new AI Search feature that will help you look for games quicker than usual.

Elsewhere, check Tech Times' report about the biggest video gamers that will come this summer. You can beat the heat with these games you can play with your best buds.

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