By now most PlayStation and Xbox gamers know that Christmas was not a good day for online gaming. While plenty of people unwrapped brand new PS4 and Xbox One consoles, almost all of those people were left without the ability to collect their consoles to the Internet.
That's because a series of DDoS attacks on both Microsoft and Sony servers left PSN and Xbox Live crippled. Very few could even log in to their respective online services, and those that could saw limited usability.
But, nearly 24 hours after Christmas it appears stability is within reach. Xbox Live is finally running at a semi normal pace, while PSN is struggling to catch up. Original DdoS attackers Lizard Squad claim that their attack has ceased and that the downtime is purely a residual effect. However, a second group also called Lizard Squad says that they are still keeping PSN down.
Whatever the case may be, the services are seemingly coming back up, but not just because the attackers had a change of heart. As it turns out, MEGA founder Kim Dotcom may have been responsible for saving Christmas, or at least the holiday season.
While Kim Dotcom didn't singlehandedly resurrect the PSN and Xbox Live servers he did try to persuade the attackers with some free stuff. Specifically, he offered them 3,000 vouchers for MEGA Premium, a better version of his company's online storage solution. Each Premium membership is valued at $99-a-piece.
Kim Dotcom tweeted that a major reason for his bargaining was a need to play Destiny over the holidays. Clearly he, like many gamers out there, is a fan of Bungie's latest online shooter and would like to spend some time with it over the holidays. However, since he has access to a major company, Kim Dotcom could do more than just sit back and hope services were restored.
So, did Kim Dotcom save Christmas? In a way he kind of did, but multiple attacks have rendered his efforts somewhat moot. PSN is still down for most and Xbox Live, while stable at times after Christmas, has been shaky. It's apparently going to take more than some MEGA Premium subscriptions to work this all out.
Have you noticed any improvements in PSN and Xbox Live connectivity? How do you feel about Kim Dotcom working to bring the services online?
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Source: Forbes
Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina