Xbox Series X Owners Hit A Major Roadblock
The first Xbox Series X and Series S consoles have made it to the homes of excited early adopters and fans who preordered a system. However, some gamers have encountered a problem that has stopped them dead in their tracks, as they were unable to sign into Xbox Live to access digitally purchased games or play online.
The Xbox Support team first acknowledged the Xbox Live sign-in problems during launch day for the Series X and the Series S, November 10. The team tweeted about the issue, stating, "We're aware that users are currently unable to sign in to Xbox Live on various platforms," as well as providing a link to the Xbox Live Status support page.
Series X owners who followed the Xbox Live Status link could see all unavailable services, including Xbox Live Core Services, as well as individual games such as Destiny 2 and Rouge Company. The Twitter account dedicated to connectivity status updates for Rogue Company confirmed there were login issues under review.
While these announcements confirmed that the problem was widespread enough to affect multiple Microsoft platforms and products, it does not appear to be affecting all Series X owners. A tester for Game Rant could sign into their Series X, although they reported being unable to sign into any additional accounts on the system and had problems purchasing games from the Xbox store.
While Microsoft seems to have been surprised by the launch day connectivity issues, the company has already acknowledged some problems affecting the Xbox Series X and S. A week before the console launched, on November 3, the company put out a list of known technical issues they'd already identified.
These included connectivity problems with services such as EA Play, NBC's PeacockTV, and BBC iPlayer. The post also acknowledged some isolated issues with DVD and Blu-ray playback, as well as firmware problems with 4K displays. These problems included a workaround if it was available or a commitment to finding a solution if one didn't exist already.
The critical response to the Xbox Series S and X has been positive so far, with reviewers praising the improved loading times, sleek design, and enhanced controller. While many were disappointed in the lack of exciting launch titles designed to take advantage of the new technology, the Xbox Game Pass is a great way to play hundreds of titles for a monthly fee — if Series X owners can connect to Xbox Live. As of this writing, the issue appears to have been resolved, so hopefully they can.