Xbox Live Tipped to Crash Before Playstation Network Following Increased Demand Due to Coronavirus 

The coronavirus pandemic has naturally led to a wild increase in gamers going online, and Xbox Live is the favorite to crash ahead of Playstation Network should either service succumb.

Many people who would otherwise be at work or occupying themselves outdoors have flocked to their favorite consoles, leading to an increase in the strain placed on servers during this time of ramped-up connectivity.

Most major sports are off the table as a result of COVID-19, and alternative betting markets such as this may offer a welcome distraction during the blackout.

Bovada is offering odds of -135 (1.74) on Xbox Live being the first to blink in light of the surge in active users, with Microsoft’s online arm tending to have a somewhat inferior reputation under such circumstances.

Playstation Network is the +105 (2.05) underdog following not far behind, though Sony’s online service is yet to experience any substantial setbacks as of yet despite the increase in users.

DownDetector.net monitors the number of reports registered in regards to online gaming on a quarter-of-an-hour basis. In the 24 hours leading up to noon on Monday, March 23, Xbox Live had attracted around twice the negative reports on average compared to Playstation Network. Gameplay issues were the main cause of connectivity issues for both brand, though it’s worth noting a higher percentage of XboX Live users also experienced online issues signing in.

The coronavirus has forced millions around the globe to self-quarantine, resulting in more than 15,000 deaths from a little more than 351,000 confirmed cases as of Monday.

Bovada specified any breakdown must be considered a “major outage” to qualify, though the average gamer will hope neither winner comes in and services remain uninterrupted.