Microsoft has announced today that it has flipped the switch on its new Australian-hosted Xbox Live servers – and just in time for the holiday season.
This will mean Xbox One gamers will see a better multiplayer experience with reduced connection and ping time, centralised local hosting, and improved reliability on certain titles like Halo The Master Chief Collection and Sunset Overdrive.
“We set out to deliver amazing experiences on the Xbox One platform, and are humbled by the support and positive response from Aussie gamers to the updates over the past 12 months,” Jeremy Hinton, Business Group Lead for Interactive Entertainment, said in a statement.
“Today’s announcement of Australian based Xbox Live servers addresses the most requested feature from local gamers. We are excited to give our fans the best online gaming experience available, just in time for the Holidays.”
The local Xbox Live servers will be powered by the recently-launched Windows Azure services in Australia to “deliver unparalleled in-game graphics and audio, alongside deeply intelligent NPC (non-player characters) and artificial intelligence,” according to Microsoft.
Xbox One owners will be able to use the new Australian servers from today. According to Microsoft, no updates will be required as games will automatically utilise the service.