An independent market study has found that Xbox Live outperforms the PlayStation Network when it comes to speed, reliability, and overall quality. London-based market analysts IHS Markit determined that Xbox Live is a more user-friendly experience after conducting a series of tests measuring the network speed and dependability of both Xbox Live and PSN. The full findings of the study can be found here.
The tests were conducted on a PS4 and an Xbox One.
While conducting their study, IHS Markit measured reliability in the following way: “Reliability is defined as the ability to complete specified tasks required for gameplay. This category focused on how each network fared based on two fundamental concerns: can gamers connect to a gaming network; and once connected, can they complete their gaming tasks?”
IHS determined that logging into Xbox Live is more efficient because it’s a one-step process, as opposed to a two-step process for PSN. IHS also concluded that Xbox Live has faster loading times, “from game initiation to logging into game servers and servers for multiplayer play, and from match initiation to the start of gameplay.”
It was also determined that Xbox Live outperforms PSN when it comes to stability, a metric that measures how often players are dropped from games, how often players are added to in-progress games, and how often players are disconnected and reconnected to the network. In this respect, Xbox Live experienced fewer drops and disconnects during the testing.
Regarding network speed, PSN and Xbox Live were tested along the following lines: “The measures for Speed were built based not only on how quickly consumers could connect to a gaming network, but also on how quickly gaming tasks could be completed. The Speed category involved five test scenarios: lag and latency, matchmaking, game-load times, login service, and friends.”
The friends metric measured how quickly it takes for a friend to join an online game, the time required for an invitation to be sent from one player to another, and the time required for that invitation to be accepted and returned to the first player.
Xbox Live scored higher in all of these areas, except multi-player matchmaking.
To measure overall quality, IHS amalgamated the scores from the speed and reliability tests, while also taking into account the sound quality of voice chatting on both Xbox Live and PSN. Xbox Live scored higher in voice chat quality.
Ultimately, IHS determined that Xbox Live provides players with a better online gaming experience: one that is quicker, more efficient, and more reliable.
Microsoft touted the results of the survey as a victory in an Xbox Wire post, while taking the time to promote upcoming features aimed at improving the experience of the online network. You can find more information about new Xbox Live features like Clubs here.